steep lines, also Guinness is correct

["Roderick Smith" <rodsmith@werple.net.au>]

Here is the complete summary of the J H Price articles.  Guinness was right
and David Martin was wrong.  There is no rack on the French side.
David: what was the web site where you tracked down your claim?

'Mountain climbing sans rack', by J H Price, appeared in seven parts in
'Modern Tramway' in 1979.
Mar.79: Rare for street tramways to exceed 1 in 10; rare for railways to
exceed 1 in 15.
Trieste - Opicina: 1 in 12.5 adhesion section, but with a braking rail for
emergencies.
Some German railways had 1 in 115.

Apr.79: Uetlibergbahn (Zürich): 7%, 1 in 14.

May 79: St Gervais - Chamonix - Vallorcine - Le Châtelard (ie the French
side): 2 km at 1 in 11 (9%), adhesion.  The line claims to be the world's
steepest *railway*, but is beaten by some trams.  Guinness is *not* wrong;
the Australian poster attacking Guinness was wrong.

June 79:
* Martigny - Châtelard (ie the Swiss side): rack sections at 5%; adhesion
sections at 7%.
* Bernina (Switzerland - Italy): 7% adhesion (1 in 14.3).
* MOB (Switzerland): 6.9% on the climb from Montreux to Les Avants; 7.3% on
the climb to the summit at Jaman tunnel (1 in 13.7)
* Many swiss lines have bits of 6% (1 in 17)
* St Gallen - Trogen (Switzerland): 7.3% (1 in 13.3)
* Zürich trams: bits of 7.7% (1 in 13) and 7.5% (1 in 13.3).
* Neuchâtel trams (Switzerland): bits of 8.9% (1 in 11.2)
* Neunkirchen trams (Germany): bits of 1 in 9 (11.1%)
* Kassel trams (Germany): 1 in 14.
* Oslo trams: 1 in 5.4 for a continuous 1 km.

July 79:
* Hakone - Tozan mountain tram (Japan): 1 in 12 (8.3%), without a braking
rail, also lots more at 1 in 12.5 (8%).
* Karuizawa railway (Japan, a former rack line): 9 km at 1 in 15 (6.6%).
* Pöstlingberg tram (Linz, Austria): 1 in 9.5 (10.5%).
* Gmunden tram (Austria): 1 in 10.4 (9.6%).
* Lisboa trams (Portugal): 1 in 7.4 (13.5%) and 1 in 8.5 (12%).
Also a summary.

Sept.79: Snaefell (Wales): 1 in 12 (with a braking rail).

Nov.79:
* British trams: some 1 in 9; short ramps at 1 in 10 and 1 in 13.


I also found a reference to Die Barberine Drahtseilbahn (ie funicular) in
the book 'Schmalspurparadies Schwyz'.  It has a grade of 870 pro mille,
87%, 1 in 1.1.

-- 
Regards
Roderick Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Roderick Smith <rodsmith@werple.net.au> wrote in article 
> In Switzerland, between Martigny and Vallorcine, a section of 200 pro
mille
> (1 in 5) is rack worked; the rest of the route is graded at 70 pro mille
(1
> in 14) adhesion.
> David Martin <d_martin@mountains.net.au> wrote in article
> > Krel wrote in message <36690dc8.13885859@news.netconnect.com.au>...
> > >In France the Chamonix line is adhesion worked at 1 in 11.
> > Guiness Book of Records say Chamonix is steepest adhesion line at 1 in
> 11,
> > but I tracked it down on the Web & discovered that it uses a cog
system.