Re: Katoomba Scenic Railway not steepest?

[Mike.Roebuck@cobblers.datacomm.ch (Michael Roebuck)]

On Sun, 07 Feb 1999 23:39:18 +1100, David Johnson
<trainman@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>Michael Roebuck wrote:
>
>> >3 of these sites give a gradient of 72.7%, which is pretty tame compared to
>> >Katoomba (100% = 45 degrees)
>>
>> sections of the Pilatus mountain railway here in Switzerland (a rack
>> incline) are at a gradient of 49%. I've always believed this to be the
>> world's steepest passenger railway.
>
>Sigh.  We went through a long discussion about gradients, but no-one seems to
>remember any of it.
>
>For these formulae,
>Gradient in % = "GP"
>Gradient in degrees = "GD"
>Gradient in rise:horizontal distance = 1 in "GH"
>
>GP = (tan (GD)) * 100
>GP = (1 / GH) * 100
>
>GD = inv tan (GP / 100)
>GD = inv tan (1 / GH)
>
>GH = 1 / (GP / 100)
>GH = 1 / (tan (GD))
>
>OK, does anyone dispute that?
>
>For the examples at the top, the Pilatus mountain is claimed to have a gradient of
>49%.  This would be 1 in 2, or 26.1 degrees. This is not very sensational.
>
>The Tennessee railway is claimed to have a 72.7 degree AND a 72.7% gradient.
>If it was 72.7 degrees, it would be 321% or 1 in 0.31.  I find this very hard to
>believe.  These figures are getting very close to elevators which are 90 degrees.
>The more likely figure is 72.7%, which equates to 36 degrees or 1 in 1.37.
>
>The Scenic Railway at Katoomba is 52 degrees, which is 1 in 0.78 or 128%.
>
>Does anyone dispute any of my working?


Sorry David, I'm not a mathematician.

I can, however, confirm that the Pilatus railway is extremely steep -
it seems near vertical in places.

The website (www.pilatus.com/index_e.html) gives the figure as 48%,
and claims it to be the steepest rack railway in the world, which is
obviously what I must have had in mind.

There is a funicular in the Italian part of Switzerland, which I seem
to recall claims to be the steepest passenger carrying funicular in
the world, too.

HTH

regards




Mike Roebuck, Basel, Switzerland  icq#7018252
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