The Riffelalp tram (, RiT) is a high altitude

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

way line located in the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

canton of Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

near the resort of Zermatt. The line links the Riffelalp Resort to Riffelalp station, on the

Gornergrat railway The Gornergrat Railway (; GGB) is a mountain rack railway, located in the Switzerland, Swiss Valais, canton of Valais. It links the Zermatt, resort village of Zermatt, situated at above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gorn ...

, and via that line to Zermatt and beyond. The Riffelalp tram is the highest tram line in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

History

The Riffelalp Grand Hotel, the predecessor of today's Riffelalp Resort, was opened by Alexander Seiler in 1884. In 1898, the

was opened, linking

Zermatt Zermatt (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the German language, German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is cl ...

to the summit of the

Gornergrat The Gornergrat (; ) is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland. It can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway (GGB), the highest open-air railway in Europe. Betwee ...

. The line included a station called Riffelalp, but this was situated some distance from the resort. In order to provide better access to the station, the hotel built the Riffelalp tram. The line opened on 13 July 1899, one year after the opening of the Gornergrat railway. The original track was long and electrified, using a twin overhead line carrying a three-phase ac supply at 550

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

s. The tram operated in the summer months only. During the night of 14 February 1961, the Riffelalp Grand Hotel was destroyed in a fire. The original tram vehicles survived the fire, but without traffic from the hotel, tram service was suspended, it had last run on September 30, 1960. The vehicles were taken to Zermatt for storage, and the line remained closed for the next 40 years. In 1998, work started on the construction of the new Riffelalp Resort on the site of the old grand hotel. As part of this reconstruction, the tram line was relaid on its original route. The wooden bodies of the original cars had deteriorated in storage, whilst modern safety standards precluded the reintroduction of the original three-phase supply. The original cars were therefore rebuilt with replacement bodies and using battery power. The new line was opened on 15 June 2001.

Operation

The tram line follows the footpath that links the Riffelalp station, at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

, with the Riffelalp Resort, at above sea level. The line has a length of and comprises a single track of 800 mm gauge ( gauge). At the station end of the line, the tram shares the building of the station and is linked to its cargo ramp. This is the highest station in Europe where two different railways meet, the Riffelalp station itself being one of the highest open-air stations. However, there is no direct connection to the

, which is of gauge. At the resort end of the line, there is a terminal loop and a depot for the trams, with a battery station. There are two trams in use, along with a goods trailer. Both trams are powered by a battery (80 V, 400 Ah) and two d.c. motors each delivering 10 kW, and a maximum speed of . The battery is partially recharged during the electric braking operation. The service operates during the resort's summer season, which runs from June to September. It is the access route recommended for its guests by the Riffelalp Resort, who provide porter assistance at both Zermatt and Riffelalp stations. During the resort's winter season, from December to April, a

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

service is provided in place of the tram.

Gallery

File:Trams du Riffelalp (Suisse)(1).jpg, The Riffelalp tram at Riffelalp station on the Gornergrat railway File:Riffelalp.jpg, A wider view of the station, with the track of the Riffelalp tram visible beside the station building File:2012-08-17 15-22-30 Switzerland Canton du Valais Blatten.JPG, The tram car on the trail between station and hotel File:Trams du Riffelalp (Suisse)(2).jpg, Tram at the Riffelalp Resort File:2012-08-17 14-27-06 Switzerland Canton du Valais Blatten.JPG, A wider view of the resort, showing the balloon loop, a tramcar, and the route to the station

Literature

* Wolfgang Finke: ''Die Fahrzeuge der Zermattbahnen in über 1100 Fahrzeugzeichnungen'' (DVD book). Verlag tram-TV,

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

2010 - * Florian Inäbnit: ''Riffelalp-Tram; Einst und jetzt''. Prellbock Druck & Verlag, Leissigen 2005 - * Florian Inäbnit: ''Trambahn Mürren, Elektrische Trambahn Riffelalp und Pferdebahn Bellavista''. Prellbock Druck & Verlag, Leissigen 1995

References

External links