Ricken Tunnel
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The Ricken Tunnel (german: Rickentunnel) is an long rail tunnel under the
Ricken Pass The Ricken Pass is a mountain pass in the canton of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. At a maximum altitude of , it connects the Linth valley and the Toggenburg. The pass is crossed by a road, which has a maximum gradient of 9%. The Ricken Tun ...
in eastern
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It is on the
Swiss Federal Railway Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
Uznach–Wattwil line, between Kaltbrunn station and Wattwil station. The tunnel, which accommodates a single track through, is relatively straight and has a constant incline of 15.75 ‰ from Kaltbrunn to Wattwill. The Ricken Tunnel was constructed between 1904 and 1910, and was initially used by steam-hauled trains. Following a fatal incident on 4 October 1926 in which nine railway employees died as a result of
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
poisoning in the poorly ventilated tunnel, the line and tunnel were both electrified during 1927. The geology surrounding the tunnel is somewhat unfavourable, the rocks being prone to swelling and damaging the tunnel walls over time, necessitating repeated repairs and the occasional closure. During the 1990s, equipment for capturing
geothermal energy Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pres ...
was installed within the tunnel and has been used since; it remains open to railway traffic irrespective of this activity.


Operational history

During January 1904, construction of the tunnel commenced. Its excavation proceeded at a rapid pace, to the extent that a record was set in the process. During the boring process, workers encountered pockets of
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
as well as traces of
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
. The tunnel proved to be relatively dry, with the use of cement drainage proving sufficient to handle the levels of water infiltration present. On 30 March 1908, breakthrough was achieved in the Ricken Tunnel. The complete tunnel was first opened to traffic on 1 October 1910. Prior to its electrification, the line was initially operated by
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s; during this period, the Ricken Tunnel acquired a negative reputation because of its relatively steep gradient and the lack of adequate ventilation, which caused smoke to accumulate and linger within it. No substantial alterations were made to the tunnel to address its apparent ventilation issues prior to a fatal incident occurring. On 4 October 1926, a steam hauled freight train stalled while inside of the tunnel whilst attempting to ascend the gradient; this unplanned stop was a result of the use of the poor quality
briquettes A briquette (; also spelled briquet) is a compressed block of coal dust or other combustible biomass material (e.g. charcoal, sawdust, wood chips, peat, or paper) used for fuel and kindling to start a fire. The term derives from the French word ...
that were being used as fuel for the locomotive. Despite multiple attempts to rescue the train crew, a total of nine railway employees died of
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
poisoning, which included three of the rescuers. As a consequence, both the line and the tunnel were promptly electrified during the following year.Allen 1958, p. 146. Since the tunnel's original construction, it has been subject to repeated remedial repairs over time. These have been partially attributed to the surrounding geology, which consists of a high proportion of clay minerals and anhydrite rocks, that absorbs water and swells, with the dimensional changes causing damage to the tunnel walls. These repairs have sometimes necessitated temporary closures of the Ricken Tunnel; during these periods of unavailability, rail-replacement buses via the Ricken Pass have been provided for the use of the travelling public. During the 1990s, an energy capturing
heat pump A heat pump is a device that can heat a building (or part of a building) by transferring thermal energy from the outside using a refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing h ...
was installed at the southern portal of Ricken tunnel to function as a source of
geothermal energy Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pres ...
; by 2003, it was reportedly providing 501 kWt of energy to heat several public buildings in the neighbouring village of Kaltbrunn. This apparatus does not interfere with its use as an active railway tunnel.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * Lauchli, Eugene, "Short and Long Tunnels of Small and Large Section Driven Through Hard and Soft Materials." ''McGraw-Hill'',· 1915. * Mulholland, Catherine. "William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles." ''University of California Press'', 2002. * Schneider, Ascanio and Armin Masé. "Railway Accidents of Great Britain and Europe." ''David & Charles'', 1970.
{{coord missing, Switzerland Buildings and structures in the canton of St. Gallen Railway tunnels in Switzerland Tunnels in the Alps Tunnels completed in 1910