Superga Rack Railway
Encyclopedia
The Superga Rack Railway (or Sassi-Superga Railway) is a mountain railway
line in the city of Turin
in Italy
. Managed by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti
, it connects the Turin suburb of Sassi to the Basilica
of Superga
at an altitude of 672m (2205ft)
. From here, high in the hills facing the city across the River Po
, there is a splendid panorama of Turin against a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps
.
The line was opened on the 27 April 1884 as a cable driven rack railway
of the Agudio system. In this system a cable ran along the side of the track and passed around two large pulleys on the side of the cars, which in turn drove the cog wheels that propelled the train. After an accident, the line was converted to a conventional electric rack railway and re-opened on the 16 April 1935. Along the line the guides for the previous cables can still be found.
The line is 3.1 km (1.9mi)
long, has a rail gauge
of 1445 mm, and overcomes a difference in height of 419 m (1375ft)
with a maximum gradient of 20%. The line is electrified with a third rail at 600 volt
s. Trains carry up to 220 passengers to the summit in approximately twenty minutes. Although it does not run in the street, the line and its cars have some of the characteristics of a tramway
, and the line is often referred to thus.
Three pure-rack engines are used. The depot has no rack, nor third electrified rail, thus the rack engines are shunted by a small electric locomotive fed by overhead wires. There is track connection to Turin's urban tramway network.
Mountain railway
A mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade...
line in the city of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Managed by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti
Gruppo Torinese Trasporti
The Gruppo Torinese Trasporti is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the provinces of Turin, Alessandria, Cuneo and Asti...
, it connects the Turin suburb of Sassi to the Basilica
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin.It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga, to fulfill a vow the duke had made during the Battle of Turin...
of Superga
Superga
Superga is a hill situated on the south bank of the Po River to the east of Turin in north-west Italy. At 672 metres above sea level, it is one of the most prominent of the hills which form an amphitheatre around the city....
at an altitude of 672m (2205ft)
1 E2 m
To compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 100 metres and 1000 metres .Distances shorter than 100 metres-Conversions:100 metres is equal to:* 328 feet...
. From here, high in the hills facing the city across the River Po
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
, there is a splendid panorama of Turin against a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
The line was opened on the 27 April 1884 as a cable driven rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a 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...
of the Agudio system. In this system a cable ran along the side of the track and passed around two large pulleys on the side of the cars, which in turn drove the cog wheels that propelled the train. After an accident, the line was converted to a conventional electric rack railway and re-opened on the 16 April 1935. Along the line the guides for the previous cables can still be found.
The line is 3.1 km (1.9mi)
1 E3 m
To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 1 kilometre and 10 kilometres .Distances shorter than 1 kilometre-Conversions:1 kilometre is equal to:* 1,000 metres...
long, has a rail gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
of 1445 mm, and overcomes a difference in height of 419 m (1375ft)
1 E2 m
To compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 100 metres and 1000 metres .Distances shorter than 100 metres-Conversions:100 metres is equal to:* 328 feet...
with a maximum gradient of 20%. The line is electrified with a third rail at 600 volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s. Trains carry up to 220 passengers to the summit in approximately twenty minutes. Although it does not run in the street, the line and its cars have some of the characteristics of a tramway
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...
, and the line is often referred to thus.
Three pure-rack engines are used. The depot has no rack, nor third electrified rail, thus the rack engines are shunted by a small electric locomotive fed by overhead wires. There is track connection to Turin's urban tramway network.
External links
Sources
- Wikipedia article :de:Superga Zahnradbahn, last updated on the 20th February 2005 at 19:02.
- Web page http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccmisc.html, retrieved on the 9th March 2005 at 15:00 GMT.