Mendelbahn

length

2.37 km

Maximum slope

64%

Height difference

854 m

Deepest point

St. Anton 510 m slm

The highest point

Mendola 1364 m slm

Operating mode

electric

Gauge

1000 mm

opening

1903

Legend

12,850	formerly the Überetscher railway from Bozen
0.000	St.Anton	510 m slm

	Kalterer Höhenweg (only to get off)
1.185	Alternative point in the middle of the route
	viaduct


2,370	Mendel Pass	1364 m slm
23,549	Former local railway Dermulo – Mendel to Dermulo

The Mendelbahn ( Italian Funicolare della Mendola ) is a funicular in South Tyrol . It leads from the St. Anton fraction in Kaltern up to the Mendel Pass and is part of the South Tyrol transport association .

Initially, the railway consisted of two sections: in addition to today's funicular railway, the connecting line from Kaltern station to St. Anton was also known as the Mendelbahn. This part was closed in 1963 together with the Überetscher Bahn .

Today the train overcomes a height difference of 854 meters on its 2,370 meter long and 12 minute journey. It begins at an altitude of 510 m and leads up to 1364 m . The average gradient is 39%.

history

On October 19, 1903, the Mendelbahn officially went into operation. Probably the most famous guest on the railway was Emperor Franz Josef , who was en route to the major military maneuvers in the Non Valley in 1905 . From 1916 the Mendelbahn was only available for military purposes. After the annexation of South Tyrol to Italy, the Austrian guests, especially from the higher society, stayed away. As a result, the Mendel lost its importance as a climatic health resort of the "higher circles". Until 1934 there was the possibility of changing to the Dermulo – Mendel local railway at the top of the pass and continuing towards Val di Non and Trento.

It is noteworthy that the Mendelbahn was able to hold its own despite the construction of the autostraße: While the adhesion line was closed in 1963 together with the Überetscher Bahn, the funicular continued to operate. In 1983 the railway was closed due to serious safety deficiencies. It was not until 1988 that traffic was resumed after the line had been completely renovated.

The Mendelbahn has been owned by the South Tyrolean Transport Structures (STA) since 1993 and is operated by SAD Nahverkehr .

In 2009, new cabins with a glass panorama roof were purchased, barrier-free access and a stop halfway up the building as a direct connection to the Kalterer Höhenweg. On weekends and in the tourist season, passenger numbers of well over 1,000 people can be booked daily.

Description of the route

On the route between the valley and mountain stations with an altitude difference of 854 m, the maximum gradient in the upper area is 64 percent. For a long time, the railway was the steepest railway in Europe and the mountain railway with the greatest difference in altitude with a single pitch. The track width is one meter. The 2,370 m route has a total of five curves. The large viaduct is 110 m long and 16 m high. Around 6,000 cubic meters of masonry were used for the seven arched openings . The small viaduct, built with 200 cubic meters of concrete, is 50 m long and has two arched openings. The two tunnels on the line are 70 and 69 m long. In the lower starting area of the route there are two drawbridges that were formerly built to cross the route. The meeting point in the middle of the route is implemented as a 116 m long automatic turnout .

The travel time was originally 32 minutes at a speed of 1.2 meters per second , since 1988 it has been 12 minutes at 4 m / s. The delivery rate was once 100 people per hour, currently 360. The vehicle capacity is 80 people with 24 seats. In 1903 the electrical signaling system and the mobile telephone system were regarded as absolute technical innovations.

Others

With the Mendelbahn in a historical illustration on a special postage stamp worth 65 cents, date of publication: May 8, 2010, Austrian Post paid tribute to the original pioneering achievement.

Kaltern, the Mendel Pass and the railway line
Large viaduct with one car around 1905
The valley station
A car before 2009 at the mountain station
A new type of car at the meeting point
At the driver's cab on a descent

literature

Alexander von Egen , Arnold Dissertori, Martin Sölva: The Mendelbahn in Kaltern . Ed .: Association for Culture and Home Care Kaltern. Athesia, Bozen 1988, ISBN 88-7014-492-5 .
Martin Sölva, Gotthard Andergassen: The Mendel . Athesia, Bozen 2003, ISBN 88-8266-215-2 .
Karl Armbruster: The Tyrolean mountain railways . Buchdruckerei G. Davis & Co., Vienna 1914, The Mendelbahn and Ueberetscherbahn, p. 123–146 ( digitized version from the South Tyrolean Regional Library [accessed on September 15, 2017]).

Web links

Commons : Mendelbahn - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

The Mendelbahn. In: Documentation Center for European Railway Research. Retrieved May 2, 2014 .
St. Anton - Mendel funicular. In: Tecneum, Bozen. Retrieved May 2, 2014 .
Kaltern am See (www.kaltern.com): Information about the Mendel funicular in Kaltern. (PDF 278 kB) April 29, 2008, accessed February 1, 2016 .

Individual evidence

↑ Martin Sölva, Gotthard Andergassen: The Mendel . Athesia, Bozen 2003, ISBN 88-8266-215-2 , p. 94 .
↑ The new Mendelbahn is celebrating its 5th anniversary. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, May 7, 2014, accessed on May 16, 2014 .

46.4125 11.219444444444Coordinates: 46 ° 24 ′ 45 ″ N , 11 ° 13 ′ 10 ″ E

[1] Martin Sölva, Gotthard Andergassen: The Mendel . Athesia, Bozen 2003, ISBN 88-8266-215-2 , p. 94 .

[2] The new Mendelbahn is celebrating its 5th anniversary. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, May 7, 2014, accessed on May 16, 2014 .