Mountain railway station
A mountain station is the entry / exit point of a cable car , a funicular , a gear train , an aerial tramway , a ski lift and similar climbing aids in the mountains . The lower station is called the valley station , the upper mountain station ; sometimes there is also a middle station (rarely several). The expressions are also used analogously for corresponding urban railways.
Construction and construction methods
Mountain railway stations can be classic buildings or open steel structures. Gondola lifts often have horizontally aligned mountain stations, but the gondola often drives in directly, and the construction is based on the incline of the ropes.
In the case of aerial tramways, one or two cabins in opposite directions are operated between the mountain and valley stations (they “commute”), which enables longer stays in the stations. The same goes for funiculars and most rack railways. Simple tow and chair lifts go directly through the station via pulleys of the pulling rope , which has serious disadvantages: The rope speed has to be low enough, which means long ascent times, but it still puts those getting on and off under stress and also the risk of injury and when climbing wrongly must be stopped all the way. For this reason, more modern constructions of circulating ropeways have been used for a long time , in which the rope runs continuously, but the chairs or cabins are disengaged, and a convenient entry and exit is possible via conveyor systems - even for several units in parallel - until they are back on the fast-moving one Pull rope can be coupled, with various auxiliary constructions of a jerk-free acceleration. The valley, middle and mountain stations are correspondingly more complex, both structurally and technically.
The construction methods range from simple unprotected platforms to enclosed rooms to large building complexes in which, in addition to the actual boarding point and its infrastructure, restaurants , ski rentals and similar services are offered, or mountain rescue stations are located. Otherwise these are often found in the immediate vicinity. The mountain stations are particularly suitable for mountain inns and hotels in attractive, exposed locations. Some of the valley stations are located in winter sports resorts in the center of the village, some with their own ski centers with spacious parking spaces, the small valley lifts for beginners and the valley runs directly to the valley station. Many ski areas are opened up in stages, from the valley up or from several places more comfortable lifts are led, around the mountain station of which the alpine skiing centers are built, and where the valley stations of the lifts and cable cars are located, which lead up to the peaks and ridges of the ski area, often over further transition stages.
Examples
| Name of the railway | Valley station | Mountain station |
|---|---|---|
| Klewenalpbahn | Beckenried (420 m) | Klewenalp (1590 m) |
| Titlisbahn | Engelberg (1000 m) | Titlis (3020 m) |
| Säntisbahn | Schwägalp (1345 m) | Säntis (2503 m) |
| Klein Matterhorn Railway | Zermatt (1619 m) | Little Matterhorn (3885 m) |
| Stockhornbahn | Erlenbach (720 m) | Stockhorn (2190 m) |
| Weisshornbahn | Obersee Arosa (1750 m) | Weisshorn (2650 m) |
- Valley stations
Chäserruggbahn , Unterwasser, Canton St. Gallen
Finkenberg gondola lift, Zillertal
- Mountain stations
Mountain station of a simple chair lift
Open mountain station on Cime de Caron, France
See also
- Hill Station (type of settlement in India)
