The ''Sommerbergbahn'' is a

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It runs from

Bad Wildbad Bad Wildbad is a town in Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located in the government district ('' Regierungsbezirk'') of Karlsruhe and in the district (''Landkreis'') of Calw. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 1 ...

to the top of the Wildbader Sommerberg, which gives good views over the town, with one intermediate stop. The ''Sommerbergbahn'' opened in 1908 and was modernised in 1928 and again in 1968. In 2004 extensive work was undertaken to bring it into line with modern safety requirements. The line was closed in late 2010 for major upgrade works, with one of the cars being lifted from the line in February 2011. The line is due to open again in late Summer 2011. The ''Sommerbergbahn'' has the following technical parameters: *Length: ' *Height: ' *Maximum Steepness: ''53%'' *Configuration: '' single track with

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

'' *Cars: ''2'' *Capacity: ''100 passengers per car'' *Journey time: ''3.5 minutes'' *

Track gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many ...

: ' *Traction: ''Electricity'' Since 2002, the lower station of the ''Sommerbegbahn'' has been served by a stop on the

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

way extension of line S6 of the

Karlsruhe Stadtbahn The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is a German tram-train system combining tram lines in the city of Karlsruhe with railway lines in the surrounding countryside, serving the entire region of the middle upper Rhine valley and creating connections to neighbo ...

, which connects Bad Wildbad to Pforzheim via the '' Enztalbahn''.

References

Bibliography

# ''Festschrift 50 Jahre Bergbahn zum Sommerberg'', 1908–1958, Druckerei Eisele, Mai 1958 # Götz Bechtle: ''100 Jahre Sommerbergbahn in Bad Wildbad''; S. 75-89 in ''Ein Jahrbuch'', Band 26, 2008, Herausgeber: Landkreis Calw, # Götz Bechtle: Festbroschüre ''100 Jahre SommerBergbahn Bad Wildbad 1908-2008'', Herausgeber Stadtwerke Wildbad 2008, erhältlich bei Touristik Bad Wildbad GmbH

External links

*
Web site of the funicular operator
(in German) {{coord, 48, 45, 00.65, N, 8, 32, 39.07, E, region:DE_type:landmark, display=title Railway lines in Baden-Württemberg Funicular railways in Germany Metre gauge railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1908 1908 establishments in Germany

See also

References

Bibliography

External links