Residents of some cities in the world can boast that there is such a landmark in their small homeland as a funicular. It is not just a vehicle. It can be confidently called an attraction in which the utilitarian function of lifting is combined with entertainment.
How does the funicular work?
The basic structure of the funicular is characterized by its name (the word "funicular" is translated as a rope from Latin and Italian). It consists of a traction system and trailers, usually moving in opposite directions. This scheme allows you to balance the load. An engineering structure also includes rails, gearboxes, electric drives and a braking system, including an emergency one, automatically activated if the rope breaks or another emergency occurs. The construction of the funiculars is diverse, in each of the cities they were built according to their own project, with a unique architecture of the stations and the design of the rolling stock.
The revived Odessa funicular
For example, in Odessa, next to the Giant Stairs (later renamed Potemkinskaya), a cable car operated in 1902, the first in the Russian Empire. In the 60s of the XX century, an escalator was mounted in its place, similar to those that work in the subway. Throughput increased, but an overly modern look did not fit well with the historical appearance of the southern city. In the end, the modern “running staircase” worn out, and now the funicular has re-opened in the same place. This building enjoys well-deserved success among residents of Odessa and guests of the city, it offers a wonderful view of the port and harbor, in addition, it facilitates the path to Primorsky Boulevard, because climbing 192 steps for some people, especially the elderly, is tiring.
Tram in San Francisco - a model for the funicular in Vladivostok
The funicular in Vladivostok was conceived as one of the measures to turn this wonderful seaside city into "Soviet San Francisco." During a visit to the United States in 1959, the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, N. S. Khrushchev, was impressed with the urban transport system of this California metropolis, which has no equal in the whole world. Like Vladivostok, San Francisco is located on a terrain with a difficult terrain, and it is rather difficult to walk on it, you have to climb or descend the steep slopes. For ordinary urban transport, some of these ascents could not be possible, and then an interesting decision was made. All San Francisco city trams run on rails between which a cable is laid. To stop the car, the counselor must open the connecting device and apply the brake, and the movement begins when reverse actions are performed. It’s hard even to determine exactly whether it is a funicular or a tram, but this system works wonderfully, and the restored old cars without engines brought from different countries are used as rolling stock, which makes any trip a fun adventure.
Funicular - a sight of "Vladika"
It is possible that the funicular commissioned in 1962 in Vladivostok is inferior in scale and branching to the American one, but it is also very good. The only one in the Far East, it connects the Golden Horn Bay with the Orlina Hill along V. Sibirtseva Street. Students like to get to the Higher Technical School on it, tourists will certainly visit this attraction, and city residents will climb a steep hill if they do not want to go up the "one thousand and one steps" stairs (in fact there are 368 of them, but this is also a lot). The climb to the funicular to a height of 70 m lasts one and a half minutes, during which time he overcomes 183 m of the path. Thus, the average slope exceeds 22 degrees, which is a lot.
Funiculars in Prague - the road for lovers
Unlike the modern and extremely useful for local residents Vladivostok funicular, in the Czech capital, the railway to Mount Petršin is an exclusively entertaining attraction, and her age is venerable - she started working in 1891. At the same time, another famous funicular was opened in Prague, on Letna Hill. The route of movement is romantic and picturesque. At its 510-meter length, the car overcomes a small tunnel under the wall of the old fortress, and at the final stop of visitors, in addition to the observation tower, a sculpture dedicated to the kiss awaits. This is a favorite meeting place for young residents of Prague.
Barcelona cable cars
Tibidabo is the oldest funicular in Barcelona (there are three in total). His route leads to the top of the mountain, in whose honor he is named, another station is located on the street of Dr. Andreu. There is another cable train going to Tibidabo - Vaividrera, which leaves from Peude station, but it is much smaller and can accommodate only fifty passengers. The lift height of both funiculars is approximately the same, more than 160 meters, but the length is different (1152 and 729 meters, respectively), which implies that the movement occurs at different slope steepness. Therefore, the flatter “Tibidabo”, despite its venerable age (it has been in operation since 1901), takes four hundred passengers, and its younger brother Peude - eight times less.
Montuica Funicular - urban transport and attraction at the same time
The third funicular - Montuica - is part of the municipal transport of Barcelona, it is automatic and high-speed. Its purpose is to connect the local cable car with the Parallel metro station. The track is very beautifully located, its 758-meter route passes between lush thickets and lifts passengers to a height of 76 meters. The desire of the city administration of Barcelona to ensure that the attraction brought as much money as possible to the treasury is worthy of imitation. Pilgrimage of tourists is facilitated by a developed infrastructure, full of restaurants, cafes and other entertainment venues, which create all conditions for enjoying beautiful views from the Montuica mountain. The funicular was built in Barcelona on the occasion of the world exhibition held there in 1929, but its excellent technical condition made it possible to use it as an Olympic venue after more than six decades.
Kiev funicular - idea and embodiment
The funicular in Kiev is one of the symbols of the city. He happened to experience many historical upheavals. The revolution, civil war, directory, Makhnovism, Austrian intervention, the Ukrainian republic, devastation, the Great Patriotic War and a couple of "maidans" - these are just an incomplete list of events through which the Kiev cable car went. And his life began in 1905, when, after two years of construction, the Belgian Joint-Stock Company took it into operation. The authors of the project, Russian engineers N.I. Baryshnikov and N.K. Pyatnitsky, planned a length of a quarter kilometer, but the owner of one of the houses at the bottom of the highway refused to sell his property to the city authorities, and had to reconsider the plan, shortening the path by fifty arshins. However, the general task, namely, facilitating the life of Kievites, forced to climb from Podil along paths and stairs with hundreds of steps, was solved. The tram on the steep Kiev hills could not pass. After Odessa, Kiev became the second city in Russia, the beautification system of which included such an electromechanical miracle as the Mikhailovsky rise (as it was originally called this technical innovation).
The rebirth of the Kiev funicular
The Kiev funicular worked in its original form until 1928, when during the routine work one car was disrupted, which, rolling on rails, broke the second. In this incident, fortunately, there were no casualties, but the construction required serious reconstruction. The rolling stock, cable lines and brake system were replaced. In addition, the lower station was finally rescheduled, and the route was extended by another 38 meters. The power unit, consisting of two Swiss-made DC electric motors (65 hp each, produced in 1903), as well as a cable drive pulley, served until 1984.
In 1986, the third major reconstruction was completed, which Kiev funicular has undergone in its history. This facility now raises a car with hundreds of passengers to a height of 75 m at a speed of 2 m / s. Significantly increased power supply, installed engine power is 100 kW. The total length of the rail track reached 222 m. The cars depart every seven minutes. Every day, approximately 15 thousand passengers use this convenient form of transportation.
Funicular improvements are carried out regularly; they relate to improving safety and improving passenger awareness. Much attention is paid to the aesthetic side, because this building has long been part of the historical appearance of the Ukrainian capital.