1.
Piz Kesch
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Piz Kesch or Piz dEs-cha is a peak in the Albula Alps of the Rhaetian Alps in Switzerland. At 3,418 metres, it is the highest peak in the Albula Alps, the first ascent was made 1846 by J. Coaz, J. Rascher, C. Piz Kesch is part of the ridge which divides the southeastern Swiss Alps between the Rhine drainage basin and the Danube drainage basin. It is also the highest peak in the Eastern Alps north of the Inn River, on the north side lies the Porchabella Glacier. West of Piz Kesch lies the Albula Pass, to the lies the valley of Davos. On the foot of Piz Kesch in the Engadine lies the village of Madulain, two SACs alpine huts lie close to Piz Kesch which are the Chamanna dEs-Cha or Es-Cha Hütte, and the Kesch-Hütte or Chamanna digl Kesch at. The first lies on a 3-hour walk from Madulain, La Punt and Zuoz, Kesch-Hütte lies 4½ hours from Bergün and can be reached as well from the Davos southern valleys of Sertig and Dischma or by a longer walk via Val Susauna coming from Cinuos-chel. The tower-like peak of Piz Kesch was reached for the first time on September 7,1846, casper, Johann Coaz, J. Rascher, J. R. Tscharner. In 1864 the ascent was repeated by Francis Fox Tuckett and Fowler, with guides C. Michel and M. Payot. From the Platzli huts, located above Bergün, they reached in 3 hours a pass on the ridge above the Vadret da Porchabella, from this — called Porta dEs-cha — they finally reached the peak in less than 2 hours. They afterwards descended in 3 hours from the pass to La Punt on the east side of the mountain, according to Tuckett, they were the first to reach the highest summit. we reached the summit of Piz Kesch without the slightest difficulty in 1 hour 10 m. On a second summit to the SE. which a level showed to be lower than where we stood, was planted a baton. M. Coaz, I was told, had ascended Piz Kesch a few years ago, the Kesch-Trek leads from Dischma via the Scaletta pass towards the southwest and to the Kesch-. In the following leg the route passes the western face and reaches Chamanna dEs-Cha hut via Fuorcla Pischa, List of mountains of Switzerland List of most isolated mountains of Switzerland Piz Kesch on summitpost
2.
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
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Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works were a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Switzerland. Much of the mountain railway equipment was constructed by them. The company was founded in 1871 by the British engineer Charles Brown, SLM built both steams and electric locomotives, including the crocodile type. From 1992, SLM returned to producing steam locomotives designed around advanced steam technology principles and this included rebuilding DR Class 52.80 locomotive number 528055. In 1998 the Cog-Railway division was sold to Stadler Rail, the Engineering division via Adtranz to Bombardier Transportation, the remaining Business was renamed as Sulzer-Winpro AG and as part of a Management Buyout in 2001 renamed in Winpro AG. The Advanced Steam division was sold in 2000 to DLM AG, in October 2001 the Measurement Division was sold to PROSE AG. Winpro AG was sold on 7 September 2005 to Stadler Rail, SLM Factories Jakob Buchli - a railway pioneer with the SLM
3.
Brown, Boveri & Cie
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Brown, Boveri was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies. It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown, in 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1988 it merged with ASEA to form ABB Group, a company producing DC Motors, AC motors, generators, turbochargers, transformers, some of BBCs technology went into German U-boats of World War II, such as the depth controls. BBC Brown Boveri was established in 1891, the company was one of only a few multinational corporations to operate subsidiaries that were larger than the parent company. The merger with ASEA, a company which was praised for its management, was expected to help Brown Boveri reorganize. Brown Boveris early activities included manufacturing electrical components such as motors for locomotives. At the same time, in the Swiss domestic market, production increased while sales remained static. In 1924 Brown Boveri devalued its capital by 30 percent to cover the losses it had incurred, in 1927 the agreement with Vickers ran out and was not renewed. During the same time, Brown Boveris various subsidiaries grew rapidly, industrialization throughout Europe created strong demand for the companys heavy electrical equipment. For the next few decades Brown Boveri grew as fast as technological developments in electrical engineering, the company, nevertheless, excelled at power generation, including nuclear power generators, and prospered in this field. Electrification in the Third World also provided Brown Boveri with substantial profits, in 1970 Brown Boveri began an extensive reorganization. The companys subsidiaries were divided into five groups, German, French, Swiss, medium-sized, each of these groups was further broken down into five product divisions, power generation, electronics, power distribution, traction equipment, and industrial equipment. Throughout the 1970s, Brown Boveri struggled to expand into the US market, while Brown Boveri counted a handful of major U. S. S. markets. During the electrification of the British West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s, in 1974 Brown Boveri acquired the British controls and instrument manufacturer, George Kent. The newly acquired company was renamed Brown Boveri Kent, in the mid-1970s growing demand in the Middle East for large power-generating facilities distracted the company from its push into North America. Oil-rich African nations, like Nigeria, attempting to diversify their manufacturing capabilities also created new markets for Brown Boveris heavy electrical engineering expertise, in the early 1980s Brown Boveris sales flattened out and the companys earnings declined. In 1983 Brown Boveris German subsidiary in Mannheim, West Germany, in spite of an increase in orders, the companys cost structure kept earnings down. In 1986 the parent company acquired a significant block of shares in the Mannheim subsidiary, in the later 1980s Brown Boveri took steps to reduce duplication of research and development among its various groups
4.
Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon
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Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon was a Swiss engineering company based in the Zürich district of Oerlikon known for the early development of electric locomotives. It was founded in 1876 by the industrialist Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller, in 1967 Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon was taken over by Brown, Boveri & Cie, which in 1988 merged with ASEA to form ABB Group. The site of the works has been redeveloped, including the innovative public MFO-Park. In the second decade of the 21st century, a project was initiated to expand Oerlikon railway station and this affected the site of the former office building of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, dating from the late 19th century and now a restaurant complex known as Gleis 9. Because of its importance to the region, plans to demolish the building were rejected. The move took place in May 2012, and took 19 hours, media related to Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon at Wikimedia Commons
5.
Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails. All vehicles on a network must have running gear that is compatible with the track gauge, as the dominant parameter determining interoperability, it is still frequently used as a descriptor of a route or network. There is a distinction between the gauge and actual gauge at some locality, due to divergence of track components from the nominal. Railway engineers use a device, like a caliper, to measure the actual gauge, the nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head are not necessarily vertical. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as four-foot gauge wagons, say and this nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. Track is defined in old Imperial units or in universally accepted metric units or SI units, Imperial units were established in United Kingdom by The Weights and Measures Act of 1824. In addition, there are constraints, such as the load-carrying capacity of axles. Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives, as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels. Narrow gauge is often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. Broader gauge railways are generally expensive to build and require wider curves. There is no single perfect gauge, because different environments and economic considerations come into play, a narrow gauge is superior if ones main considerations are economy and tight curvature. For direct, unimpeded routes with high traffic, a broad gauge may be preferable, the Standard, Russian, and 46 gauges are designed to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. In addition to the general trade-off, another important factor is standardization, once a standard has been chosen, and equipment, infrastructure, and training calibrated to that standard, conversion becomes difficult and expensive. This also makes it easier to adopt an existing standard than to invent a new one and this is true of many technologies, including railroad gauges. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard explains why a number of gauges predominate worldwide
6.
Railway electrification system
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A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electrification has many advantages but requires significant capital expenditure, selection of an electrification system is based on economics of energy supply, maintenance, and capital cost compared to the revenue obtained for freight and passenger traffic. Different systems are used for urban and intercity areas, some electric locomotives can switch to different supply voltages to allow flexibility in operation, Electric railways use electric locomotives to haul passengers or freight in separate cars or electric multiple units, passenger cars with their own motors. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network, some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own lines, switches and transformers. Power is supplied to moving trains with a continuous conductor running along the track usually takes one of two forms. The first is a line or catenary wire suspended from poles or towers along the track or from structure or tunnel ceilings. Locomotives or multiple units pick up power from the wire with pantographs on their roofs that press a conductive strip against it with a spring or air pressure. Examples are described later in this article, the second is a third rail mounted at track level and contacted by a sliding pickup shoe. Both overhead wire and third-rail systems usually use the rails as the return conductor. In comparison to the alternative, the diesel engine, electric railways offer substantially better energy efficiency, lower emissions. Electric locomotives are usually quieter, more powerful, and more responsive and they have no local emissions, an important advantage in tunnels and urban areas. Different regions may use different supply voltages and frequencies, complicating through service, the limited clearances available under catenaries may preclude efficient double-stack container service. Possible lethal electric current due to risk of contact with high-voltage contact wires, overhead wires are safer than third rails, but they are often considered unsightly. These are independent of the system used, so that. The permissible range of voltages allowed for the voltages is as stated in standards BS EN50163. These take into account the number of trains drawing current and their distance from the substation, railways must operate at variable speeds. Until the mid 1980s this was only practical with the brush-type DC motor, since such conversion was not well developed in the late 19th century and early 20th century, most early electrified railways used DC and many still do, particularly rapid transit and trams
7.
Hertz
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The hertz is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units and is defined as one cycle per second. It is named for Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the first person to provide proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Hertz are commonly expressed in SI multiples kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz, kilo means thousand, mega meaning million, giga meaning billion and tera for trillion. Some of the units most common uses are in the description of waves and musical tones, particularly those used in radio-. It is also used to describe the speeds at which computers, the hertz is equivalent to cycles per second, i. e. 1/second or s −1. In English, hertz is also used as the plural form, as an SI unit, Hz can be prefixed, commonly used multiples are kHz, MHz, GHz and THz. One hertz simply means one cycle per second,100 Hz means one hundred cycles per second, and so on. The unit may be applied to any periodic event—for example, a clock might be said to tick at 1 Hz, the rate of aperiodic or stochastic events occur is expressed in reciprocal second or inverse second in general or, the specific case of radioactive decay, becquerels. Whereas 1 Hz is 1 cycle per second,1 Bq is 1 aperiodic radionuclide event per second, the conversion between a frequency f measured in hertz and an angular velocity ω measured in radians per second is ω =2 π f and f = ω2 π. This SI unit is named after Heinrich Hertz, as with every International System of Units unit named for a person, the first letter of its symbol is upper case. Note that degree Celsius conforms to this rule because the d is lowercase. — Based on The International System of Units, the hertz is named after the German physicist Heinrich Hertz, who made important scientific contributions to the study of electromagnetism. The name was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1930, the term cycles per second was largely replaced by hertz by the 1970s. One hobby magazine, Electronics Illustrated, declared their intention to stick with the traditional kc. Mc. etc. units, sound is a traveling longitudinal wave which is an oscillation of pressure. Humans perceive frequency of waves as pitch. Each musical note corresponds to a frequency which can be measured in hertz. An infants ear is able to perceive frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, the range of ultrasound, infrasound and other physical vibrations such as molecular and atomic vibrations extends from a few femtoHz into the terahertz range and beyond. Electromagnetic radiation is described by its frequency—the number of oscillations of the perpendicular electric and magnetic fields per second—expressed in hertz. Radio frequency radiation is measured in kilohertz, megahertz, or gigahertz
8.
Alternating current
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Alternating current, is an electric current which periodically reverses direction, whereas direct current flows only in one direction. A common source of DC power is a cell in a flashlight. The abbreviations AC and DC are often used to mean simply alternating and direct, the usual waveform of alternating current in most electric power circuits is a sine wave. In certain applications, different waveforms are used, such as triangular or square waves, audio and radio signals carried on electrical wires are also examples of alternating current. These types of alternating current carry information encoded onto the AC signal and these currents typically alternate at higher frequencies than those used in power transmission. Electrical energy is distributed as alternating current because AC voltage may be increased or decreased with a transformer, use of a higher voltage leads to significantly more efficient transmission of power. The power losses in a conductor are a product of the square of the current and this means that when transmitting a fixed power on a given wire, if the current is halved, the power loss will be four times less. Power is often transmitted at hundreds of kilovolts, and transformed to 100–240 volts for domestic use, high voltages have disadvantages, such as the increased insulation required, and generally increased difficulty in their safe handling. In a power plant, energy is generated at a convenient voltage for the design of a generator, near the loads, the transmission voltage is stepped down to the voltages used by equipment. Consumer voltages vary somewhat depending on the country and size of load, the voltage delivered to equipment such as lighting and motor loads is standardized, with an allowable range of voltage over which equipment is expected to operate. Standard power utilization voltages and percentage tolerance vary in the different mains power systems found in the world, high-voltage direct-current electric power transmission systems have become more viable as technology has provided efficient means of changing the voltage of DC power. HVDC systems, however, tend to be expensive and less efficient over shorter distances than transformers. Three-phase electrical generation is very common, the simplest way is to use three separate coils in the generator stator, physically offset by an angle of 120° to each other. Three current waveforms are produced that are equal in magnitude and 120° out of phase to each other, if coils are added opposite to these, they generate the same phases with reverse polarity and so can be simply wired together. In practice, higher pole orders are commonly used, for example, a 12-pole machine would have 36 coils. The advantage is that lower rotational speeds can be used to generate the same frequency, for example, a 2-pole machine running at 3600 rpm and a 12-pole machine running at 600 rpm produce the same frequency, the lower speed is preferable for larger machines. If the load on a system is balanced equally among the phases. Even in the worst-case unbalanced load, the current will not exceed the highest of the phase currents
9.
Overhead line
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An overhead line or overhead wire is used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses, or trains. Overhead line is designed on the principle of one or more overhead wires situated over rail tracks, the feeder stations are usually fed from a high-voltage electrical grid. Electric trains that collect their current from overhead lines use a device such as a pantograph and it presses against the underside of the lowest overhead wire, the contact wire. Current collectors are electrically conductive and allow current to flow through to the train or tram, non-electric locomotives may pass along these tracks without affecting the overhead line, although there may be difficulties with overhead clearance. Alternative electrical power transmission schemes for trains include third rail, ground-level power supply, batteries and this article does not cover regenerative braking, where the traction motors act as generators to retard movement and return power to the overhead. To achieve good high-speed current collection, it is necessary to keep the wire geometry within defined limits. This is usually achieved by supporting the wire from a second wire known as the messenger wire or catenary. This wire approximates the path of a wire strung between two points, a catenary curve, thus the use of catenary to describe this wire or sometimes the whole system. This wire is attached to the wire at regular intervals by vertical wires known as droppers or drop wires. It is supported regularly at structures, by a pulley, link, the whole system is then subjected to a mechanical tension. As the contact wire makes contact with the pantograph, the insert on top of the pantograph is worn down. The straight wire between supports will cause the wire to cross over the whole surface of the pantograph as the train travels around the curve, causing uniform wear. On straight track, the wire is zigzagged slightly to the left. The movement of the wire across the head of the pantograph is called the sweep. The zigzagging of the line is not required for trolley poles. Depot areas tend to have only a wire and are known as simple equipment or trolley wire. When overhead line systems were first conceived, good current collection was only at low speeds. Compound equipment - uses a second wire, known as the auxiliary
10.
Current collector
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Those for overhead wires are roof-mounted devices, those for third rails are mounted on the bogies. Typically, they have one or more spring-loaded arms that permit the working engagement with the rail or overhead wire, the collector arm pushes the contact shoe against the contact wire or rail. As the vehicle moves, the shoe slides along the wire or rail to draw the electricity needed to run the vehicles motor. The current collector arms are electrically conductive but mounted insulated on the vehicles roof, an insulated cable connects the collector with the switch, transformer or motor. The steel rails of the act as the electrical return. Electric vehicles that collect their current from an overhead line system use different forms of one- or two-arm pantograph collectors, the current collection device presses against the underside of the lowest wire of an overhead line system, which is called a contact wire. Most overhead supply systems are either DC or single phase AC, three phase AC systems use a pair of overhead wires, and paired trolley poles. Electric railways with third rails, or fourth rails, in tunnels carry collector shoes projecting laterally, or vertically, the contact shoe may slide on top of the third rail, on the bottom or on the side. The side running contact shoe is used against the bars on rubber-tired metros. A vertical contact shoe is used on power supply systems, stud contact systems. A pair of shoes was used on underground current collection systems. The contact shoe on a contact system is called a ski collector. The ski collector moves vertically to accommodate variations in the height of the studs. Contact shoes may also be used on overhead conductor rails, on bars or on trolley wires. Most railways use three rails, while the London Underground uses four rails
11.
Pantograph (transport)
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A pantograph is an apparatus mounted on the roof of an electric train, tram or electric bus to collect power through contact with an overhead catenary wire. It is a type of current collector. Typically, a wire is used, with the return current running through the track. The term stems from the resemblance of some styles to the mechanical pantographs used for copying handwriting, the pantograph was invented in 1879 by Walter Reichel, chief engineer at Siemens & Halske in Germany. A flat slide-pantograph was invented in 1895 at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The familiar diamond-shaped roller pantograph was invented by John Q. Brown of the Key System shops for their commuter trains ran between San Francisco and the East Bay section of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. They appear in photographs of the first day of service,26 October 1903, for many decades thereafter, the same diamond shape was used by electric-rail systems around the world and remains in use by some today. The most common type of today is the so-called half-pantograph. Louis Faiveley invented this type of pantograph in 1955, the half-pantograph can be seen in use on everything from very fast trains to low-speed urban tram systems. The electric transmission system for electric rail systems consists of an upper. The pantograph is spring-loaded and pushes a contact shoe up against the underside of the wire to draw the current needed to run the train. The steel rails of the act as the electrical return. As the train moves, the shoe slides along the wire and can set up standing waves in the wires which break the contact. This means that on some systems adjacent pantographs are not permitted, pantographs are the successor technology to trolley poles, which were widely used on early streetcar systems. However, many of these networks, including Torontos, are undergoing upgrades to accommodate pantograph operation, as a precaution against loss of pressure in the second case, the arm is held in the down position by a catch. For high-voltage systems, the air supply is used to blow out the electric arc when roof-mounted circuit breakers are used. Pantographs may have either a single or a double arm, double-arm pantographs are usually heavier, requiring more power to raise and lower, but may also be more fault-tolerant. On railways of the former USSR, the most widely used pantographs are those with a double arm, some streetcars use double-arm pantographs, among them the Russian KTM-5, KTM-8, LVS-86 and many other Russian-made trams, as well as some Euro-PCC trams in Belgium
12.
Traction motor
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A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as an electric locomotive or electric roadway vehicle. Direct-current motors with field windings were the oldest type of traction motors. These provided a speed-torque characteristic useful for propulsion, providing high torque at speeds for acceleration of the vehicle. By arranging the field winding with multiple taps, the speed characteristic could be varied, a further measure of control was provided by using pairs of motors on a vehicle, for slow operation or heavy loads, two motors could be run in series off the direct current supply. Where higher speed was desired, the motors could be operated in parallel, making a higher voltage available at each, parts of a rail system might use different voltages, with higher voltages in long runs between stations and lower voltage near stations where slower operation would be useful. A variant of the DC system was the AC operated series motor, since both the armature and field current reverse at the same time, the behavior of the motor is similar to that when energized with direct current. The AC system allowed efficient distribution of power down the length of a rail line, AC induction motors and synchronous motors are simple and low maintenance, but are awkward to apply for traction motors because of their fixed speed characteristic. An AC induction motor only generates useful amounts of power over a speed range determined by its construction. Traditionally road vehicles have used diesel and petrol engines with a mechanical or hydraulic transmission system, traditionally, these were series-wound brushed DC motors, usually running on approximately 600 volts. The availability of high-powered semiconductors has now made practical the use of much simpler, synchronous AC motors are also occasionally used, as in the French TGV. Before the mid-20th century, a large motor was often used to drive multiple driving wheels through connecting rods that were very similar to those used on steam locomotives. Examples are the Pennsylvania Railroad DD1, FF1 and L5 and the various Swiss Crocodiles and it is now standard practice to provide one traction motor driving each axle through a gear drive. Usually, the motor is three-point suspended between the bogie frame and the driven axle, this is referred to as a nose-suspended traction motor. The problem with such an arrangement is that a portion of the weight is unsprung, increasing unwanted forces on the track. In the case of the famous Pennsylvania Railroad GG1, two bogie-mounted motors drove each axle through a quill drive, the Bi-Polar electric locomotives built by General Electric for the Milwaukee Road had direct drive motors. The rotating shaft of the motor was also the axle for the wheels, by mounting the relatively heavy traction motor directly to the power cars frame rather than to the bogie, better dynamics are obtained allowing better high-speed operation. The DC motor was the mainstay of electric drives on both electric and diesel-electric locomotives, street-cars/trams and diesel electric drilling rigs for many years. It consists of two parts, an armature and fixed field windings surrounding the rotating armature mounted around a shaft
13.
Tractive force
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In railway engineering, the term tractive effort is often used synonymously with tractive force to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, the term tractive effort is often qualified as starting tractive effort, continuous tractive effort and maximum tractive effort. The product of μ and m is the factor of adhesion, Starting tractive effort, Starting tractive effort is the tractive force that can be generated at a standstill. This figure is important on railways because it determines the maximum weight that a locomotive can set into motion. Maximum tractive effort, Maximum tractive effort is defined as the highest tractive force that can be generated under any condition that is not injurious to the vehicle or machine. In most cases, maximum tractive effort is developed at low speed, due to the relationship between power, velocity and force, described as, P = vF or P/v = F tractive effort inversely varies with speed at any given level of available power. Continuous tractive effort is often shown in graph form at a range of speeds as part of a tractive effort curve, the period of time for which the maximum continuous tractive effort may be safely generated is usually limited by thermal considerations. Such as temperature rise in a traction motor, specifications of locomotives often include tractive effort curves, showing the relationship between tractive effort and velocity. The shape of the graph is shown at right, the line AB shows operation at the maximum tractive effort, the line BC shows continuous tractive effort that is inversely proportional to speed. Tractive effort curves often have graphs of rolling resistance superimposed on them—the intersection of the rolling resistance graph, once in motion, the train will develop additional drag as it accelerates due to aerodynamic forces, which increase with the square of the speed. Drag may also be produced at speed due to truck hunting, if acceleration continues, the train will eventually attain a speed at which the available tractive force of the locomotive will exactly offset the total drag, causing acceleration to cease. This top speed will be increased on a due to gravity assisting the motive power. Tractive effort can be calculated from a locomotives mechanical characteristics, or by actual testing with drawbar strain sensors. Power at rail is a term for the available power for traction, that is. An estimate for the effort of a single cylinder steam locomotive can be obtained from the cylinder pressure, cylinder area, stroke of the piston. The torque developed by the motion of the piston depends on the angle that the driving rod makes with the tangent of the radius on the driving wheel. For a more useful value an average value over the rotation of the wheel is used, the driving force is the torque divided by the wheel radius. Modern locomotives with roller bearings were probably underestimated, european designers used a constant of 0.6 instead of 0.85, so the two cannot be compared without a conversion factor
14.
Rhaetian Railway
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The Rhaetian Railway, abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Inaugurated in 1888 and expanded from 1896 onwards in various sections, the Rhaetian Railway serves a number of major tourist destinations, such as St Moritz and Davos. One of the RhB lines, the Bernina Railway, crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres above sea level and connects with the Italian railway network at Tirano, Lombardy. In 2008, the RhB section from the Albula/Bernina area was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Albula-Bernina line is the first rail line in the world to be photographed and put on Google Street View. The establishment of the Rhaetian Railway traces back to Dutchman Willem Jan Holsboer, Holsboer founded the Lanquart-Davos AG to begin construction of a standard-gauge line, but the mountainous terrain lacked sufficient space. On 29 June 1888, a ceremony took place for a narrow-gauge railway instead. In 1895, Holsboer changed his companys name to the Rhaetian Railway to reflect his plans for network expansion, in 1897, a referendum was held for the Rhaetian Railway to bid on operations of the Graubünden/Grisons State Railways. During the years 1907 to 1910, the Rhaetian Railway, in collaboration with the federal and cantonal governments, in 1896, the Chur-Thusis line opened, this was followed by the Albula line in 1903 and the series of expansion projects carried on until 1922. All RhB lines are 1,000 mm metre gauge wide,321 km is electrified at 11 kV16.7 Hz. The network contains 84 tunnels and 383 bridges, the maximum gradient is 7% on the Bernina railway, 6% on the Chur–Arosa line and 4. 5% on Landquart–Davos line. Current passenger services as operated by the RhB, In 2002 the annual traffic carried by the RhB was 300 million passenger-kilometres and 54 million tonne-kilometres of freight, 80% of the passenger income comes from tourist traffic, although 40% of passengers are local commuters. The Landquart-Davos line is the oldest in the Rhaetian Railway network, after leaving Landquart, the line to Davos crosses the river Landquart, and then generally follows the river upstream as far as Klosters, crossing the river several times along the way. Just beyond Klosters, there are two tunnels, one of these is for the Vereina line. The other, the Klosters loop tunnel, takes the Davos line at a 45 degree angle towards the west, the line to Davos then loops back towards the east, inside the Cavadürli loop tunnel, and continues through dense larch and other coniferous forests to the Davos Laret. The highest point on the line is the stop, Davos Wolfgang. Then the line back down and along Lake Davos to Davos Dorf. The connecting line from Davos Platz to the Albula Railway at Filisur passes through wild gorges, the Davos–Filisur line is 19 km long, runs through 14 tunnels extending a total of 4,200 m in length, and crosses 28 bridges. Starting in the Rhine valley, the Landquart-Thusis line runs more or less parallel with the Swiss Federal Railways Sargans-Landquart-Chur standard gauge line as far as Chur, the line to Thusis then simply follows the course of the Rhine to Bonaduz
15.
Grisons
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Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The name Graubünden translates as the Grey Leagues, referring to the origin in three local alliances, the League of Gods House, the Grey League, and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions. Grisons is also home to three of Switzerlands ethnic groups and the subsequent languages of Swiss German, Italian and Romansh are all native to the canton and it is the only officially trilingual canton and the only canton where the Romansh language has official status. Area-wise Grisons is Switzerlands largest canton at 7,105.2 square kilometres,19. 2% larger than the Canton of Bern, only about a third of this is commonly regarded as productive land of which forests cover about a fifth of the total area. The canton is entirely mountainous, comprising the highlands of the Rhine, in its southeastern part lies the only official Swiss National Park. In its northern part the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Another Biosphere Reserve is the Biosfera Val Müstair adjacent to the Swiss National Park whereas Ela Nature Park is one of the regionally supported parks. Elevations in the Grison Alps include Tödi, at 3,614 metres, many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the Adula, the Albula, the Silvretta, the Bernina, the Bregaglia and the Rätikon ranges. The mountain ranges in the area are very deep, some being considered the deepest valleys in Europe. These valleys were settled by the Raetians. Grisons borders on the cantons of St. Gallen to the northwest, Glarus, Uri to the west and it also shares international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The inhabitants of Grisons are called Bündner or Grisonians, most of the lands of the canton were once part of a Roman province called Raetia which was established in 15 BC. The current capital of Grisons, Chur, was known as Curia in Roman times, the area later was part of the lands of the diocese at Chur. In 1367 the League of Gods House was founded to resist the power of the Bishop of Chur. This was followed by the establishment of the Grey League, sometimes called Oberbund, the name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people and was used exclusively after 16 March 1424. The name of this later gave its name to the canton of Grisons. A third league was established in 1436 by the people of ten bailiwicks in the former Toggenburg countship, the league was called League of the Ten Jurisdictions
16.
Switzerland
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
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Electric locomotive
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An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or fuel cell. Electricity is used to smoke and take advantage of the high efficiency of electric motors. One advantage of electrification is the lack of pollution from the locomotives, electrification results in higher performance, lower maintenance costs and lower energy costs. Power plants, even if they burn fossil fuels, are far cleaner than mobile sources such as locomotive engines, the power can come from clean or renewable sources, including geothermal power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, solar power and wind turbines. Electric locomotives are quiet compared to locomotives since there is no engine and exhaust noise. The lack of reciprocating parts means electric locomotives are easier on the track, Electric locomotives are ideal for commuter rail service with frequent stops. They are used on high-speed lines, such as ICE in Germany, Acela in the U. S. Shinkansen in Japan, China Railway High-speed in China, Electric locomotives are used on freight routes with consistently high traffic volumes, or in areas with advanced rail networks. Electric locomotives benefit from the efficiency of electric motors, often above 90%. Additional efficiency can be gained from regenerative braking, which allows energy to be recovered during braking to put power back on the line. Newer electric locomotives use AC motor-inverter drive systems provide for regenerative braking. The chief disadvantage of electrification is the cost for infrastructure, overhead lines or third rail, substations, public policy in the U. S. interferes with electrification, higher property taxes are imposed on privately owned rail facilities if they are electrified. In Europe and elsewhere, railway networks are considered part of the transport infrastructure, just like roads, highways and waterways. Operators of the rolling stock pay fees according to rail use and this makes possible the large investments required for the technically and, in the long-term, also economically advantageous electrification. Because railroad infrastructure is owned in the U. S. railroads are unwilling to make the necessary investments for electrification. The first known electric locomotive was built in 1837 by chemist Robert Davidson of Aberdeen and it was powered by galvanic cells. Davidson later built a locomotive named Galvani, exhibited at the Royal Scottish Society of Arts Exhibition in 1841. The seven-ton vehicle had two direct-drive reluctance motors, with fixed electromagnets acting on iron bars attached to a cylinder on each axle. It hauled a load of six tons at four miles per hour for a distance of one and it was tested on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in September of the following year, but the limited power from batteries prevented its general use
18.
Cantons of Switzerland
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The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the Waldstätte, with the Napoleonic period of the Helvetic Republic the term canton/cantone/Kanton was fully established. From 1833, there were 25 cantons, which became 26 after the secession of the canton of Jura from Bern in 1979. The term canton, now used as English term for administrative subdivisions of other countries, originates in French usage in the late 15th century, from a word for edge. After 1490, canton was increasingly used in French and Italian documents to refer to the members of the Swiss Confederacy, English use of canton in reference to the Swiss Confederacy dates to the early 17th century. It was increasingly replaced by Stand after 1550, the French term canton was not adopted into German usage prior to 1648, and after that only in occasional use. The prominent usage of Ort and Stand only gradually disappeared in German-speaking Switzerland with the Helvetic Republic, only with the Act of Mediation of 1803 did German Kanton become an official designation, retained in the Swiss Constitution of 1848. The term Stand remains in usage and is reflected in the name of the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament. Republic Some cantonal constitutions provide for a formal name of the state. Most of Romandys cantons and Ticino call themselves république/Repubblica officially, at least within their constitutions, for example, the canton of Geneva refers to itself formally as the République et canton de Genève. Though they were part of the Holy Roman Empire, they had become de facto independent when the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximillian in 1499 in Dornach. The old system was abandoned with the formation of the Helvetic Republic following the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the cantons of the Helvetic Republic had merely the status of an administrative subdivision with no sovereignty. The Helvetic Republic collapsed within five years, and cantonal sovereignty was restored with the Act of Mediation of 1803, the status of Switzerland as a federation of states was restored, at the time including 19 cantons. Three additional western cantons, Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva, acceded in 1815, the process of Restoration, completed by 1830, returned most of the former feudal rights to the cantonal patriciates, leading to rebellions among the rural population. The Liberal Radical Party embodied these democratic forces calling for a new federal constitution and this tension, paired with religious issues escalated into armed conflict in the 1840s, with the brief Sonderbund War. The victory of the party resulted in the formation of Switzerland as a federal state in 1848. The cantons retained far-reaching sovereignty, but were no longer allowed to maintain standing armies or international relations. Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts, most of the cantons legislatures are unicameral parliaments, their size varying between 58 and 200 seats
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Swiss locomotive and railcar classification
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It started out as a uniform system for the classification and naming of all rolling stock, powered and unpowered, but had been replaced and amended by the UIC classification of goods wagons. The Swiss classification system was created by the Swiss federal railways department, in 1902, when the Swiss Federal Railways was founded as a government railway, that new railway also became bound by the system. The Swiss system is less precise than those other systems in the way it deals with axles, because it refers only to numbers, rather than to arrangements, of powered axles. The Swiss system is more a method of classifying locomotive. The classifications for which the Swiss system provides have always been adapted to new requirements. The last modification to the system occurred in 1968, with the publication of the Directory of the Rolling Stock of the Swiss Private Railways by the Swiss Federal Agency for Transport. For carriages and wagons, the system was progressively replaced from 1968 by the UIC international wagon classification system. However, all of Switzerlands powered rolling stock initially retained its Swiss type classification or class designation, the standard gauge private railways of Switzerland soon followed the example of the Swiss Federal Railways, and agreement was reached as to the allocation of number ranges. The narrow gauge railways have largely retained the old system for locomotives, railcars and passenger carriages, here is a description of the classification system as it operated up to 1989, and as it still operates in respect of narrow gauge private railway motive power. There is no provision for combining the codes A, B, C, D, E, G, R and T, the combination of H and G is possible. HG would therefore be a narrow gauge locomotive, with a mix of adhesion, since 1966, in respect of railcars and tractors, he or hm has meant pure rack rail drive, and eh or mh has meant a mix of adhesion and rack rail drive. Steam powered tank locomotives were given an E, and the maximum speed of the locomotive was designated with a lower case letter. Thus, an Ea 3/6 was a locomotive with vmax >80 kilometres per hour. With steam locomotives, separate driving mechanisms were displayed, so, for example, a Mallet locomotive was named G 2x2/2 or G 2/3+2/2, and not G 4/4 or G 4/5. Up until 1920, standard gauge locomotives were given the letter F. The class later designated as Be 5/7 was therefore originally named Fb 5/7, the designation R was originally intended for locomotives with an axle load of under 16 tonnes. These lightweight locomotives exert less stress on the rails when they negotiate curves, with the introduction of the Re 4/4II, the axle load limit was dropped following extensive testing. Several locomotives were given approval for higher cornering speeds, to which their type designation had not yet been adapted
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Davos Platz (Rhaetian Railway station)
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Davos Platz station is located in the municipality of Davos in the district of Prattigau/Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is the terminus of the Landquart-Davos railway line, northbound, there is an hourly service towards Landquart. Southbound, there is a service to Filisur. The station also serves as a hub for bus services. Davos Dorf station is located about 2.5 km northeast of Davos Platz, RE2 runs express services along the Landquart-Davos line. R21 runs stopping services along the line replacing RE2 services during early mornings. The station currently has three platforms in use, rE2/R21 - 1tph R6 - 1tph Rhaetian Railway
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Rhaetian Railway Ge 6/6 II
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 6/6 II is a class of heavy metre gauge electric locomotives operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named because it was the class of locomotives of the Swiss locomotive. According to that designation, Ge 6/6 denotes a narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotive with a total of six axles. The twelve-wheel Ge 6/6 II machines are used mainly to haul goods trains. In the 1950s, traffic on the Rhaetian Railway grew so strongly that the existing Ge 6/6 Crocodiles and the Ge 4/4 I Bo-Bo locomotives were no longer sufficient. Construction of the Bergell power station, begun in 1958 by the Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich, for that task, the Rhaetian Railway required a locomotive that could haul a load of 250 tonnes on the 3. 5% gradients of the Albula Railway. The remaining locomotives in the class were each 200,000 francs more expensive, technically, the electrical components of the Ge 6/6 II class corresponded with the then state of the art, on-load tap-changer transformer, and single phase universal traction motors. The two outermost bogies and the motors were exchangeable with the Ge 4/4 I. The box joint between the two halves of the locomotive permits only vertical movements, the Ge 6/6 II locomotives have a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour, weigh 65 tonnes, and develop 1,776 kilowatts at 46 kilometres per hour. The maximum towing load is 205 tonnes at a gradient of 4. 5%, the first two locomotives were fitted with communication doors on the cab fronts. These were welded up in 1968–69, but the assimilation of the first two locos with the second series occurred only towards the end of the 1980s. In 1985 the Rhaetian Railway began reliverying the class from green to red, after completion of the Bergell power station, the 700s were used predominantly to haul fast passenger trains on the Albula Railway. However, the 700s can still be seen hauling passenger trains. Loco 701 carries the name of the Roman province of Raetia, loco 702 bears the name Curia, which is the Latin name of the cantons capital city, Chur. The remaining locos, numbered 703–707, are named after major Graubünden municipalities, adjacent to the name on every locomotive is the traffic number in white, along with the coat of arms of the applicable municipality. Das grosse Buch der Rhätischen Bahn, 1889–2001, band 3 Lokomotiven, Triebwagen, Traktoren 1889–1998. Die Rhätische Bahn Geschichte und Gegenwart, media related to RhB Ge at Wikimedia Commons
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Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/4 II
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/4 II is a class of metre gauge Bo-Bo electric locomotives operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named because it was the class of locomotives of the Swiss locomotive. According to that system, Ge 4/4 denotes a narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotive with a total of four axles. The 23 Ge 4/4 II locomotives, numbered 611 to 633, were placed in service in 1973 and 1984, the last example of the second series, named Zuoz and numbered 633, was completed only in 1985. The Ge 4/4 II replaced the Ge 6/6 I, which was becoming less and less reliable. Ever since its delivery, the Ge 4/4 II class has been in service on the whole of the network of the Rhaetian Railway. Since 1997, the class has also served on the Arosa Line following its conversion to 11 kV 16 2⁄3 Hz AC, the Ge 4/4 IIs can work double headed in multiple-unit train control operation. In combination with control cars of the series BDt 1751-58, acquired in 1999, since 1999, some units have been given new square headlights upon being technically revised, but their appearance has otherwise remained the same. The last four locomotives to be updated in this program were nos.612,619,627 and 632, in 2008. In their external appearance, the Ge 4/4 II locomotives, supplied by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works and Brown, the electrical componentry is nevertheless markedly different, in the Re 4/4 II locomotives, controlled rectifiers made of thyristors and diodes supply the traction motors with wavy direct current. In a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement, the Ge 4/4 II locomotives have a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour and their power output is 1,700 kilowatts at 52 kilometres per hour. The permissible towing capacity of the class is 185 tonnes on a 4. 5% gradient, the first series of the class, nos. 611–620, were originally green liveried, but have since been reliveried in the still contemporary Rhaetian Railway standard red. The second series, numbered 621–633, was delivered already painted in the red livery, each individual locomotive in the class is named after a town along the Rhaetian Railway network in Graubünden. The relevant name is applied in white letters to the right, each locomotives traffic number is featured on both of its ends, and low down on both of its sides. Adjacent to its name, each also bears the coat of arms of the community after which it was named. According to a statement from the Rhaetian Railway rolling stock department, at the same time, the standard modifications applied under the refit program to all locomotives of the Ge 4/4 II class were to be carried out. Since 30 March 2008, the locomotive has been back on the rails, a further development of this class, the FO Ge 4/4 III, was acquired in 1979 by the Furka-Oberalp-Bahn. History of rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland Finke, Wolfgang, Schweers, band 3 Lokomotiven, Triebwagen, Traktoren 1889–1998
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Surselva District
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Surselva District is a former administrative district in the canton of the Grisons, Switzerland. It had an area of 1,373.39 km2, the districts name derives from the name of the Vorderrein/Rein Anteriurs valley, namely the Surselva. It was replaced with the Surselva Region on 1 January 2017 as part of a reorganization of the Canton, the Surselva District encompasses the valley of the Vorderrhein/Rein Anteriur and all its side valleys, from the source near the Oberalp Pass all the way down towards Reichenau. This forest is the border for Sur-silva, the Surselva is one of the few areas in Switzerland that is mainly Romansh-speaking. On 1 January 2012 the municipality of Schlans merged into the municipality of Trun, the municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Lumnezia. On 1 January 2015 the former municipality of St. Martin merged into the municipality of Vals, romansh is the predominant language in the district, most of which speak the Sursilvan dialect. There is a large German-speaking minority in Surselva, notably the Walser settlements of Obersaxen, however, the percentage of Romansh-speakers is on the decline. Traditional Romansh-speaking cities such as Ilanz are losing ground to German, a long-distance hike is signposted to follows the main Vorderrhein/Rein Ateriur through the whole Surselva. It consists of five Kreise and forty-three municipalities
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Davos
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Davos is a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,109, Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range. At 1,560 m, it is the highest town in Europe, Davos is host to the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting of global political and business elites and the home of one of Switzerlands biggest ski resorts. At the end of year it serves as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament. The current settlement of the Davos area began in the High Middle Ages with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans, the village of Davos is first mentioned in 1213 as Tavaus. Natives still speak a dialect that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with German idioms of western parts of Switzerland, in 1436, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos. Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 upon the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician Dr. George Balfour, arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. A sanatorium in Davos is also the inspiration for the Berghof Sanitorium in Thomas Manns novel Der Zauberberg, between 1936 and 1938, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, then at the end of his life and living in Davos since 1917, depicted Davos and the Junkerboden. His painting has a both Romantic and pantheistic atmosphere and simplified formal structure, during the natural ice era of winter sports, Davos and the Davos Eisstadion were a mecca for speed skating. Many international championships were held here, and many records were set. The only European Bandy Championship was held in the town in 1913, subsequently, Davos became a famous ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. After peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, the city settled down as a leading, Davos has an area, of 283.98 km2. Of this area, about 35. 0% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,2. 3% is settled and 40. 5% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of 337 ha or about 1. 2% of the area was covered with buildings. Over the same period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by 10 ha and is now about 0. 22% of the total area. Of the agricultural land,1,296 ha is fields and grasslands and 9,056 ha consists of alpine grazing areas, since 1985 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 736 ha. Over the same period the amount of forested land has increased by 481 ha. Rivers and lakes cover 285 ha in the municipality, until 2017 the municipality was located in the Davos subdistrict of the Prättigau/Davos district, after 2017 it was part of the Prättigau/Davos Region
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Filisur
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Filisur is an Alpine village and municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The village sits on a hillside with a view to the west where the two rivers Albula/Alvra from the Albula Pass and Landwasser from Davos meet, Filisur is first mentioned in 1262 as villa Fallisour. Filisur has an area, as of 2006, of 44.6 km2, of this area,18. 1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 46. 6% is forested. Of the rest of the land,1. 6% is settled, before 2017, the municipality was located in the Bergün subdistrict of the Albula district, since 2017 it is part of the Albula Region. It consists of the village of Filisur and the hamlet of Jenisberg at an elevation of 1,504 m, Filisur has a population of 445. As of 2008,14. 1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0. 8%. Most of the population speaks German, with Italian being second most common, as of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 49. 5% male and 50. 5% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Filisur is,58 people or 12. 4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old,36 people or 7. 7% are 10 to 14, and 23 people or 4. 9% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population,60 people or 12. 9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 57 people or 12. 2% are 30 to 39,67 people or 14. 4% are 40 to 49, in the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 36. 5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP, the SPS and the CVP, in Filisur about 69. 4% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education. Filisur has an unemployment rate of 2. 02%, as of 2005, there were 72 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 34 people are employed in the sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 86 people are employed in the sector, with 16 businesses in this sector. The wettest month is August during which time Filisur receives an average of 122 mm of precipitation, during this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 43 mm of precipitation over 12.3 days, the castle ruins of Greifenstein and the Schmittentobel-Landwasser Viaduct of the Rhaetian Railway are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. It is also the end station for the line to Davos, postBus Switzerland also operate services through the village. Official website Filisur in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
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Tunnel
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A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through the surrounding soil/earth/rock and enclosed except for entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube construction techniques rather than traditional tunnel boring methods, a tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. The central portions of a transit network are usually in tunnel. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers, utility tunnels are used for routing steam, chilled water, electrical power or telecommunication cables, as well as connecting buildings for convenient passage of people and equipment. Secret tunnels are built for military purposes, or by civilians for smuggling of weapons, contraband, special tunnels, such as wildlife crossings, are built to allow wildlife to cross human-made barriers safely. A tunnel is relatively long and narrow, the length is much greater than twice the diameter, although similar shorter excavations can be constructed. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel can vary widely from source to source, for example, the definition of a road tunnel in the United Kingdom is defined as a subsurface highway structure enclosed for a length of 150 metres or more. In the United States, the NFPA definition of a tunnel is An underground structure with a length greater than 23 m. The place where a road, railway, canal or watercourse passes under a footpath, cycleway, or another road or railway is most commonly called a bridge or, if passing under a canal, an aqueduct. Where it is important to stress that it is passing underneath, it may be called an underpass, a longer underpass containing a road, canal or railway is normally called a tunnel, whether or not it passes under another item of infrastructure. An underpass of any length under a river is usually called a tunnel. In the US, the term means an underground rapid transit system. Rail station platforms may be connected by tunnels or footbridges. Much of the technology of tunneling evolved from mining and military engineering. The etymology of the mining, military engineering, and civil engineering reveals these deep historic connections. A major tunnel project must start with an investigation of ground conditions by collecting samples from boreholes. An informed choice can then be made of machinery and methods for excavation and ground support, in planning the route, the horizontal and vertical alignments can be selected to make use of the best ground and water conditions. It is common practice to locate a tunnel deeper than otherwise would be required and this may be a particular concern in large-diameter tunnels
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History of rail transport in Switzerland
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This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series. The construction and operation of Swiss railways during the 19th century was carried out by private railways, the first internal line was a 16 km line opened from Zürich to Baden in 1847. By 1860 railways connected western and northeastern Switzerland, the first Alpine railway to be opened under the Gotthard Pass in 1882. A second alpine line was opened under the Simplon Pass in 1906, in 1901, the major railways were nationalised to form Swiss Federal Railways. During the first half of the century they were electrified. After the Second World War, rail rapidly lost its share of the market to road transport as car ownership rose. From 1970, the Federal Government has become involved in upgrading the railways, especially in urban areas. In addition, two major trans-alpine routes — the Gotthard Railway and the Lötschberg approach to the Simplon Tunnel — are being rebuilt under the AlpTransit project, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways Rhine Valley Line reached the original Basel Baden railway station in 1855. Despite constant discussion, it some time before these lines extended into Switzerland. The first internal Swiss line, the 16 km long Swiss Northern Railway opened from Zürich to Baden in 1847, private companies - led by Swiss entrepreneurs, industrialists and bankers - built the next wave of railways. In 1850 the Swiss Federal Council invited two British engineers, Robert Stephenson and Henry Swinburne, to draw up plans for a network for the Swiss Confederation. They proposed a 645 km network along the valleys, avoiding any Alpine crossings, although the Constitution of 1848 gave the federal government powers in relation to railways, it initially decided to decentralise rail policy. Railways were to be built by private limited-liability companies, with contributions to be provided by the municipalities, the United Swiss Railways built lines from Winterthur to Rorschach and from Wallisellen to Rapperswil, Sargans and Chur. There were contracts for sharing the interlinked VSB line between Weesen and Glarus and the NOB line between Ziegelbrücke, Näfels, Glarus and Linthal, during the same period, railways were built in western Switzerland along Lake Geneva from Geneva to Lausanne and Bex and from Morges to Yverdon. A steamship connected Geneva with the line from Le Bouveret to Martigny, the main developer in the inner part of Vaud was the West Switzerland Company and in the Valais the Line of Italy. The Jura–Neuchâtel Railway emerged from lines from Le Locle and Les Verrières along Lake Neuchâtel to La Neuveville, the Canton of Bern attempted to make its own policy in relation to its railways. The missing section from Langnau to Entlebuch and Lucerne was not completed until 1875, the concession for the Zürich–Lucerne line via Affoltern am Albis was taken over by the Zürich–Zug–Lucerne Railway, a subsidiary of the NOB. Financial difficulties led to a series of mergers and increased investment in the rail companies
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Rail transport in Switzerland
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The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-alp freight system. This is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics. In 2015, with 5,323 kilometres network length, Switzerland has not only the worlds most dense railway network, virtually 100% of its network is electrified, except for the few tracks on which only steam locomotives operate for touristic purposes. There are 62 railway companies in Switzerland, share of commuters who travel to work using public transport is 30%. Share of rail in goods transport performance by road and rail is 39%, Switzerland is a member of the International Union of Railways. The UIC Country Code for Switzerland is 85, three quarters of the Swiss rail network is at standard gauge, comprising 3,773 km, administered mostly by three companies. Important railway stations are the Zürich HB, Bern, Basel SBB, Lausanne, Winterthur, Luzern, Zürich Oerlikon, Zürich Stadelhofen, Olten, Swiss Federal Railways is the largest railway company in Switzerland and handles the majority of national and international traffic. BLS is the main company, with 10% of the standard-gauge network. It manages the other major Alpine route Bern-Brig via both Lötschberg Tunnels and connection at Brig with SBBs Simplon Tunnel to Italy, the Schweizerische Südostbahn AG operates on 147 km between Romanshorn on Lake Constance to St. Gallen. And further via Herisau to the Toggenburg valley in northeast Switzerland, via Wattwil and Rapperswil SOB travels the track over the Seedamm on Lake Zurich and finally over the high moorland of Rothenthurm down to Arth-Goldau in Central Switzerland. The named train Voralpen Express is operated by the Südostbahn and it runs every hour between Lucerne and St. Gallen. The German national railway company Deutsche Bahn owns cross-border lines from the German border to Basel Badischer Bahnhof station, the German DB operates longer-distance trains from Germany to Swiss cities, including ICE services to Basel, Zurich, Berne, Chur and Interlaken. The French-Swiss joint-venture TGV Lyria operates high-speed trains between Paris and South-France with services to Geneva, Lausanne, Berne, Interlaken, Basel, the Austrian Railjet by ÖBB operates the service between Zurich and Austria. The service runs via Buchs SG and calls Innsbruck, Salzburg, SBB and Trenitalia jointly operate EuroCity services between Switzerland and Italy. These services are running between Geneva and Milan or even Venice via the Simplon Tunnel, between Basel and Milan via Berne and the Lötschberg Base and Simplon Tunnels, and between Zurich and Milan via the Gotthard route. It passes through the upper Rhine Valley and several side valleys, as well as the Engadine, the Bernina Pass is the highest point on this line, at 2253 m. The Furka-Oberalp-Bahn is a 1,000 mm railway in the southern alps. Its name refers to two passes, the Furka Pass and the Oberalp Pass, the Furka pass lies at the upper end of the Rhône valley
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International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
30.
Rolling stock
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The term rolling stock originally referred to any vehicles that move on a railway. It has since expanded to include the vehicles used by businesses on roadways. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for locomotives, railroad cars, coaches, and wagons. Rolling stock is considered to be an asset, or close to it, since the value of the vehicle can be readily estimated. The term contrasts with fixed stock, which is a term for the track, signals, stations, other buildings, electric wires. In Great Britain, types of rolling stock were given code names and these codes were telegraphese, somewhat analogous to the SMS language of today. List of railway vehicles Great Western Railway telegraphic codes Great Western Railway wagons The dictionary definition of rolling stock at Wiktionary
31.
Steam locomotive
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A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material—usually coal, wood, the steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotives main wheels. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons pulled behind, the first steam locomotive, made by Richard Trevithick, first operated on 21 February 1804, three years after the road locomotive he made in 1801. The first practical steam locomotive was built in 1812-13 by John Blenkinsop, Steam locomotives were first developed in Great Britain during the early 19th century and used for railway transport until the middle of the 20th century. From the early 1900s they were superseded by electric and diesel locomotives, with full conversions to electric. The majority of locomotives were retired from regular service by the 1980s, though several continue to run on tourist. The earliest railways employed horses to draw carts along railway tracks, in 1784, William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, built a small-scale prototype of a steam road locomotive. An early working model of a rail locomotive was designed and constructed by steamboat pioneer John Fitch in the US during 1794. His steam locomotive used interior bladed wheels guided by rails or tracks, the model still exists at the Ohio Historical Society Museum in Columbus. The authenticity and date of this locomotive is disputed by some experts, accompanied by Andrew Vivian, it ran with mixed success. The design incorporated a number of important innovations that included using high-pressure steam which reduced the weight of the engine, Trevithick visited the Newcastle area in 1804 and had a ready audience of colliery owners and engineers. The visit was so successful that the railways in north-east England became the leading centre for experimentation. Trevithick continued his own steam propulsion experiments through another trio of locomotives, Four years later, the successful twin-cylinder locomotive Salamanca by Matthew Murray for the edge railed rack and pinion Middleton Railway debuted in 1812. Another well known early locomotive was Puffing Billy built 1813–14 by engineer William Hedley and it was intended to work on the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne. This locomotive is the oldest preserved, and is on display in the Science Museum. George Stephenson built Locomotion No.1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north-east England, in 1829, his son Robert built in Newcastle The Rocket which was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. This success led to the company emerging as the pre-eminent builder of locomotives used on railways in the UK, US. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened a year later making exclusive use of power for passenger
32.
Landquart-Davos G 3/4
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The G 3/4 class was so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, G 3/4 denotes a narrow gauge locomotive with a total of four axles. Prior to 1902, the class was known as the G3 class, a total of 16 examples of the G 3/4 class entered service between 1889 and 1908. Built as tank locomotives by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in Winterthur, most of the class were then sold to other railways, but three preserved examples remain, two on the Rhaetian Railway and one on the Appenzeller Bahnen. These locomotives are kept in working order for steam trains. The first five examples of the G 3/4 class were delivered by SLM in 1889 and these saturated steam machines were similar to a class of locomotives that SLM had delivered in 1887 to the railway now known as the Ferrovie della Sardegna in Sardinia. Delivery to Sardinia was continued and reached a total of 47 locomotives in 1894, rated at 190 kilowatts each, the first five G 3/4s were given the traffic numbers 1 to 5. They were used initially to haul all traffic on the line, the opening of the line from Landquart to Thusis in 1896 was the catalyst for the ordering of three further G 3/4s, which were numbered 6 to 8. These machines were more powerful than the engines, and had larger coal bunkers. Eight additional locomotives followed in three batches between 1901 and 1908, and were allocated traffic numbers 9 to 16 and these locomotives were further improved and enlarged in comparison with the older machines. Their dry weight was therefore around 4 tonnes greater than that of the first series, the G 3/4s of the final series were used in light passenger and freight traffic, and on construction trains. The complete electrification of the Rhaetian Railway network between 1913 and 1922 rendered the G 3/4 class locomotives surplus to requirements, three locomotives from the original batch, G 3/4s Nos 3-5 were sold to the Prince-Henri-Railway in Luxembourg in 1917 and renumbered 53-55. No 12 was sold to the Sagunt steel works in Spain and renumbered as No 207 Algimia for use around the works until it too was withdrawn and scrapped, sometime during 1970. No 2 Prättigau was withdrawn and scrapped in 1925, while No 1 Rhätia was withdrawn in 1928, the remaining three engines, Nos 11,13, and 14, remained in service as shunting locomotives and reserve engines in case of electrical power failures. No 13 was the last G 3/4 to be withdrawn and scrapped by the RhB in 1950, while Nos 11 and 14 continued in service until 1977 and 1972 respectively. No 1 Rhätia was retired in 1928 and placed in storage in various places on the RhB network pending the construction of a Swiss railway museum, after the STM decided not to add No 1 to its collection, the RhB loaned No 1 to the Blonay–Chamby museum railway. The locomotive was recalled by the RhB in 1988 and restored to working order for the centenary of the G 3/4 class locomotives in 1989. No 1 has since kept in working order at the Landquart locomotive depot as part of the RhBs heritage fleet along with two G 4/5 class locomotives, nos.107 and 108, based at Samedan
33.
Landquart-Davos G 2x2/2
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Both locomotives in the class entered service in Switzerland in 1891. They were rebuilt in 1910–1911, but became surplus to requirements in 1920 and they were then sold and sent to Brazil, where they continued to operate until about 1940. The two members of the class were so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, the G 2x2/2 class was commissioned by the Landquart-Davos Railway, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Each of the two locomotives cost 68,400 Swiss francs, and joined the LD fleet in 1891 and they were numbered 21 and 22, respectively. In 1895, the LD changed its name to the Rhaetian Railway, in 1910–1911, both of the locomotives were rebuilt to coincide with a boiler exchange. As part of the rebuilding, they were fitted with a pony truck. In light of this modification, the two locomotives were themselves reclassified as part of the G 2/3+2/2 class. Soon after the rebuilding of locomotives, coal shortages during World War I called into question the further use of steam locomotives in Switzerland. The Rhaetian Railway therefore decided to all of its lines on the model of the Engadine Railway. The electrification project was able to be completed in 1919, in 1920, the two now surplus rebuilt locomotives were withdrawn from Rhaetian Railway service and sold to Companhia de Mineração Santa Matilde, a Brazilian mineral prospecting company. In 1937–1938, locomotive 242 was rebuilt as a 2-4-4-0 tender locomotive at the SM workshop in Divinópolis, at the completion of this rebuild, the locomotives operating number was changed to 330. During 1938/1939, the SM was merged with the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, in 1939, all affected locomotives were renumbered. Locomotive no 330 received a new RMV holding number 156, however, as early as 1941 the RMW placed that locomotive out of service. Meanwhile, in 1938, the SM had undertaken the same rebuilding work in Divinópolis to locomotive 241 and it is possible that this latter rebuild was never completed, in the RMV annual report for 1940, locomotive 331 was recorded as being out of service. Another indication that the work on locomotive 331 was never completed is the fact that it never to have been given a new RMV operating number. It is not even clear which of the two new numbers 155 and 157 would have been allocated to that locomotive. By 1944, neither locomotive was still appearing in the RMV locomotive lists, presumably, they both suffered the fate of most steam locomotives in Brazil in the 1940s and 1950s, demolition. Alfred Moser, Der Dampfbetrieb der Schweizerischen Eisenbahnen 1847-1966, 4th revised edition, Birkhäuser, Stuttgart 1967,341 pages ff
34.
Rhaetian Railway G 4/5
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The Rhaetian Railway G 4/5 was a class of metre gauge 2-8-0 steam locomotives operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class was named G 4/5 under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, according to that system, G 4/5 denotes a narrow gauge steam locomotive with a total of five axles, four of which are drive axles. The Rhaetian Railway procured a total of 29 examples of the G 4/5 class between 1904 and 1915, built as tender locomotives by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in Winterthur, the G 4/5s were used mainly on the Albula Railway until that line was electrified in 1919. Two preserved examples of the class are still in service on the Rhaetian Railway network today, as early as 1902, the SLM manufactured two four-coupled saturated steam locomotives for the Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia. In the same year, trial runs using one of these locomotives were carried out on the Rhaetian Railway, the positive results of these tests led the Board of the Rhaetian Railway to order four largely identical machines, at a price of 61,500 Swiss Francs per unit. These G 4/5 class locomotives arrived in Graubünden between June and August 1904, and were given the operating numbers 101 to 104, the continuing rise in traffic on the Rhaetian Railway soon required more powerful locomotives. The company therefore decided in 1906 to purchase four further G 4/5s of higher performance than the initial batch, train loads of 95 tonnes were now required to be hauled up gradients of 3. 5% at a top speed of 32 kilometres per hour. While the new G 4/5s nos 105 and 106 were manufactured in the saturated steam configuration. The performance of the two new sub-types was similar, with each producing nearly 600 kilowatts, they were regarded as the worlds most powerful narrow gauge locomotives. As the superheated configuration for the class was now proven, all subsequently ordered G 4/5s were equipped with superheaters, to 1915, a total of 21 further locomotives, in five separate orders, were so obtained. The last locomotive, no 129, also received a preheater, with a total of 29 examples, the G 4/5 also eventually became the largest single class of locomotives on the Rhaetian Railway to this day. In the meantime, coal shortages during World War I had called into question the use of steam locomotives. The Rhaetian Railway had therefore decided to all of its lines on the model of the Engadine Railway. The electrification project was able to be completed in 1922, in 1920, the now surplus locomotives nos.109,110 and 111 were sold to the Ferrocarril de la Robla in Spain, and in 1949 those locomotives were followed by nos 102 and 104 to 106. In Spain, the G 4/5s remained in service until about 1970, meanwhile, in 1924, locomotives 101 and 103 went to Brazil. Locomotives 112 to 129 went in 1926 and 1927 to the Royal State Railways of Siam, Locomotive 118 has since been preserved in Chiang Mai as a monument, and locomotive 123 has been kept for display in a railway museum. Only locomotives 107 and 108 remained at the Rhaetian Railway as non-catenary dependent reserves for snow removal, building work, since the 1960s, they have also worked increasingly on special trains for railway enthusiasts. Locomotive 107 is presently stationed in Landquart, while no 108 is based in Samedan, on the occasion of the Graubünden Steam Festival 2006 and the simultaneous 100th anniversary of the Albula Railway, both locomotives were given names
35.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 2/2
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 2/2 is a class of small metre gauge 1 kV DC electric locomotives operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, according to that system, Ge 2/2 denotes a narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotive with a total of two axles, both of which are drive axles. There are only two locomotives in the class, and they are numbered 161 and 162, both direct current locomotives were procured by the Berninabahn in 1911 for piloting duties. The then still brown liveried machines were given the numbers Ge 2/261 and 62, after the Rhaetian Railway takeover of the BB, they were given the new numbers they still bear. Today, they work mainly as shunting locomotives in Poschiavo, on the Appenzeller Bahnen, there is another locomotive, Te 49, that is of similar appearance, and dates from 1912. Between 1955 and 1975, it operated as Ge 2/249, patrick Belloncle, Gian Brünger, Rolf Grossenbacher, Christian Müller, Das große Buch der Rhätischen Bahn 1889-2001. ISBN 3-9522494-0-8 Wolfgang Finke, Hans Schweers, Die Fahrzeuge der Rhätischen Bahn 1889-1998, verlag Eisenbahn, ISBN 3-85649-020-5 This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at January 2010
36.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 3/3
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The class is so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, Ge 3/3 denotes a narrow gauge electric locomotive with a total of three axles, all of which are drive axles. There are only two locomotives in the Ge 3/3 class, and they are numbered 214 and 215, the orange liveried Ge 3/3 locomotives are used at major Rhaetian Railway stations, no 214 in Samedan and no 215 in Chur. History of rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland Belloncle, das grosse Buch der Rhätischen Bahn, 1889–2001. Band 3 Lokomotiven, Triebwagen, Traktoren 1889–1998, die Rhätische Bahn Geschichte und Gegenwart. Media related to Rolling stock of Rhätische Bahn at Wikimedia Commons This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at January 2010
37.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 2/4
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 2/4 was a class of metre gauge 1′B1′ electric locomotives formerly operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Four members of the class are now preserved, with one of them in operational condition, the class was so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, Ge 2/4 denotes a narrow gauge electric locomotive with a total of four axles. In 1912-1913, the Rhaetian Railway purchased seven examples of the Ge 2/4, numbered 201 to 207, the 8. 7-metre long locomotives had a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour and a power output of 228 kilowatts. Their mechanical components were manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works, while Brown, to drive the Ge 2/4s, repulsion motors were used, as these motors were characterised by a high torque and shock-fee startup. Between 1943 and 1946, three Ge 2/4 machines were rebuilt as shunting locomotives, with a drivers cab. In the vernacular, they received the name Bügeleisen. The rebuilt locomotives were given the numbers Ge 2/4211 to 213, their weight was reduced to 33 tonnes. In 1945 and 1946, two further Ge 2/4s were rebuilt and they then soon began rendering service as pilot locomotives on the Albula Railway. The two unrebuilt locomotives, numbered 205 and 207, are still in existence. No.205 stood until November 2007 as a locomotive in front of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur. Originally, this locomotive was intended to be a part of the planned Albula railway museum, meanwhile, no.207 can be seen on display at the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne. The last remaining example of the first three locomotives was withdrawn from service as recently as 2006, and is also now preserved. It has been transformed back into its original 1940s condition, history of rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland Belloncle, Patrick. Das grosse Buch der Rhätischen Bahn, 1889–2001, band 3 Lokomotiven, Triebwagen, Traktoren 1889–1998. This article is based upon a translation of the German-language version, and includes some information taken from the Japanese-language version, as at January 2010
38.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/4 III
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/4 III is a class of metre gauge Bo-Bo electric locomotives of the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named because it was the class of locomotives of the Swiss locomotive. According to that system, Ge 4/4 denotes a narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotive with a total of four axles. The result was the Ge 4/4 III class, on 7 December 1993, the first Ge 4/4 III machine, no 641, was officially put into service. Between 1994 and 1999, eleven further locomotives followed, in three series, and were given numbers 642 to 652, the first of these further orders, made in 1989, consisted of six locomotives, and the second further order, in 1990, was for three. The third, placed with Adtranz in 1996, was intended to cover the demand due to the opening of the Vereina Tunnel. The Ge 4/4 IIIs are now found at the head of almost all of the sets on the Albula Railway. All of the locomotives in the class are currently decorated with colourful advertising liveries, on 13 August 2014, No.651 was hauling a passenger train that was struck by a landslide and derailed at Tiefencastel, Graubünden. The class was designed for 11 kV AC at a frequency of 16 2⁄3 Hz, the Ge 4/4 IIIs weigh 62 tonnes and have an output of 2,400 kilowatts at 80 kilometres per hour. They are 16,000 millimetres long and 3,860 millimetres high and their control technology corresponds almost completely with that of the SBB-CFF-FFS Re 460 class of locomotive. The 12 locomotives were names of small communities in Graubünden. Beside the name on each locomotive is also the emblem of the particular place, similar locomotives operate also on the Bière–Apples–Morges Railway, as Ge 4/4 Nos.21 and 22, as well as on the Montreux-Oberland Bernois Railway, as Ge 4/4 Nos. 8001–8004. The following locomotives in the class are in operation on the Rhaetian Railway, History of rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland Belloncle, das grosse Buch der Rhätischen Bahn, 1889–2001. Band 3 Lokomotiven, Triebwagen, Traktoren 1889–1998, die Rhätische Bahn Geschichte und Gegenwart. Media related to RhB Ge 4/4 III at Wikimedia Commons This article is based upon a translation from the German language version as at December 2009
39.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/6
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The class was so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, Ge 4/6 denotes a narrow gauge electric locomotive with a total of six axles. Two members of the class are now preserved, one of them in operational condition, for the opening of the Samedan to Scuol railway line in 1913, the Rhaetian Railway needed a class of powerful electric locomotives. The mechanical components of all the locomotives fitted with these systems were fabricated by the Swiss Locomotive, the first Ge 4/6 locomotive, no. 351, arrived in Graubünden in December 1912, with equipment manufactured by Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. It was thus the first electric locomotive acquired by the Rhaetian Railway, an identical sister locomotive, numbered 352, followed in February 1913. Later that year, a third Ge 4/6, numbered 391 and manufactured by SLM and AEG, the last Ge 4/6 to be manufactured for the time being was no. 301, which was built by Brown, Boveri & Cie, several years later, in 1918, the Rhaetian Railway acquired another Ge 4/6, no.302. That locomotive had been constructed by BBC in 1914 on its own account, in the meantime, trial runs had shown that the MFO electrical equipment was the best suited to the needs of the Rhaetian Railway. A sub-series of a further three locomotives had therefore ordered with slightly increased power ratings. They had been numbered 353 to 355, and had joined the fleet in 1914, further acquisitions of locomotives were made impossible by the onset of World War I, and therefore no more Ge 4/6s were built. Only in 1921 did any additional locomotives arrive at the Rhaetian Railway, from then onwards, the Ge 4/6s were used in light and medium duty passenger and goods traffic over the whole of the Rhaetian Railways core network. The first member of the Ge 4/6 class to be retired from service was no,301, which was withdrawn in 1966 to be used as a donor of spare parts. No 301 was scrapped in 1971, and no.302 followed five years later, the delivery of the first Ge 4/4 II in 1973 meant the end for nos.351 and 352. Nos.354 and 355 followed them to the yard in 1982 and 1984 respectively. 391, had withdrawn as early as 1973, but had remained at the Rhaetian Railway until 1980. It was then returned to AEG, and has since put on display at the German Museum of Technology. Preserved locomotive 353, which celebrated its 90th birthday in 2004, history of rail transport in Switzerland Rail transport in Switzerland Belloncle, Patrick
40.
Rhaetian Railway Ge 6/6 I
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The Rhaetian Railway Ge 6/6 I is a class of metre gauge C′C′ electric locomotives operated by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named because it was the first class of locomotives of the Swiss locomotive, according to that classification system, Ge 6/6 denotes a narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotive with a total of six axles, all of which are drive axles. Their internal working RhB designation is C-C, as with its standard-gauge counterpart, the Ge 6/6 is articulated, with a gear-driven Jackshaft between the two end axles of each unit, connected to the drive wheels by side rods. Following the electrification of the Albula Railway in 1919, the Rhaetian Railway needed to more electric locomotives. That need was met by the acquisition of six locomotives of a new class Ge 6/6, manufacturers were Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works, Brown, Boveri & Cie and Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In the wake of the first Ge 6/6 deliveries in 1921, further deliveries of locomotives in the class were made as follows, nos.407 to 410 in 1922, nos.411 and 412 in 1925, and nos.413 to 415 in 1929. With the 15 new Ge 6/6 locomotives, the Rhaetian Railway was able completely to replace the steam locomotives on its core network, henceforth, the Ge 6/6s hauled the heavy and headline trains, including the Glacier Express. The Ge 6/6s were 13.3 metres long, and weighed 66 tonnes and their power output reached 940 kilowatts, and enabled them to reach a top speed of 55 kilometres per hour. The 15 Ge 6/6 locomotives placed into service with the numbers 401–415 carried, the list set out below shows the year of commissioning, year of withdrawal, and the present whereabouts of each locomotive in the class. Only in 1974, after more than 50 years of service, was the first example of the class withdrawn from service, however, as early as 1958 the newer locomotives of class Ge 6/6 II began slowly to force the Crocodiles into less demanding services. The Ge 4/4 II class, delivered from 1973, considerably accelerated this process, so that in 1984 no fewer than six Crocodiles were withdrawn. After no.411 was put into storage in June 2001 following an accident — it is now on display in the Deutsches Museum and they were based in Landquart and Samedan. Six locomotives of the Ge 6/6 I class are still in existence, two of them are still in service with the Rhaetian Railway as operational locomotives. In 2006, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Glacier Express,412, which has since been broken up, was repainted in blue to match the Alpine Pullman Classic. Nine examples of the class have been scrapped to date, no 401 was broken up in 1975 after an accident, and six others followed after the delivery of the second series of the Ge 4/4 II in 1984. As the last machines to disappear for the time being, no.413 and 412 were used in 1996 and 2008 respectively as spare parts donors, die Krokodile Ge 6/6 I der Rhätischen Bahn. ISBN 3-85738-049-7 Railfaneurope. net Picture Gallery This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at December 2009
41.
Bernina Railway Ge 6/6 81
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The locomotive was so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. However, and as discussed below, neither of these names has been accurate for this particular locomotive. Whatever its correct description, the locomotive is now a vehicle owned by the Blonay-Chamby Railway. This engine is now in the BC workshops, undergoing an overhaul, with the target of putting her back into service in 2016 latest. A unique vehicle, the locomotive was manufactured in 1916 by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works and its original operator, the Bernina Railway, had ordered it because a rapid increase in traffic on that railway had created a need for a separate locomotive for heavy trains. After entering service in 1916, the locomotive operated under the traffic number 81 on the Bernina Railway, however, the three axle bogies with their rod drive were not effective, and caused various difficulties that were untenable in the long run. In particular, the rods had a habit of breaking and on one occasion. The conversion involved removing the central axle of each bogie, lowering the traction motors and these measures permanently eliminated the previous operational disturbances. At the same time, power output was able to be increased from 705 kilowatts to 760 kilowatts, due to these subframes, the locomotives wheel arrangement is correctly described as C′2′C′ in its original form, and B′2′B′ in its modified form. The two axle subframe, together with a luggage compartment, has never been taken into account in the official classification of the locomotive. Strictly speaking, the locomotive should be classified as GDe 4/6 in its present configuration, in 1943, the previously independent Bernina Railway was taken over by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. At the time of the takeover, the locomotive was renumbered 181 and it continued to haul trains on the Bernina Railway until its withdrawal from service in 1970. In the same year, the locomotive was transferred to the Blonay-Chamby Railway, as a result of damage to its electrical equipment in 1990, it was taken out of the Blonay-Chambys operational fleet. Only in 2008, thanks to a sponsor, was it worked up sufficiently to be able to re-enter active service. This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as of May 2010, belloncle, Patrick, Brünger, Gian, Grossenbacher, Rolf, Müller, Christian. Das grosse Buch der Rhätischen Bahn 1889 -2001, Die Fahrzeuge der Rhätischen Bahn 1889-1998 band 3, Triebfahrzeuge. Die elektrischen und Dieseltriebfahrzeuge Schweizerischer Eisenbahn Die Gleichstromlinen der Rhätischen Bahn
42.
Bernina-Bahngesellschaft Ge 4/4 82
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The Bernina-Bahngesellschaft Ge 4/482, later known as the Rhaetian Railway Ge 4/4182, is a 1,000 V DC metre gauge B-B electrically powered heritage locomotive made in Switzerland. The Ge 4/4 is so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, according to that system, Ge 4/4 denotes a narrow gauge electric locomotive with a total of four axles, all of which are drive axles. However, the Ge 4/4182 is not an articulated locomotive, after entering service in 1928, the Ge 4/4 operated on the Bernina Railway, linking St Moritz in Switzerland with Tirano in Italy, via the Bernina Pass. Its fleet number in its Bernina Railway service was 82, in 1943, the previously independent Bernina Railway was taken over by the Rhaetian Railway, which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. At the time of the takeover, the Ge 4/4, like all of the Bernina Railways other motive power, was acquired by the Rhaetian Railway. The locomotive continued to haul trains on the Bernina Railway, in 1962, the locomotive was renumbered 182, to help free up the numbers in the range 51-99 for use on rail tractors. It was withdrawn from service in 1977, the locomotive was then transferred to the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne, where it remained until 1981. In 1984, it was taken over by the French metre gauge Chemin de Fer de La Mure. However, the Ge 4/4 never operated there, because it was discovered, only after the release to that railway. The Ge 4/4 is presently undergoing restoration, on 10 April 2010, it was presented to the public at Poschiavo newly restored back into working order. Upon completion of its program, it will be available for unrestricted operations on the Bernina Railway. Club 1889 «Club 1889» - detailed information on the history, repatriation and restoration of the locomotive This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at May 2010
43.
Electro-diesel locomotive
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An electro-diesel locomotive is powered either from an electricity supply or by using the onboard diesel engine. For the most part, these locomotives are built to serve regional and they may be designed or adapted mainly for electric use, mainly for diesel use or to work well as either electric or diesel. This is effectively an electric locomotive with a small auxiliary diesel prime mover intended only for low-speed or short-distance operation. Some of these, such as the British Rail Class 74, were converted from electric locomotives, the Southern Region of British Railways used these locomotives to cross non-electrified gaps and to haul boat trains that used tramways at the ports of Southampton and Weymouth. For economy, the engine and its generator are considerably smaller than the electric capacity. The Southern types were of 1,600 hp or Type 3 rating as electrics, later classes had as much as 2,500 hp on electric power, but still the same diesel engines. Despite this large difference, their comparable tractive efforts were much closer and so they could start and work equally heavy trains as diesels and this is effectively a diesel locomotive with auxiliary electric motors, usually operating from 750 V DC third rail where non-electric traction is banned. Once out of the tunnels, the engines are started and operation is as a diesel locomotive. With modern electronics, it is easier to construct an electro-diesel locomotive or multiple-unit which is equally at home running at high speeds both under the wires and under diesel power. They may also be used on long routes to take advantage of shorter sections of electrified main lines. Bombardier has built dual-mode variants of its AGC series for the French operator SNCF, voith Futura, a concept locomotive rebuilt from DB240002. Bombardier TRAXX Last Mile Diesel, mainly electric, orders signed 2010, to be delivered probably 2012. Five Electro-diesel versions of the Stadler Flirt have been ordered for service in the Valle dAosta region, PESA 111Ed Gama Marathon – mainly electric, with auxiliary diesel engine enabling last-mile operation on non-electrified tracks. Gama Marathon was first presented in 2012 at InnoTrans Berlin, the locomotive then underwent a series of tests with rail operators Lotos Kolej and PKP Intercity, after successful conclusion it was offered on the market. In July 2015 the Polish train-operating company Locomotiv bought the prototype, newag Dragon – version of this electric freight locomotive for the Freightliners Polish branch, Freightliner PL Sp. Z o. o. is equipped with diesel engine. These included, ED16, ED18, and TEU1 narrow gauge models OPE1, OPE2, NP1, PE2 and this series is a rebuild of FEVE1.000 Series locomotive. CAF Bitrac 3600,3000 V DC overhead wires, october 2007 order for 9 freight Co-Co locomotives
