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Vall De Núria Rack Railway
The Vall de Núria Rack Railway (, ) is a mountain railway in the Pyrenees mountains in the north of the Catalonia region of Spain. The line connects Ribes de Freser with Queralbs and Vall de Núria in Ripollès, Girona. As Queralbs is the highest point in the valley reachable by road, the rack railway is – along with the old Trail, footpath / mule track – the only way to reach the Virgin of Nuria, shrine and ski resort at Núria. The line opened on March 22, 1931, and has been electrically operated from the start. It became part of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) on January 2, 1984 and remains in their ownership. The line connects to the Rodalies Barcelona line 3, main R3 line at Ribes de Freser, but the stations have separate access. The line is long and has a rail gauge of . The first of the line is operated by conventional rail adhesion. The remainder of the line is operated as a rack railway, using the Abt rack system, Abt system and with a maxim ...
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Stadler GTW
The Stadler GTW (, ) is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. History The Biel–Täuffelen–Ins-Bahn near Bern, Switzerland was looking for a lighter train model to replace its aging fleet, so that a low-floor system does not require heavy installations on the roof. Based on that requirement Stadler came up with a concept of placing most of the equipment in a central unit between the seating cars. While the BTI-Bahn tracks are meter gauge, Stadler presented the first prototype in 1995 set on standard-gauge track, and the Mittelthurgau-Bahn tested three prototypes on its standard-gauge network during 1996. The rolling stock for Mittelthurgau was later expanded to ten GTW 2/6 units (built 1998–1999) that are now part of the THURBO fleet (the three prototypes were sold to Italy). The next lots were produced in meter gauge and were delivered to the BTI-Bahn and the CEV-Bahn ( Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans) in 1997although t ...
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Mule Track
A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider range of users, including equestrians, hikers, and cyclists. Such paths are either impassable for motorized vehicles, or vehicles are banned. The laws relating to allowable uses vary from country to country. In industrialized countries, bridle paths are now primarily used for recreation. However, they are still important transportation routes in other areas. For example, they are the main method of traveling to mountain villages in Lesotho. In England and Wales a bridle path now refers to a route which can be legally used by horse riders in addition to walkers, and since 1968, by cyclists. A "ride" is another term used for a bridleway: "a path or track, esp. one through a wood, usually made for riding on horseback" (''Oxford English Dict ...
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Montserrat Rack Railway
The Montserrat Rack Railway (Spanish and , ) is a mountain railway line north-west of Barcelona in Catalonia. The line runs from Monistrol de Montserrat to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat. The line is long and has a rail gauge of . The first of the line, between Monistrol FGC station and the only intermediate station at Monistrol Vila, is operated by conventional adhesion. The remainder of the line is operated as a rack railway using the Abt system, overcoming a height difference of with a maximum gradient of 15.6%. The line is electrified with an overhead supply at 1500 V DC. The line is operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC). History A line on this route was originally opened in 1892. Competition arrived in 1930, in the form of the Aeri de Montserrat, an aerial cable car that also carries passengers to the monastery. A narrow road also reaches the monastery. After poor financial results and an accident in 1953, the rack railw ...
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Snow Plow
A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to refer to vehicles mounting such devices, more accurately they are known as winter service vehicles, especially in areas that regularly receive large amounts of snow every year, or in specific environments such as airfields. In other cases, pickup trucks and front end loaders are outfitted with attachments to fulfill this purpose. Some regions that do not frequently see snow may use graders to remove compacted snow and ice off the streets. Snowplows can also be mounted on rail cars or locomotives to clear railway tracks. Usage A snowplow works by using a blade to push snow to the side to clear it from a surface. Modern plows may include technology to make it easier to perform the work and stay on the road. These include Global Positioning ...
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Maintenance Of Way
Maintenance of way (commonly abbreviated to MOW, also known as "Permanent Way Maintenance" or "PWM" in Britain) refers to the maintenance, construction, and improvement of rail infrastructure, including tracks, ballast, grade, and lineside infrastructure such as signals and signs. Track Railroad tracks consist of multiple key components: a track bed, and ballast forming the foundation of the tracks. Then the tracks themselves are place on the ballast, the tracks consist of a railroad tie, fasteners to secure the rails to the ties, such as spikes or clips, rails, which are assembled on a bed of ballast, which is in turn on a track bed that supports it all. Ballast is a material used to support the ties and rails, and keep them in place. It is also a key part of drainage along railway lines to ensure the integrity of the tracks during rain and other wet weather. Ballast is often a crushed stone. Stones need to be irregularly shaped, in order to increase friction that holds th ...
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Stadler Rail
Stadler Rail AG is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an original emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams, but moving also into Rapid transit, mass rapid transit, High-speed rail, high speed, Inter-city rail, intercity and Sleeping car, sleeper trains. It also produces niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock. Stadler Rail is headquartered at its place of origin in Bussnang, Switzerland. Stadler Rail employed 13,900 employees by 2023. The company consolidates fifty subsidiaries in 23 countries including Algeria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus and the United States, and upcoming joint ventures with Industri Kereta Api, INKA in Indonesia and Medha Servo Drives in India. Stadler Rail employed approximately 6,100 employees by 2012, including 2,750 in Switzerland, 1,200 in Germany, 1,000 in Belarus, 400 in Hungary and 400 in Pol ...
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Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie. (Brown, Boveri & Company; BBC) was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies. It was founded in Baden bei Zürich, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1988 BBC merged with ASEA to form ABB. Early history of BBC Brown Boveri BBC Brown Boveri was established in 1891. The company was one of only a few multinational corporations to operate subsidiaries that were larger than the parent company. Because of the limitations of the Swiss domestic market, Brown Boveri established subsidiaries throughout Europe relatively early in its history, and at times had difficulty maintaining managerial control over some of its larger operating units. The merger with ASEA, a company which was praised for its strong management, was expected to help Brown Boveri reorganize and reassert control over its vast international network. Activity in Britain Brown Boveri's early activities included manufac ...
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Swiss Locomotive And Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (German Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik; French Société Suisse pour la Construction de Locomotives et de Machines; or for both, SLM) was a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Switzerland. Much of the world's mountain railway equipment was constructed by the company. History The company was founded in 1871 by the British engineer Charles Brown (British engineer), Charles Brown. SLM built both steam locomotive, steam and electric locomotives, including the Crocodile (locomotive), crocodile type. From 1992, SLM returned to producing steam locomotives designed around advanced steam technology principles. This included rebuilding DR Class 52.80 locomotive number 52 8055. In 1998, the cog-railway division was sold to Stadler Rail, and the engineering division, via Adtranz, to Bombardier Transportation. The remaining business was renamed Sulzer-Winpro AG and as part of a management buyout in 2001, was renamed Winpro AG ...
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Rolling Stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches), and Railroad car#Non-revenue cars, non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can be un-powered, or self-propelled, Railcar, single or Multiple unit, multiple units. In North America, Australia and other countries, the term consist ( ) is used to refer to the rolling stock comprising a train, a list containing specific information for each car of a train, or a group of locomotives. In the United States, the term ''rolling stock'' has been expanded from the older broadly defined "trains" to include wheeled vehicles used by businesses on roadways. The word ''stock'' in the term is used in a sense of inventory. Rolling stock is considered to be a liquid asset, or close to it, since the value of the vehicle can be readily estimated and then ship ...
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Abt Rack System
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep gradients of 100% (45 degrees) or more, well above the 10% maximum for friction-based rail. The rack and pinion mechanism also provides more controlled braking and reduces the effects of snow or ice on the rails. Most rack railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways or tramways built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment. The first cog railway was the Middleton Railway between Middleton and Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, where the first commercially successful steam locomotive, ''Salamanca'', ran in 1812. This used a rack and pinion system designed and patented in 1811 by John Blenkinsop. The first mountain cog railway ...
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Rack Railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep gradients of 100% (45 degrees) or more, well above the 10% maximum for friction-based rail. The rack and pinion mechanism also provides more controlled braking and reduces the effects of snow or ice on the rails. Most rack railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways or tramways built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment. The first cog railway was the Middleton Railway between Middleton and Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, where the first commercially successful steam locomotive, ''Salamanca'', ran in 1812. This used a rack and pinion system designed and patented in 1811 by John Blenkinsop. The first mountain cog railw ...
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Rail Adhesion
An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train, and is the most widespread and common type of railway in the world. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. Since the vast majority of railways are adhesion railways, the term ''adhesion railway'' is used only when it is necessary to distinguish adhesion railways from railways moved by other means, such as by a stationary engine pulling on a cable attached to the cars or by a pinion meshing with a rack. The friction between the wheels and rails occurs in the wheel–rail interface or contact patch. The traction force, the braking forces and the centering forces all contribute to stable running. However, running friction increases costs, due to higher fuel consumption and increased maintenance needed to address fatigue damage and wear on rail heads and on the wheel rims and rail movement from traction and braking forces. Variation of friction coefficient Traction or fric ...
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