A mountain railway is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

es, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

. Mountain railways often use

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

tracks to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and

structure gauge A structure gauge, also called the minimum structure outline, is a diagram or physical structure that sets limits to the extent that bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure can encroach on rail vehicles. It specifies the height and width of s ...

, 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 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 ends ...

List of mountain railways

Argentina

* Mendoza to

Los Andes, Chile Los Andes, founded on July 31, 1791 as Santa Rosa de Los Andes, is a Chilean List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the Province of Los Andes, Chile, province of the same name, in Valparaíso Region ("Fifth Reg ...

, see Chile below

Australia

* Glenreagh Mountain Railway * Mt Morgan Rack Railway – abandoned in 1955. * Skitube Alpine Railway *

West Coast Wilderness Railway The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell railway in Western Tasmania between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its Abt rack ...

Austria

* Achensee Railway * Arlberg Railway * Mariazell Railway * Pöstlingberg Railway * Semmering Railway – A

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

* Schafberg Railway *

Schneeberg Railway The Schneeberg Railway () is a local railway line in Lower Austria running from Wiener Neustadt to the Schneeberg (Lower Austria), Hochschneeberg mountain. Location Between Wiener Neustadt and Puchberg am Schneeberg (the main section) it runs ...

Bolivia

Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (British company name: Antofagasta (Chili) & Bolivia Railway or FCAB for short) is a private railway operating in the northern provinces of Chile. It is notable in that it was one of the earliest rail ...

Ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz Futbol Club Sonsonate is a Salvadoran professional football club based in Sonsonate, El Salvador. The club plays its home games at Estadio Anna Mercedes Campos, a stadium located in the City suburb of Sonsonate, Sonsonate, since 2009. The team ...

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...

–

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

* Rio Mulatos-Potosí line

Brazil

* Corcovado Rack Railway * São Paulo Railway

Canada

BC Rail The British Columbia Railway Company , commonly known as BC Rail, is a railway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Chartered as a private company in 1912 as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), it was acquired by the provincial ...

, crosses the Pacific Coast Range of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

( Garibaldi & Lillooet Ranges) *

Kicking Horse Pass Kicking Horse Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff national parks. Divide Creek forks onto both ...

* Rogers Pass * White Pass and Yukon Route * Yellowhead Pass

Chile

* Ferrocarill Arica La Paz,

–

* El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes – Mendoza, Los Andes – Mendoza. The rebuild will be adhesion only.

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

* Drachenfels Railway (''Drachenfelsbahn'') *

Harz Railway The Harz Railway or Trans-Harz Railway () was formerly the main line of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or ''HSB'') and runs north to south right across the Harz Mountains from Wernigerode to Nordhausen, Thuringia, Nord ...

(''Harzbahn'') ** Rübeland Railway (''Rübelandbahn'') **

Harz Narrow Gauge Railways The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (German: ''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or HSB) is a railway company that operates a network in the Harz mountains, in central Germany (formerly East Germany – officially the German Democratic Republic). The compan ...

(''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'') ***

(''Harzquerbahn'') *** Brocken Railway (''Brockenbahn'') *** Selke Valley Railway(''Selketalbahn'') * Murg Valley Railway (''Murgtalbahn'') * Schwarza Valley Railway (''Schwarzatalbahn'') *

Wendelstein Railway The Wendelstein Rack Railway (), sometimes just referred to as the Wendelstein Railway, is an electric power, electrically-driven metre gauge rack railway (with several adhesion railway, adhesion sections) that runs up the Wendelstein (mountain), ...

(''Wendelsteinbahn'') * Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (''Bayerische Zugspitzbahn'')

Georgia

* Borjomi-Bakuriani railway "Kukushka" (ბაკურიანი-ბორჯომი რკინიგზა)

Greece

* Diakofto Kalavrita Railway

Hong Kong

* Peak Tramways

India

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a narrow-gauge, gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It c ...

– A world Heritage Site * Nilgiri Mountain Railway – A world Heritage Site * Kalka-Shimla Railway – A world Heritage Site * Kangra Valley Railway * Matheran Hill Railway * Jammu–Baramulla line

Isle of Man

* Snaefell Mountain Railway

Israel

* Carmelit

Italy

Superga Rack Railway Superga ( or ) is a hill situated on the south bank of the river River Po, Po to the east of Turin in north-west Italy. At above sea level, it is one of the most prominent of the hills that ring the city. Superga is known for the Basilica of S ...

Japan

* Aizu Railway * Chuo Main Line (especially central portion between Takao Station and Nakatsugawa Station) * Dosan Line * Echigo Tokimeki Railway Myōkō Haneuma Line (former

Shin'etsu Main Line The is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . Since the opening and later extension of ...

, around Nihongi Station) * Eizan Electric Railway * Etsumi North Line * Hakone Tozan Railway * Hakubi Line * Hisatsu Line * Hohi Main Line * Ikawa Line, Oigawa Railway (partial Abt system rack railway) *

Iida Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi, Aichi with Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno, Nagano, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Pr ...

* Joetsu Line * Fujikyuko Line * Geibi Line (especially east of Miyoshi Station) * Hokuetsu Express Hokuhoku Line * Kamaishi Line * Keihan Keishin Line (

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

line with steep gradients) * Kintetsu Nara Line *

Kisuki Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line connects in Matsue, Shimane with in Shōbara, Hiroshima. Stations 　Four〜10 Diesel trains are operated every day. There are more trains between Shi ...

* Kobe Electric Railway * Kurobe Gorge Railway (mostly sightseeing-oriented line originally used in dam construction) * Minobu Line * Nagaragawa Railway * Nankai Koya Line (south of Hashimoto Station (Wakayama)) * Ou Main Line, including Yamagata Shinkansen through services * Oito Line (especially north of Shinano-Omachi Station) * Seibu Chichibu Line * Sekisho Line (east of Shin-Yubari Station) * Shinonoi Line *The former

over the Usui Pass (abandoned) * Tadami Line * Takayama Main Line * Yagan Railway

Mexico

* Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco

New Zealand

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

Norway

* Flåmsbana

Peru

* Empresa nacional de ferrocarriles del Peru * Ferrocarril Central Andino (

Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

) * Ferrocarril Huancayo - Huancavelica, (built to

, but converted to between 2006 and 2010) * Ferrocarril del sur de Peru

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...

– Puno, (

) * Cusco - Machu Picchu, Cusco – Machu Picchu ( gauge)

Romania

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...

–

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

railway *

–

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

– Arad railway *

Râmnicu Vâlcea Râmnicu Vâlcea (formerly ''Râmnic'', ) is a city in Romania. Located in the south-central part of the country, in the historical province of Oltenia, it is the seat of Vâlcea County and its main urban settlement. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

–

railway *

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu (, is the capital city, capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu (river), Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the ...

– Simeria railway *

Drobeta-Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats List of cities and towns on the river Danube, lyin ...

– Caransebeș railway *

Oravița Oravița (; ; ; ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Oravica, separator=/, Оравица) is a town in the Banat region of Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 9,346 in 2021. Its theater is a fully functional scaled down version of the old Burgth ...

– Anina railway *

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

–

Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

railway *

– Miercurea Ciuc – Deda railway, and Brașov – Întorsura Buzăului * Salva – Sighetu Marmației railway *

Adjud Adjud (; ) is a city in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It has a population of 15,178 inhabitants (as of 2021). It lies at a railway junction which has a classification yard and a passenger station. Adjud, situated north of the poin ...

– Siculeni railway *

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

– Ilva Mică railway, and Vama – Moldovița * Arad – Ineu – Brad *

Buzău Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...

– Nehoiașu

Russia

* Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway – located in the

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

, gauge of .

Slovakia

* Čierny Hron Railway

Slovenia

* Bohinj railway

Spain

* Montserrat Rack Railway * Vall de Núria Rack Railway

Switzerland

* Appenzeller Bahnen * Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren * Bergbahn Rheineck-Walzenhausen * Lötschberg railway line * Berner Oberland Bahn * Brienz Rothorn Bahn * Chemin de fer Aigle-Leysin * Chemin de fer Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry * Chemin de fer Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets * Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye * Chemins de fer electriques Veveysans * Chemin de fer Montreux-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye * Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez * Emmental-Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn * Gornergratbahn * Gotthardbahn * Jungfraubahn * Harderbahn * Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (formerly BVZ Zermatt-Bahn, Furka Oberalp Bahn) *

Monte Generoso Railway The Monte Generoso Railway or Ferrovia Monte Generoso (MG) is a mountain railway line in the Italian language, Italian speaking cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino, in south-east Switzerland. The line runs from Capolago, on Lake Luga ...

Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line The Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line is a metre-gauge electric railway line in Switzerland run by the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB) and links Montreux on Lake Geneva by way of Les Avants, Montbovon, Rossinière, Château-d'Œx, Rou ...

* Pilatusbahn * Rhätische Bahn * Rigi Bahnen ( Arth-Rigi-Bahn, Vitznau-Rigi-Bahn) * Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn * Schynige Platte Bahn * Transports de Martigny et Régions ( Chemin de fer Martigny–Châtelard and Chemin de fer Martigny–Orsières) * Trogenerbahn * Uetlibergbahn * Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn * Wengernalpbahn * Waldenburgerbahn * Zentralbahn (former Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn, Brünigbahn)

Taiwan

* Alishan Forest Railway * Taiping Mountain Forest Railway

United Kingdom

Brecon Mountain Railway The Brecon Mountain Railway (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Fynydd y Bannau'') is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. It climbs northwards from Pant railway station (Bre ...

* Cairngorm Mountain Railway * Conwy Valley line *

Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway () is a heritage railway based on Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia#Snowdonia National Park, Snowdonia National Park. The ...

Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9 road (Scotland), A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth, Scotland, ...

* Settle–Carlisle line * Snowdon Mountain Railway *

Welsh Highland Railway The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR; ) is a restored Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It runs from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passes through a number of popular tourist destinations includi ...

* West Highland Line

United States

* Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway * Boca and Loyalton Railroad * Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company * Cascade Tunnel * Cass Scenic Railroad State Park * Central Pacific Railroad *

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fr ...

* Denver and Salt Lake Railway * Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad * Feather River Route * Georgetown Loop Railroad * Gilpin Railroad * Lookout Mountain Incline Railway in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

* Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway * Michigan-California Lumber Company * Mount Lowe Railway * Mount Tom Railroad * Mount Washington Cog Railway * Mountain Division * Northwestern Pacific Railroad * Otis Elevating Railway *

Raton Pass Ratón Pass is a 7,834 ft (2,388 m) elevation mountain pass on the Colorado–New Mexico border in the western United States. It is located on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton, N ...

Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft gauge railways, 3 ft (914 mm) Narrow gauge railways, narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the United States, US s ...

* San Diego and Arizona Railway * Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad * Silver City, Pinos Altos and Mogollon Railroad * Silverton Railroad * Tehachapi Loop * Uintah Railway * White Pass and Yukon Route

Venezuela

* Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela

Vietnam

* Đà Lạt– Tháp Chàm Railway – Abandoned after the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Mountain railways in fiction

The Culdee Fell Railway is featured in the book ''Mountain Engines'', part of

The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...

by Rev.W.Awdry.

References

External links

*
Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland

El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes
–

Mendoza, Argentina Mendoza (), officially the City of Mendoza (), is the capital of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Mendoza Province, Mendoza in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plain ...

( Trans-Andean Railways) (all others in Spanish only)
seconstruye.com el tren Los Andes
– Mendoza
Map of central Peru

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

– Huancayo
Map of south Peru/Bolivia
Machu Picchu –

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; ; ) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of ...

– west coast Pacific Ocean
Route

– Puno (

)
Route

Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...

– Puno (

)
Route

– Machu Picchu
Homepage of the Mount Washington Cog Railway
(First ever mountain climbing cog railway) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain Railway Rail transport-related lists *

List of mountain railways

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Croatia

Eritrea

France

Germany

Georgia

Greece

Hong Kong

India

Isle of Man

Israel

Italy

Japan

Mexico

New Zealand

Norway

Peru

Romania

Russia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Switzerland

Taiwan

United Kingdom

United States

Venezuela

Vietnam

Mountain railways in fiction

See also

References

External links