Brienz Rothorn Railway

Brienz Rothorn Railway
Steam train with old coach halting at Planalp
Overview
Native nameBrienz Rothorn Bahn
StatusOpen
LocaleCanton of Bern, Switzerland
Termini
Service
TypeRack railway
History
Opened17 June 1892,
reopened 13 June 1931
Closed1 August 1914
Technical
Line length7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi)
Number of trackssingle track with passing loops
Rack systemAbt[1][2][3]
Track gauge800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
ElectrificationNone
Highest elevation2,244 m (7,362 ft)
Maximum incline25 %
Route diagram

Legend
km
elevation (M)
or length (m)
0.0
 Brienz BRB Zentralbahn
566 M
Wellenberg bridge
Schwarzfluh tunnel
18 m
2.1
 Geldried
1,019 M
Erd tunnel
119 m
Fluh tunnel
290 m
3.6
 Planalp
1,341 M
Chüemaad tunnel
133 m
5.7
 Oberstaffel
1,819 M
Schonegg tunnel I
37 m
Schonegg tunnel II
133 m
7.6
 Rothorn Kulm
2,244 M
This diagram:

The Brienz Rothorn Railway (German: Brienz Rothorn Bahn, BRB) is a tourist rack railway in Switzerland, which climbs from Brienz, at the eastern end of Lake Brienz, to the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn. The railway is 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) long, is built to 800 mm gauge (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in gauge), and uses the Abt double lamella rack system. Unusually for Switzerland, the line is not electrified, and most trains are operated by steam locomotives.[1][2][3][4]

The Brienz Rothorn Railway reaches a height of 2,244 metres above sea level and is the fourth-highest railway in Switzerland.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Technical details of the Brienz Rothorn Bahn". Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG. Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  2. ^ a b "BRB — Facts". www.rail-info.ch. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  3. ^ a b "Zahnstangensysteme" [Rack systems] (PDF). www.schmalspur-europa.at (in German). Railway — Media — Group. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  4. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. p. 33. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  5. ^ After the Jungfrau, Gornergrat, and Bernina railway