the Rittnerbahn, Bolzano, Italy

Today the Rittnerbahn (in Italian: Ferrovia del Renon) is split into an aerial cable way from the city of Bolzano/Bozen to a plateau high above the city and a metre-gauge electric railway along this plateau, but when built the ascent of the mountan side was by a rack and pinion electric railway from Bozen/Bolzano.  When opened in 1907 the line started as a tramway at Waltherplatz in the city centre, where it shared the track with the Bolzano town tramways as far as the Brenner Road. From there to Maria Himmelfahrt the line was a rack railway, climbing 990 metres until it reached the plateau. A special rack locomotive was placed behind the trams to push them uphill. In the middle of this ascent was a crossing loop so that two trains could cross. The train that went down to Bolzano produced some of the power that was needed to get the other train up. After arriving in Maria Himmelfahrt on the Ritten plateau, the locomotive was uncoupled and the trams were able to proceed unaided on normal tracks to the terminal station in the village of Klobenstein. The full length of the line, from Walterplatz in Bolzano to Klobenstein, was 11.75 km.

In 1966 the aerial cableway was opened, leaving the adhesion light rail line from Maria Himmelfahrt to Klobenstein, a distance of 6.6 km.

Below are a few pics taken last month by Geoff Churchman showing the present day experience.

not far above the Bolzano terminal

just below a pylon which takes the gondolas away from the view of Bolzano.

preserved heritage cars in the barn near the top aerial cable way station

the track leading to Maria Himmelfahrt with a pylon of the aerial cable way.