The Riffelalp tram (german: Riffelalptram, RiT) is a high altitude tramway line located in the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

canton of Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...

near the resort of Zermatt. The line links the

Riffelalp Resort Riffelalp is a hamlet in the municipality of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It is located at a height of above sea level, just above the tree line, approximately halfway between the town of Zermatt and the Gornergrat mountain. Once the site of ...

to Riffelalp station, on the Gornergrat railway, and via that line to Zermatt and beyond. The Riffelalp tram is the highest tram line in Europe.

History

The Riffelalp Grand Hotel, the predecessor of today's

, was opened by

Alexander Seiler Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

in 1884. In 1898, the Gornergrat railway was opened, linking Zermatt to the summit of the Gornergrat. 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 volts. 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 An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negati ...

. 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 the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, with the

, 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 Gornergrat railway, 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 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 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