A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the summit.
Mountain railways often use narrow gauge tracks to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge, and hence construction cost and effort. Where mountain railways need to climb steep gradients, they may use steep grade railway technology, or even operate as funicular railways.
List of mountain railways
Argentina Mendoza to Los Andes, Chile, see Chile below
Australia
Glenreagh Mountain Railway Skitube
Austria
Achensee Railway Arlberg Railway Mariazell Railway Pöstlingberg RailwayDescribed by the operator, Linz AG Linien In German Semmering Railway – A World Heritage Site
Bolivia Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia Ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz, Arica–La Paz Rio Mulatos-Potosí line
Brazil São Paulo Railway
Canada
BC Rail, crosses the Pacific Coast Range of the Coast Mountains (Garibaldi & Lillooet Ranges) Kicking Horse Pass Rogers Pass White Pass and Yukon Route Yellowhead Pass
Chile Ferrocarill Arica La Paz, Arica–La Paz Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes – Mendoza, Los Andes – Mendoza. The rebuild will be adhesion only.Se construye
China Gebishi Railway Kunming–Hai Phong Railway Qingzang railway
Colombia Colombian Railways
Croatia Lika line Rijeka line
Eritrea Eritrean Railway
France Artouste (Petit train d') La Rhune (Petit train de) Mont Blanc Tramway Chemin de fer du Montenvers Saint Gervais-Vallorcine (Ligne de) Ligne de Cerdagne
Germany
Harz Railway (Harzbahn) or (Harzquerbahn) Rübeland Railway (Rübelandbahn) Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (Harzer Schmalspurbahnen) Brocken Railway (Brockenbahn) Selke Valley Railway(Selketalbahn) Schwarza Valley Railway (Schwarzatalbahn)Schwarza valley line
Georgia Borjomi-Bakuriani railway "Kukushka" (ბაკურიანი-ბორჯომი რკინიგზა)
India
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – A world Heritage Site Nilgiri Mountain Railway – A world Heritage Site Kalka-Shimla Railway – A world Heritage Site Kangra Valley Railway Matheran Hill Railway Jammu–Baramulla line
Isle of Man Snaefell Mountain Railway
Israel Carmelit
Japan Aizu Railway Chuo Main Line (especially central portion between Takao Station and Nakatsugawa Station) Dosan Line Echigo Tokimeki Railway Myōkō Haneuma Line (former Shin'etsu Main Line, around Nihongi Station) Eizan Electric Railway Etsumi North Line Hakone Tozan Railway Hakubi Line Hisatsu Line Hohi Main Line Iida Line Joetsu Line Fujikyuko Line Geibi Line (especially east of Miyoshi Station) Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line Kamaishi Line Keihan Keishin Line (interurban line with steep gradients) Kintetsu Nara Line Kisuki Line Kobe Electric Railway Kurobe Gorge Railway (mostly sightseeing-oriented line originally used in dam construction) Minobu Line Nagaragawa Railway Nankai Koya Line (south of Hashimoto Station (Wakayama)) Ou Main Line, including Yamagata Shinkansen through services Oito Line (especially north of Shinano-Omachi Station) Seibu Chichibu Line Sekisho Line (east of Shin-Yubari Station) Shinonoi Line The former Shin'etsu Main Line over the Usui Pass (abandoned) Tadami Line Takayama Main Line Yagan Railway
Mexico Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco
New Zealand Rimutaka Incline Commenced operation in 1878 and ceased operation in 1955.
Norway Flåm Line
Peru Empresa nacional de ferrocarriles del Peru Ferrocarril Central Andino (Standard gauge) Ferrocarril Huancayo - Huancavelica,Map of Huancayo – Huancavelica (built to narrow gauge , but converted to between 2006 and 2010) Ferrocarril del sur de Peru Arequipa – Puno, (Standard gauge) Cusco - Machu Picchu, Cusco – Machu Picchu ( gauge)
Poland Silesian Mountain Railway
Romania
Ploiești – Brașov railway Brașov – Sibiu – Arad railway Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu railway Târgu Jiu – Simeria railway Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Caransebeș railway Oravița – Anina railway Cluj-Napoca – Oradea railway Brașov – Miercurea Ciuc – Deda railway, and Brașov – Întorsura Buzăului Salva – Sighetu Marmației railway Adjud – Siculeni railway Suceava – Ilva Mică railway, and Vama – Moldovița Arad – Ineu – Brad Buzău – Nehoiașu
Russia
Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway – located in the Krasnodar Krai, gauge of .Apsheronsk railwayTourist Railway
Slovakia Čierny Hron Railway
Slovenia Bohinj railway
Spain Vall de Núria Rack Railway
Switzerland
Appenzell Railways Lauterbrunnen–Mürren Mountain Railway Rheineck–Walzenhausen mountain railway Lötschberg railway Bernese Oberland Railway Chemin de fer Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans (CEV) Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez Emmental-Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn Gornergratbahn Gotthardbahn Jungfraubahn Harderbahn Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (formerly BVZ Zermatt-Bahn, Furka Oberalp Bahn) Monte Generoso Railway Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line Pilatusbahn Rhätische Bahn Rheineck–Walzenhausen mountain railway (RhW, now AB) Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn Schynige Platte Bahn Transports de Martigny et Régions (Chemin de fer Martigny–Châtelard and Chemin de fer Martigny–Orsières) Trogenerbahn Uetlibergbahn Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway Wengernalpbahn Waldenburgerbahn Zentralbahn (former Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn, Brünigbahn)
Taiwan Alishan Forest Railway Taiping Mountain Forest Railway
United Kingdom
Brecon Mountain Railway Cairngorm Mountain Railway Conwy Valley line Ffestiniog Railway Highland Main Line Settle–Carlisle line Snowdon Mountain Railway Welsh Highland Railway West Highland Line
United States
Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway Boca and Loyalton Railroad Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company Cascade Tunnel Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Central Pacific Railroad Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Denver and Salt Lake Railway Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Feather River Route Green Mountain Cog Railway (abandoned) Georgetown Loop Railroad Gilpin Railroad Lookout Mountain Incline Railway in Chattanooga, Tennessee Michigan-California Lumber Company Mount Lowe Railway Mount Tom Railroad Mountain Division Northwestern Pacific Railroad Otis Elevating Railway Raton Pass Rio Grande Southern Railroad San Diego and Arizona Railway Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad Silver City, Pinos Altos and Mogollon Railroad Silverton Railroad Tehachapi Loop Uintah Railway White Pass and Yukon Route
Venezuela Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela
Mountain railways in fiction The Culdee Fell Railway is featured in the book Mountain Engines, part of The Railway Series by Rev.W.Awdry.
See also
Cable car (railway) Cable railway Funicular Hillclimbing (railway) List of steepest gradients on adhesion railways Rack railway Ruling gradient Stadler Rail (Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works) Steep grade railway
References
External links
Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes – Mendoza, Argentina (Trans-Andean Railways) (all others in Spanish only) seconstruye.com el tren Los Andes – Mendoza Museo Ferrocarril Transandino Ferrocarril Central Andina S.A. Ferrocarril Central Andino S.A. Map of central Peru Callao – Huancayo Map of south Peru/Bolivia Machu Picchu – Lake Titicaca – west coast Pacific Ocean Route Arequipa – Puno (Lake Titicaca) Route Cusco – Puno (Lake Titicaca) Route Cusco – Machu Picchu Homepage of the Mount Washington Cog Railway (First ever mountain climbing cog railway)