The Turmbergbahn is a funicular railway

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

 in Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe

The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. From Karlsruhe's former center Durlach

Durlach

Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.-History:Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession, but afterwards came into the hands of Rudolph of Habsburg.It was chosen by the margrave...

, the line climbs the Turmberg

Turmberg

The Turmberg is a hill located in Durlach, a suburb of Karlsruhe in Germany. It is home to a castle ruin....

, which on a clear day provides a lookout point with views of the River Rhine valley, the Palatinate forest and the adjacent parts of Alsace

Alsace

Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...

.

The line first opened in 1888 by the Turmbergbahn Durlach AG, and its original form used the water ballast system of propulsion, similar to that still used by the Nerobergbahn

Nerobergbahn

The Nerobergbahn is a funicular railway in the city of Wiesbaden, Germany. The line links the city with the Neroberg hill to its north, where visitors may view a panorama of the city....

 in Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...

. Operation of the funicular was interrupted twice during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, once near the beginning, and again from 1945 to 1946. The line was comprehensively rebuilt in 1966, and the water ballast drive was replaced by a conventional electric drive. It is now run by the Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe

Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe

The Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe , is the municipal transport company of the city of Karlsruhe in Germany. It runs the tram and bus network within the city, as well as the Turmbergbahn funicular railway....

, the operator of Karlsruhe's tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

s.

The funicular has the following technical parameters:

• Length: 315 metres (1,033.5 ft)
• Height: 100 metres (328.1 ft)
• Maximum steepness: 36.2 %
• Configuration: Single track with passing loop
• Journey time: 3 minutes
• Cars: 2
• Capacity: 52 passengers per car
• Track gauge: 1 metres (3.3 ft)
• Traction: Electricity

External links

• Page on the Turmbergbahn from its operator (in German)
• Article on the Turmbergbahn from funiculars.net (in English)