Steep stretch

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VT 98 rail bus of the German Steam Locomotive Museum on the inclined plane , the first steep section in Germany to be used in adhesion operation (1848)

A steep section is a steeply inclined section of a railway line that is only used in accordance with the steep section regulations with special safety precautions by specially approved traction vehicles in friction mode (→ adhesion track ).

Concept and delimitation

The 116 ‰ steep Pöstlingbergbahn in the Upper Austrian city of Linz is considered to be the steepest adhesion railway .

In Germany, main lines with a decisive incline of more than 1:40 (25 ‰) and secondary lines with an incline of 1:25 (40 ‰) are considered steep sections. For routes with a decisive incline of more than 40 ‰, the steep section regulations or comparable guidelines apply . For cog railways that are not steep grades, by definition, different rules apply. The slope is calculated using the gradient .

The locomotives of trains traveling on a steep stretch must be "suitable for steep stretches", which means they must be equipped with special equipment. If the incline of the route exceeds an upper limit, economical and safe friction operation is no longer possible, so that the transmission of tractive and braking forces is either reinforced by special measures (formerly Fell's system , new linear motor booster) or from adhesion to gear operation must be passed over. Where exactly this limit is to be set depends on a large number of factors. Newer design traction vehicles are able to cope with greater inclines than older rolling stock, so that existing rack and pinion railways can be converted into steep sections with adhesion operation in individual cases (e.g. St. Gallen – Appenzell line ).

Because the 50 - ‰ - ramps of the Schweizerische Südostbahn the wrong pre-Alpine Express since the timetable year in 2014 Sandwich traction .

The Swiss railway law does not recognize the term steep section. Sections of the route for which special regulations apply due to the gradient and its length are referred to as steep gradients . Electric traction vehicles driving down a steep category A gradient require an electric brake . With category B, a minimum braking ratio of 75% is required without an electric brake and the total weight of the braked wagons must be at least as large as that of all traction vehicles . In the case of narrow-gauge routes, the incline is normally limited to 40 ‰. Greater inclinations are only permitted in special circumstances under certain conditions. For trams , the maximum limit is 70 ‰ and must not be exceeded in any case on new lines. Locomotives on normal and narrow-gauge lines with an incline of more than 60 ‰ require a magnetic rail brake or an eddy current rail brake .

Safety precautions

Braking devices

For the approval of a traction vehicle for steep sections are i. d. Usually three independently acting brake systems are required. Locomotives suitable for steep sections therefore have special braking equipment: in the case of steam locomotives this is usually the Riggenbach counter-pressure brake , in the case of combustion locomotives an engine brake or a hydrodynamic brake and in the case of electric locomotives a resistance brake or a recuperation brake .

Operating rules

Heavy trains with insufficient electrical brake power are braked in Switzerland using the sawtooth method. Freight train on the Lötschberg southern ramp with SBB Re 6/6 and Re 4/4 II in multiple control .

Only specially trained personnel may be used on routes that are operated in accordance with the steep section regulations. There are special features during the brake test, the brake calculation and when carrying out construction work on the steep section.

For individual routes, further safety precautions are or were necessary, e.g. B. that the locomotive always has to stand on the valley side and the uphill trains are pushed; With steam locomotives it was mandatory in many places to drive uphill with the chimney so that the fire box was always washed by the water. On some routes, an additional inspection of the braking system of the vehicles used was also common.

When driving downhill in Switzerland, if the electric brake of the locomotive is insufficient to maintain the speed, the sawtooth method is used. The automatic air brake is initially used to brake strongly for 60 seconds, then the brake is released for at least 90 seconds. When the permitted speed is reached, another 60-second braking is triggered. This prevents thermal overloading of the brakes and exhaustion of the brakes .

historical development

Main lines

The end of the Erkrath – Hochdahl steep ramp in Hochdahl
For use on steep main lines developed Prussian state railways , the Series T 20 . The machine 95 027 is waiting to be used on the Rübelandbahn . Behind it the 95 6676 , which from 1920 replaced the rack-and-pinion locomotives on the Rübelandbahn.

The system of inclined planes widespread in Great Britain , in which the wagons were pulled uphill with stationary steam engines, did not prevail in Germany, only the steep ramp Erkrath-Hochdahl and the Ronheider ramp were built, both of which were switched to normal operation after a few years Locomotives moved. At Neuenmarkt , an inclined plane was also planned for operation with stationary steam engines, but was not implemented. Instead, a ramp was built with an even slope. The trains were given lead by special machines and therefore did not have to be divided despite the incline. In the following years, similar systems were built on other main lines. Because of the complex operational management, attempts were made to get by with as few ramps as possible within the framework of the topographical situation and worked in the rest of the route network with significantly lower inclines. In later railway constructions - for the first time with the Black Forest Railway - the routes were artificially lengthened with loops and spiral tunnels, thus enabling inclines that could be mastered without the laborious ramp operation.

At the foot of the ramps, train stations were built with special tracks for attaching the push locomotives and for setting the brake cars, which were required before the introduction of the air brake, into the trains. Locomotive stations or railway depots were built at the same location to supply the locomotives before the ascent . These stations were built according to operational requirements, often in previously insignificant villages, which over the years have become railroad towns with excellent transport connections, because express trains also had to stop for the pushing locomotive.

The operational difficulties and the restriction of the passability of the steep sections led to a double-track expansion early on. Technical innovations led to further increases in capacity. Telegraphy and route blocks and the construction of block posts were milestones in this development in the 19th century. In the 20th century, with the spread of the air brake, the train lengths could be increased significantly. Before the First World War, special locomotives were built in Prussia with the T 20 and in Bavaria with the Gt 2 × 4/4, especially for use on the Frankenwaldbahn and the Spessart ramp, which could cope with the increased demands in push service. Both series were taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn as series 95 and series 96 .

At the end of the 1930s, high-speed railcars operated for the first time, which could run over the steep section without time-consuming pushing, and the electrification of the ramps began before the Second World War.

Since the electrical operation offered enormous advantages, electrification was accelerated soon after the end of the war. This had a lasting impact on the operation of the ramps. Passenger trains no longer needed push locomotives, drove without stopping over the ramp, and the electric locomotives were no longer stationed on site. As a result, the stations and depots in the area of ​​the ramps lost much of their importance or disappeared completely. In the push service mostly locomotives of the series E 93 ( 193 ), E 94 ( 194 ) and later E 50 ( 150 ) were to be found. With the use of modern interlocking technology, a further increase in capacity could be achieved. Today the needs of passenger and freight traffic are developing in different directions. In freight traffic, there is a tendency today to abandon ramp operations and replace them with new routes with long base tunnels or to route trains over other routes.

The Höllentalbahn from Freiburg im Breisgau to Neustadt in the Black Forest went through a special development . It was built as a branch line with cogwheel operation between Hirschsprung and Hinterzarten. In the course of the extension to Donaueschingen, the railway was operated as a full line from 1902 . This made the Höllentalbahn the steepest main railway in Germany. Initially, this mainly had operational effects. It was not until the following decades that the railway was expanded and sections of it were re-routed. The cogwheel operation was replaced by the DR class 85 locomotives specially designed for this route, followed a few years later by experimental electrification with 20 kV / 50 Hz. After the end of the test operation, the route was converted to 15 kV / 16 2/3 Hz .

Branch lines

The counter-pressure brake of the 94 series allowed use on steep stretches.

Developments were different for branch lines. In the beginning there were only a few steep sections. On the one hand, larger inclines were permitted here from the start, on the other hand, the construction of switchbacks was not as big an obstacle as with main railways and at the low speeds the restrictions of the cogwheel operation were not as significant. In the 1920s, the Deutsche Reichsbahn gave up cogwheel operation on many routes and switched the routes to friction operation, which simplified operation, reduced costs and allowed higher travel speeds. The successor to the gear machines were mostly locomotives of the 94 5–17 series with counter-pressure brakes.

In the years after the Second World War, diesel locomotives and multiple units took over operation in both German states. At the Deutsche Bundesbahn, the specially equipped V 100 ( 213 series ), VT 98 ( 798 series ) and V 160 ( 218 ), while the 118 series locomotives took over this task at the Deutsche Reichsbahn . The Reichsbahn electrified the Rübelandbahn with 25 kV / 50 Hz in isolated operation and used locomotives of the E 251 series . The Murgtalbahn in Baden-Württemberg was also converted to light rail operation and also electrified.

After the steep ramps were only used sporadically for freight traffic after the Second World War, passenger traffic was maintained in comparison to other branch lines despite the low travel speeds on most routes until the 1990s. The German Bahn AG and other rail companies today still operate several steep slopes, among which are also steep ramps, which have no or only seasonal excursions.

Steep sections in Germany

Main tracks with a decisive incline over 25 ‰

DB class 143 with double-decker cars on the steep section in Höllental

Branch lines with a decisive incline over 40 ‰

Rübelandbahn , the steepest operating railway line in Germany

Factory and industrial railways

Steep sections in Austria

Special train on the Erzbergbahn, the steepest standard gauge line in Austria

Stretches with steep gradients in Switzerland

Standard gauge lines with steep gradients

Uetliberg, terminus of the steepest standard gauge adhesion railway in Europe
The Seetalbahn Emmenbrücke – Lenzburg has a gradient of up to 38 ‰, but it is short. Because of the restricted clearance profile, the route has no free network access. It can only be accessed by the RABe 520 narrow multiple units .
A TILO - Flirt with test drives on the (along with Le Pont-Le Day) steepest SBB line between Vevey and Puidoux.

Routes with limited network access :

Route section train customized
imaging
gradient		 Height
under-
difference		 length comment
Uetliberg – Zurich Selnau SZU 79 ‰ 415 m 9.1 km Direct current , steepest standard-gauge adhesion railway in Europe

Routes with free network access:

Route section train cate-
gory		 customized
imaging
gradient		 Height
under-
difference		 length comment
Le Pont-Le Day SBB A. 38 ‰ 231 m 8.2 km
Iselle – Domodossola 25 ‰ 360 m 18.8 km Transport service by SBB
Puidoux-Chexbres-Vevey 38 ‰ 232 m 7.8 km
(La Chaux-de-Fonds–) km 25.8 – Vauseyon 27 ‰ 572 m 24.2 km
Bure – Courtemaîche 45 ‰ 73 m 4.7 km Connection weapon place
Göschenen-Erstfeld 26 ‰ 634 m 28.8 km Gotthard north ramp
Airolo – Bodio 26 ‰ 811 m 39.3 km Gotthard south ramp
Rivera-Bironico-Giubiasco 26 ‰ 242 m 11.3 km Ceneri north ramp
Reuchenette-Péry – Biel / Bienne B. 25 ‰ 159 m 8.2 km
Court-Moutier 27 ‰ 137 m 6.4 km
Läufelfingen – Sissach 21 ‰ 183 m 9.7 km Hauenstein north ramp
Läufelfingen – Olten 26 ‰ 163 m 8.5 km Hauenstein south ramp
St. Gallen St. Fiden – Rorschach 21 ‰ 247 m 13.0 km
Wattwil – Uznach 20 ‰ 204 m 14.0 km Rickentunnel
Gibswil-Rüti ZH 30 ‰ 275 m 11.4 km Tösstalbahn
Kandersteg – Frutigen BLS A. 27 ‰ 396 m 18.0 km Lötschberg north ramp
Goppenstein-Brig 27 ‰ 538 m 25.0 km Lötschberg south ramp
Schwarzenburg – Bern Fischermätteli B. 35 ‰ 241 m 8.0 km
Gänsbrunnen – Moutier 25 ‰ 190 m 8.5 km Weissenstein north ramp
Oberdorf SO – Solothurn West 28 ‰ 222 m 9.6 km Weissenstein south ramp
Altmatt – Freienbach SOB SOB A. 50 ‰ 413 m 11.3 km
Rothenthurm-Arth-Goldau 50 ‰ 506 m 10.4 km
Biberbrugg – Wädenswil 50 ‰ 421 m 9.9 km
Le Châble-Sembrancher-Martigny TMR 35 ‰ 353 m 19.3 km Y segment
Orsières – Sembrancher – Martigny 40 ‰ 371 m 19.2 km
Sâles – Romont TPF 26 ‰ 129 m 10.4 km West ramp
Sâles – Bull 28 ‰ 65 m 7.7 km East ramp
Friborg – Murten 29 ‰ 181 m 22.2 km

The Zurich Altstetten – Oerlikon diameter line and the Seetalbahn are not classified as steep inclines, despite gradients of 40 and 38 ‰, respectively, because their descents are only short.

List of narrow-gauge lines with a gradient of over 40 ‰

Since autumn 2018, the multiple units of the Appenzeller Bahnen (AB) have been running on the steepest adhesion route in Switzerland. The routes from St. Gallen to Appenzell and Trogen have been connected to form a diameter line.
The trains of the Montreux – Berner Oberland-Bahn (MOB) overcome gradients of up to 73 ‰.
Train of the Bernina Railway at a gradient of 70 ‰ in a photo from the 1980s
The Forchbahn in the agglomeration of Zurich drives gradients of up to 69 ‰.

In the case of mixed adhesion and gear operation , the greatest slope is indicated on the adhesion section.

80 ‰ : Ruckhalde tunnel on the St. Gallen – Appenzell ( AB ) line, commissioning on October 8, 2018
76 ‰ : St. Gallen – Trogen (AB)
73 ‰ : Montreux – Zweisimmen (MOB)
70 ‰ :
69 ‰ :
65 ‰ : Langenthal – Niederbipp ( ASm )
60 ‰ :
57 ‰ : Railway line Bex – Villars – Bretaye (TPC, with rack sections)
52 ‰ : Altstätten – Gais (AB, with rack sections)
50 ‰ :
48 ‰ : Biel-Täuffelen-Ins (ASm)
46 ‰ :
45 ‰ :
44 ‰ : Yverdon – Ste-Croix (YSteC)

More steep sections

The Saint-Gervais – Vallorcine (F) –Martigny (CH) line is operated on the French section as an adhesion railway with a gradient of up to 90 ‰. On the Swiss section, the maximum gradient with adhesion drive is 70 ‰ and with rack 200 ‰.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Swiss Driving Regulations (FDV) A2016 Federal Office of Transport (FOT), July 1, 2016 (PDF; 3 MB). R 300.5, Section  3.6  Heavy gradients and large or long gradients
  2. ↑ SBB Traffic Operating Regulations [5.4b] Heavy gradients. Document number 20004522, July 1, 2012.
  3. ↑ Implementing provisions for the Railway Ordinance (AB-EBV) DETEC , July 1, 2016 (PDF; 3 MB). AB 17 point 7.2 Longitudinal  inclination in train tracks
  4. ↑ Implementing provisions for the Railway Ordinance (AB-EBV) DETEC , July 1, 2016 (PDF; 3 MB). From 52.1 point 9  braking systems
  5. ↑ Swiss Driving Regulations (FDV) A2016 Federal Office of Transport (FOT), July 1, 2016 (PDF; 3 MB). R 300.14, Section  2.7.2  Operating the automatic compressed air brake on standard gauge trains on steep slopes
  6. ↑ http://www.gessen.de/str/acliege.html
  7. ↑ Network access SZU. On the SZU website (with a link to the infrastructure catalog), accessed on February 10, 2018
  8. ↑ a b rail infrastructure. On the SBB website (with a link to the SBB route database), accessed on February 10, 2018
  9. ↑ a b c Bruno Lämmli: Arrange the routes geographically. At www.lokifahrer.ch, accessed on February 10, 2018
  10. ↑ Services for railway companies. On the BLS website (with a link to the route database), accessed on February 10, 2018
  11. ↑ Access to the infrastructure of the SOB. On the SOB website (with a link to the Network Statement, which contains a route database in the appendix), accessed on February 10, 2018
  12. ↑ a b The website of the railway company does not allow access to the route data.
  13. ↑ Hans G. Wägli: Track Profile Switzerland CH +. 2010, pp. 24-25
  14. ↑ Hans G. Wägli: Track Profile Switzerland CH +. 2010, pp. 42-43
  15. ^ Stefan Breitenmoser: Blasting on urban area. In: Baublatt, No. 42, Friday, October 21, 2016 ( Memento from October 19, 2017 in the Internet Archive )