A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the summit.

Mountain railways often use narrow gauge tracks to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge, and hence construction cost and effort. Where mountain railways need to climb steep gradients, they may use steep grade railway technology, or even operate as funicular railways.

List of mountain railways

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

Argentina

• Mendoza to Los Andes, Chile, see Chile below

Australia

• Glenreagh Mountain Railway
• Mt Morgan Rack Railway – abandoned in 1955.
• Skitube Alpine Railway
• West Coast Wilderness Railway

Austria

Bolivia

• Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia
• Ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz, Arica–La Paz
• Rio Mulatos-Potosí line

Brazil

• Corcovado Rack Railway
• São Paulo Railway

Canada

Chile

• Ferrocarill Arica La Paz, Arica–La Paz
• Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia
• El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes – Mendoza, Los Andes – Mendoza. The rebuild will be adhesion only.^[2]

China

• Gebishi Railway
• Kunming–Hai Phong Railway
• Qingzang railway

Colombia

• Colombian Railways

Croatia

• Lika line
• Rijeka line

Eritrea

• Eritrean Railway

France

• Artouste (Petit train d')
• La Rhune (Petit train de)
• Mont Blanc Tramway
• Montenvers Railway
• Saint Gervais-Vallorcine (Ligne de)

Germany

Georgia

• Borjomi-Bakuriani railway "Kukushka" (ბაკურიანი-ბორჯომი რკინიგზა)^[4]

Greece

• Diakofto Kalavrita Railway

Hong Kong

• Peak Tramways

India

• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – A world Heritage Site
• Nilgiri Mountain Railway – A world Heritage Site
• Kalka-Shimla Railway – A world Heritage Site
• Matheran Hill Railway

Isle of Man

• Snaefell Mountain Railway

Israel

• Carmelit

Italy

• Superga Rack Railway

Japan

• Hakone Tozan Railway
• Ikawa Line, Oigawa Railway
• Kurobe Gorge Railway

Mexico

• Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco

New Zealand

• Rimutaka Incline Commenced operation in 1878 and ceased operation in 1955.

Norwayedit

• Flåmsbana

Peruedit

• Empresa nacional de ferrocarriles del Peru
• Ferrocarril Central Andino (Standard gauge)
• Ferrocarril Huancayo - Huancavelica,^[5] (built to narrow gauge 3 ft or 914 mm, but converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in or 1,435 mm standard gauge between 2006 and 2010^[6][7])
• Ferrocarril del sur de Peru Arequipa – Puno, (Standard gauge)
• Cusco - Machu Picchu, Cusco – Machu Picchu (3 ft or 914 mm gauge)

Romaniaedit

Russiaedit

• Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway – located in the Krasnodar Krai, gauge of 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in).^[8][9]

Slovakiaedit

• Čierny Hron Railway

Sloveniaedit

Bohinj railway

Spainedit

• Montserrat Rack Railway
• Vall de Núria Rack Railway

Switzerlandedit

Taiwanedit

• Alishan Forest Railway

United Kingdomedit

United Statesedit

Venezuelaedit

• Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela

Vietnamedit

• Đà Lạt–Tháp Chàm Railway – Abandoned after the Vietnam War.

Mountain railways in fictionedit

The Culdee Fell Railway is featured in the book Mountain Engines, part of The Railway Series by Rev.W.Awdry.

See alsoedit

Referencesedit

External linksedit

• Homepage of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (in English, German, and French)
• Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland (in English and German)
• El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes – Mendoza, Argentina (Trans-Andean Railways) (all others in Spanish only)
• seconstruye.com el tren Los Andes – Mendoza
• Museo Ferrocarril Transandino
• Ferrocarril Central Andina S.A.
• Ferrocarril Central Andino S.A.
• Map of central Peru Callao – Huancayo
• Map of south Peru/Bolivia Machu Picchu – Lake Titicaca – west coast Pacific Ocean
• Route Arequipa – Puno (Lake Titicaca)
• Route Cusco – Puno (Lake Titicaca)
• Route Cusco – Machu Picchu
• Homepage of the Mount Washington Cog Railway (First ever mountain climbing cog railway)