Pilatus Railway

Pilatus Railway
A train on the final section
Overview
Native namePilatusbahn
StatusOperational
OwnerPilatus-Bahnen AG [de]
LocaleObwalden, Switzerland
Termini
Stations5
Service
Services1
History
Opened4 June 1889 (Steam), reopened 15 May 1937
Technical
Line length4.6 km (2.86 mi)
Rack systemLocher
Track gauge800 mm (2 ft 7+12 in)
Electrification1,650 V DC overhead line
Operating speed9 km/h (5.6 mph) downhill, about 10 km/h (6.2 mph) uphill.
Highest elevation2,073 m (6,801 ft)
Maximum incline48 %
Route diagram

km
elevation (M)
or length (m)
0.0
Alpnachstad PB
440 M
1.3
Wolfort
890 M
Wolforttunnel
40 m
Spycher tunnel I
47 m
Spycher tunnel II
97 m
2.3
Aemsigen
1,355 M
3.3
Mattalp
1,600 M
Eselwand tunnel I
44 m
Eselwand tunnel II
50 m
Eselwand tunnel III
46 m
Eselwand tunnel IV
9 m
4.8
Pilatus Kulm (for Mount Pilatus)
2,073 M
Aerial cable car Kriens-Krienseregg-Fräkmüntegg

The Pilatus Railway (German: Pilatusbahn, PB) is a mountain railway in Switzerland and the steepest rack railway in the world, with a maximum gradient of 48% and an average gradient of 35%. The line runs from Alpnachstad, on Lake Alpnach, to a terminus near the Esel summit of Pilatus at an elevation of 2,073 m (6,801 ft), which makes it the highest railway in the canton of Obwalden and the second highest in Central Switzerland after the Furka line. At Alpnachstad, the Pilatus Railway connects with steamers on Lake Lucerne and with trains on the Brünigbahn line of Zentralbahn.[1]

  1. ^ "A Wonderful Railway". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 March 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 13 February 2013.