The Peak Tram is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Garden Road Admiralty to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. Operated since 1888, it was the first funicular railway in Asia.
Sixth generation Peak Tram car approaching The Peak Terminus
Garden Road Terminus, circa 1920
A Peak Tram car from 1956, now displayed near the upper terminus, and still carrying a headboard celebrating the line's centenary in 1988
Uphill tram route 1897
A funicular is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators, which have a single car that is hauled uphill.
Funicular in Baku, Azerbaijan
Bottom towrope
Funicular drive train
Petřín funicular wheelset with Abt rack and pinion brake