Niklaus Riggenbach

Niklaus Riggenbach
Member of Cantonal Council of Solothurn
In office 1866–1868
Constituency	Olten District
Personal details
Born	Niklaus Riggenbach (1817-05-21)21 May 1817 Guebwiller, Kingdom of France (now France)
Died	25 July 1899(1899-07-25) (aged 82) Olten, Switzerland
Nationality	Swiss
Spouse	Emma Socin ​ ​ (m. 1847; died 1899)​
Children	1
Alma mater	Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
Occupation	Railway pioneer engineer mechanic politician
Signature

Niklaus Riggenbach (21 May 1817 – 25 July 1899) was an Alsatian-born Swiss mechanic, railway engineer, politician and inventor of the rack railway system as well as the counter-pressure brake. Riggenbach was primarily known for introducing his railway system and using it within the tourism industry such as on the Rigi, Pilatus or even on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in India. In 1878 he was the recipient of a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. He served on the Cantonal Council of Solothurn from 1866 to 1868.^[1]