Pilatusban is the steepest railway in the world. I give a tooth, I’ll like it - the most unusual tram in Budapest

Already in the second half of the 19th century, the Swiss realized that, along with the famous banks, the main competitive advantage of their small country was the breathtaking alpine nature. However, tourists still needed to be somehow brought to hard-to-reach high-mountainous regions. In the last quarter of a century technical progress finally made it possible to find suitable engineering solutions: travelers and skiers were supposed to be delivered to new luxury hotels on the slopes of the Eiger, Matterhorn or Jungfrau, first by steam, and then by electric traction using rail transport.

The highest mountain Railway Europe - Jungfrauban

The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are the most famous mountain triad of the Bernese Oberland, the dream and curse of many climbers. Since the 1860s, there have been plans to build a railway that would go right through the thickness of the first two peaks and end at the Jungfrau, the highest of them (4158 meters).

For various (mainly financial and engineering) reasons, the project could only be started three decades later. In 1896, the Swiss entrepreneur Adolf Huyer-Zeller began construction of a 9-kilometer line, which originated from the railway station that already existed on the Kleine-Scheidegg pass near the Eiger.

It would seem that the length new road was not impressive, especially in comparison with the 1000-kilometer high-altitude projects of the Chinese. However, in this case, a completely different meaning mattered: the Jungfrauban was built more than 100 years earlier, with appropriate technologies and on a private initiative. The line had to overcome a vertical drop of almost 1,500 meters, and 7 out of 9 kilometers of its length had to be punched right through the massif of the Eiger and Mench mountains.

This tunnel was built for 14 years, from 1898 to 1912, initially around the clock, in three shifts. During the blasting, several workers died, and in 1899 the process slowed down after the death of the main investor, Adolf Huyer-Zeller. I had to change the original route of the road. The Jungfrauban was supposed to end at the top of the Jungfrau, but due to the financial difficulties that followed the death of the mastermind of the project, as well as difficult geological conditions in the proposed end point the road was brought only to the Jungfraujoch pass between Mönch and Jungfrau.

Naturally, it was impossible to build an ordinary rail line in this case. In just 9 kilometers, the train had to climb 1393 meters, from the Kleine Scheidegg Pass (2061 meters above sea level) to the Jungfraujoch (3454 meters). For such rises, it was necessary to build a rack railway. Such highways are equipped with an additional (third) toothed rail, which clings to one or two equally geared wheels already installed on the rolling stock. The technology, which was especially widespread just in Switzerland, where there are several dozen such lines, made it relatively easy and safe to overcome steep mountain slopes.

For the Jungfrauban, a meter gauge was chosen (width - 1000 mm), the line was initially electrified (three-phase current is used).

She covered the first two kilometers on the surface of the earth. At the foot of Mount Eiger, against the background of its famous North Face, which claimed many lives of climbers, the first station "Aigergletcher" ("Eiger Glacier") was built.

The remaining three stations of the road are underground or, more precisely, piedmont. Like the gnomes from the Lord of the Rings epic, the builders of the Jungfrauban erected station complexes right in the thickness of the mountain, and not simple ones, but combined with observation decks. The Eigerwand (Eiger Wall) station is located in the middle of the same North Wall and was opened in 1903.

The train on the way up stops here for five minutes. Passenger platforms have exits to viewing windows, from which fantastic panoramas of the Grindelwald valley open from a height of 2865 meters. The same windows were once used to save climbers who decided to conquer the North Face of the Eiger, but did not calculate their strength.

General view of the Eigernordwand, where the exits from the Eiger Wall station are highlighted in red.

In 1905, at an altitude of 3158 meters, again in the depths of the Eiger, but already at its southeastern slope, the Eismeer station (Ice Sea) was opened. Here, trains also make a five-minute stop so that passengers can no longer admire the valley, but the Lower Grindelwald glacier. Those who wish can send a postcard home directly from the thickness of one of the most famous Alpine peaks.

Finally, the third (and which became the final) Jungfraujoch station started working only in 1912. Located on the pass of the same name between the Mönch and Jungfrau mountains, it occupied a height of 3454 meters, thus becoming the highest mountain railway station in the entire part of the world. That is why it is nicknamed "the pinnacle of Europe".

Here, tourists can go to the surface, where several tourist sites are located at once: viewing platforms with panoramic views of the surroundings, including the longest alpine glacier Aletsch, restaurants, museum, Postal office, Ice Palace. Here, at an altitude of 3571 meters, there is also the astronomical observatory "Sphinx", accessible to the public.

The Jungfrauban, of course, is first of all the most popular tourist facility. Two-car trains transport more than half a million people annually. The climb takes about an hour, a ticket to the "Top of Europe" costs 60 Swiss francs (€50).

The highest open railway in Europe - Gornergratbahn

The Jungfrauban is the highest railway in Europe, but seven of its nine kilometers are tunnelled. In Switzerland, in the canton of Valais, at comparable heights, there is another, of course, also a jagged road, but already almost completely laid on the surface. Gornergratbahn binds resort town Zermatt with Gornegrat mountain.

Its length is also a little over nine kilometers, but due to the short length of the tunnels, it was built much faster. Work began in 1896 and lasted only about two years. A partially double-track line with a gauge of 1000 mm connected the existing at a height of 1604 meters railway station in Zermatt with the Gornegrat mountain range (3089 meters), where the Kulm hotel was located. Already in the 1990s, an observatory with two telescopes was built on the hotel towers.

On the line, the maximum slope of which is 20%, there are four tunnels (the longest is only 179 meters), two viaducts and a covered gallery 770 meters long, which appeared in the 1940s on the most avalanche-prone section.

On a significant section of the Gornegratbahn, the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, forms a picturesque backdrop for it.

The total elevation difference on the line is 1485 meters, that is, even more than on the Jungfrauban. The Gornegratbahn line is electrified (it actually became the first cogwheel road in Switzerland with electric traction), it has six stations (many of them near hotels). Two-car trains are capable of carrying about 2.5 thousand passengers per hour.

Another interesting object on this road is the Riffelalptram. In fact, this is a short (only 675 meters) tram line, which in summer time transports guests of the Riffelalp Hotel Grand Hotel from Riffelalp station directly to the hotel. In the next picture, the Gornegratbahn is on the right, the Riffelalptram paths are visible on the left.

A single-track branch (gauge - 800 mm) is served by only two open trailers, powered by batteries and built back in 1899. Despite the overall somewhat toy appearance of the Riffelalptram, it is considered the highest tram line in Europe: average height above sea level is 2210 meters.

The steepest railway in the world - Pilatusbahn

The Jungfrau and Gornergrat railways have a maximum gradient of 25% and 20% respectively. These, of course, are far from the record numbers that gearing allows to achieve. In 1889 in the canton of Obwalden, in central Switzerland A line was opened that connected the town of Alpnachstad with one of the peaks of the Pilatus mountain range above Lake Lucerne.

The average slope of the Pilatusban is 35%, and the maximum is 48% (!). To ensure such a steep rise, even an ordinary gear train was not suitable when the rail with the wheel had a vertical connection. Engineer Eduard Locher came up with an elegant solution: double the system (two rails and two wheels) and deploy it horizontally.

This solution not only eliminated the threat of the wheel coming off the rail, but also ensured the stability of the cars during strong winds frequent in the area.

The length of the line with a gauge of 800 mm is only 4.6 kilometers. In half an hour, one of the ten cars with a capacity of 40 people each overcomes a height of 1629 meters. There are several tunnels at the end. Initially, steam traction was used for movement, since 1937 the line was electrified.

Furka-Bergstrecke locomotive line

Unlike the Pilatusbahn, which was electrified a long time ago, the rack railway that connected the towns of Realp and Oberwald in southern Switzerland still uses steam locomotive traction. line in his highest point crosses the Furka pass at an altitude of 2160 meters and has a maximum slope of 12%.

Back in 1981, this 18-kilometer section of the Furka-Oberalpbahn road was closed and abandoned after the opening of the tunnel under the Furka Pass, but already 11 years later, thanks to the initiative of enthusiasts and their donations, it started working again.

The line is still functioning solely thanks to private investment. In fact, this tourist attraction, whose participants have the opportunity to drive along the second highest railway pass in Europe, enjoy the Alpine landscapes along the way and do it with the help of a hot lamp furiously smoking steam locomotive.

The Rhaetian Railway is the highest traditional railway line in Europe

In Switzerland, there are ordinary railways that are outstanding in all respects, which no longer require additional gearing to function. The slopes here are not so great, but their length is much higher, and, in addition to tourism, they also perform the usual transport function.

In 2008 Albula and Bernina, two lines of the Rhaetian Railway, a major narrow gauge network in the southeastern canton of Graubünden, were listed as World cultural heritage UNESCO. authoritative international organization noted their outstanding engineering solution, which made it possible to include previously inaccessible areas of the central Alps into the European transport network.

Until the 1890s, there were practically no railways in southeastern Switzerland. Only in 1898-1904 was the Albula line (67 km) opened, and in 1910 - its continuation of Bernina (61 km), linking "greater Switzerland" with the Italian town of Tirano through mountain resort St. Moritz. This project inspired fundamentally new life to the canton of Graubünden, allowing it to become one of the main tourist centers countries.

Starting in the village of Tuzis at an altitude of 697 meters above sea level, the road climbs to the Bernina Pass (2253 meters), after which it descends again to the Italian border and ends in the town of Tirano at around 429 meters. In this case, the slope does not exceed 7%, which made it possible to abandon the use of gears. In terms of the traffic arrangement, the Albula and Bernina lines are quite traditional, except that they are narrow-gauge (width - 1000 mm). Only in some settlements they simply pass through the city streets, resembling, rather, a tram.

In total, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, 55 tunnels (including spiral ones) and covered galleries, 196 viaducts and bridges were built here. Among the outstanding engineering structures, the Landwasser Viaduct stands out, a six-arched curved bridge, with one end resting against a tunnel. This is a true symbol of the Albula line.

The Bernina line has its own symbol - the Bruzio spiral viaduct. It was built to compensate for the difference in heights and taking into account the fact that the maximum slope of the road should not exceed 7%. A forced engineering decision has become one of the most unusual railway structures in the world.

Since the mid-1980s, and especially since the inclusion of lines in the UNESCO WCS list, the Albula and Bernina lines have become especially popular among tourists. Several trains with carriages with panoramic windows travel on the roads at once. For example, Bernina Express travels 127 kilometers between Chur and Tirano in just 4 hours, first ascending 1700 meters and then descending 1800. The fare in both directions starts from 130 Swiss francs (about €110).

Alpine passes, mountain lakes, pastoral towns with churches and impregnable peaks, glaciers and foothill stations, curved viaducts and kilometer-long tunnels - all this can be seen with the help of Swiss railways. Built over a century ago, they still represent an outstanding celebration of human genius, the unity of breathtaking nature and engineering marvel.

Pilatusban is considered the steepest railway in the world. The entire route from the city of Alpnachstadt to the top of Mount Pilatus, the train runs in half an hour, making a couple of stops along the way. Most dangerous area of the Pilatusbahn begins at the end, when the train enters the tunnels, and the tourists convulsively squeeze into their seats.

This is where the real Swiss extreme begins.

Here is what tourist osintsev writes:

Pilatus- This mountain range V swiss alps It's one of those "must visit" places. There are three ways to get to the top of the mountain: by rack railway (from Alpnachstad), by cable car (from Kriens) or on foot. Any of the methods of ascent will leave an unforgettable impression, the main thing is to guess with the weather. And she is changeable here - the rain can change sunny weather without warning and vice versa. And sometimes several times a day.

The Pilatusbahn is an old railway, opened in 1889 and electrified in 1937.

There are several various kinds rack railways. Common tooth graft designs are the Marsh, Abt, Locher, Riggenbach, Strub and Von Roll systems.

The construction of the railway was carried out according to the project of an engineer with a speaking surname Eduard Locher. An interesting fact is that when he proposed a design project with two horizontally moving gears, he was called an eccentric. Today, the Locher system is one of the most common gear designs on railways.

For reference, a rack railway is a rail type of transport, the motor cars (or locomotive) of which are equipped with one or more gear wheels. They turn on while driving. A toothed rack is laid between the conventional rails, with which the cogwheel of the locomotive (or wagons) engages. This technology provides better grip on the rails when climbing slopes up to 16‰ or more (dry conditions) and up to 14‰ (wet conditions).

Currently, there are more than 150 rack railways in the world, including about 60 constantly operated (in winter and summer) railways. 50% of all existing roads are in Switzerland. This country has the longest experience in operating such roads, the most modern rolling stock own production and most steep roads(28‰ and 48‰ slope). Besides, swiss roads for the most part profitable and cost-effective.

Austria, Germany, Hungary and a number of Latin American countries (Brazil, Venezuela, Chile) can also boast of cogwheels. Use them as a way to move around tourist routes in mountainous areas or as urban passenger transport(for example, in Budapest, Zurich or Stuttgart). There are no rack railways on the territory of Russia.

The Pilatusban route has 10 wagons with a capacity of 40 people each. The maximum capacity of the road is 340 people per hour. The average speed is 9-12 km/h. Inside the cars, cleanliness and interior in the style of the 50s of the last century. Manual power windows and the inscription “keep out of the windows” immediately catch your eye. This is important - there are sections of the road where, by stretching your hand out of the window, you can pick mountain flowers or touch a rock.

You need to sit in the car facing the top of Pilatus. On the left side, there are landscapes of mountains, rocks, meadows, forests, and on the right side, a stunning view of the lakes and settlements. Well, around, as well as throughout Switzerland, you can hear the ringing of bells of grazing cows. Those who are interested in the process of driving a train can sit in the first car and watch the work of the driver.

30 minutes on the road fly by in an instant. The train makes short stops along the route. One of them, at the Amsigen station, lasts a couple of minutes - here you can buy cheese from farmers. But not like in Russia - from the train window or on the platform, but go to the house, taste the cheese. Only the train of tasters is not waiting, they will have to take the next scheduled train.

The final section of the route is the most exciting - this is a passage through tunnels carved into the rocks, these are the same slopes of 48‰, these are cliffs tens of meters high, a meter from the train. The question immediately arises in my head: “How long will we fly if the brakes fail?”. Joke! Thoughts about something else - not to drop the camera and break my neck at the entrance to the next tunnel. The only negative from the trip on the road, which, however, you do not pay attention to is the noise of gear wheels.

At the top of Mount Pilatus Kulm, there is nothing but hotels, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, outdoor and indoor viewing platforms and 5 hiking trails with a height difference of up to 60 m.

Things to do

See the scenery outside the window and click the shutter of the camera while riding a train on the Pilatusbahn railway.

How to get there

Alpnachstad is located at the foot of Mount Pilatus. You can get to Alpnachstadt by train from Lucerne (about 30 minutes) or by ferry from pier number 2 (1 hour).

Equipment

Despite the temptation to reach out and pick an alpine flower, you can’t lean out of the window.

Infrastructure

The train consists of 10 wagons.

How to improve your experience

Get off at one of the intermediate stops and buy cheese from local farmers. True, then you have to linger and sit on the next train.

Entry fee

68 Swiss francs.

Schedule

8:10 a.m. to 5:50 p.m.

The last train back leaves at 18:45.

Where to sleep

In the city of Lucerne or in a hotel on top of Mount Pilatus.

What to bring to memory

Cheese from local farmers, lots of photos and impressions.

Website

The rack tram in Budapest is different from all other trams in the Hungarian capital. It has number No. 60, and its peculiarity lies in the fact that in addition to two ordinary rails, the tram has a third one in the middle. And it's not smooth, it's jagged. Hence the name - rack tram, although it is correct to call these unusual tracks rack railway (ZZHD). So, are you ready to ride?

I think it's easy to guess why the gear rail is laid in the middle. To vehicle could overcome the rise and not slide down. If teeth are installed on the tracks, then the rolling stock of such a railway is equipped with gear wheel. During movement, it jumps from clove to clove, each time creating a kind of support.

There are not many rack railways in the world and most often they were built in mountainous areas. For example, the steepest cog railway in the world is located in Switzerland near the city of Lucerne. With her help locals and tourists get to the top of Mount Pilatus. Therefore, the road is called Pilatusbahn (Pilatusbahn), and its the maximum slope reaches 48%. The road was opened back in 1889, and it was electrified in 1937.

Switzerland is the leader in the number of rack railways. For this small country accounts for about half of the functioning WZD. Although the oldest of them is located in Brazil. It was opened in 1884 and takes people to the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

Conquering the Buda Hill while sitting

Unfortunately, there are no rack railways on the territory of Russia. And the closest ZZD to Moscow is located just in Budapest. As I said at the very beginning, she fulfills the role of an urban public transport(the same rack trams are in Zurich and Stuttgart).


I dreamed of riding a cogwheel tram on my first visit to Budapest in June 2014. But since only two days were planned in the Hungarian capital, and then train tickets to Balaton were bought, this did not work out. In September, I reached this route, but severely broke off - the line was closed due to repair work. And so, on my return from Israel (I flew through Budapest), during a daily stop in the Hungarian capital, I again went to the other side of the Danube to ride the cogwheel tram. This time everything went well.


Cogwheel tram is wider than conventional trams


Carman's cabin


Trams are not new, but are equipped with modern means of warning. And in the center, by the way, is a punching machine for punching tickets


The route of tram number 60 is not long - a one-way trip takes about 25 minutes.

Riding up the Buda Hill is a pleasure. The climb, of course, is not as steep as in Switzerland, but it would not be so easy to overcome it on foot. And here you sit, stare around and conquer the mountain \u003d 0). The trip, which takes about 25 minutes from one end to the other, I really enjoyed. I rode up without any purpose, and when I came out final stop decided to just take a walk. In the end, I found out what it is. By the way, we have Nizhny Novgorod There is also a children's railway. I need to write about it too. As I wrote about in Nizhny.

Useful information about the tram

Rack tram route No. 60: from Városmajor to Szechenyi Mountain (Széchenyi-hegy).

Working hours: The tram runs according to the schedule, which is posted at each stop. The first tram departs from Varoshmayor at 04:57 in the morning, and the last one at 23 with a penny.

Fare: since the tram belongs to the public transport system, a regular ticket () is valid, which can be bought at the bus stop.

How to get to Varoshmayor:

• By tram - No. 4 and No. 6, which go to Széll Kálmán tér square (this is the final stop for them);
• by metro - M2 (red line) get to the station with the same name - Széll Kálmán tér;
• by bus - No. 22, No. 22A, No. 39, No. 91, No. 116, No. 128, No. 129, No. 149, No. 155, No. 156, No. 222.

Incidentally, before this the area was named after Russian capital — Moszkva ter (Moscow Square). This name was given to the square in 1951, and in 2011 the former name was returned - Széll Kálmán tér. The name is given in honor of the Hungarian politician Kalman Sell, who lived in the second half of the 19th century and contributed to streamlining the country's finances (about the currency of Hungary, interesting facts and tricks of the exchange read more). But something I digress.

At the Széll Kálmán tér square, you will need to change to tram number 59, which goes towards Szent János Kórház (it will be written on the tram). Drive two stops.

As you exit, go a little forward and on the left side you will see the entrance, behind which the rack tram route begins. Have a good trip!

Always yours, Daniil Privolov.

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The Pilatusbahn railway, located in Switzerland, is considered the steepest cog railway in the world, its opening took place in 1889. Red trains, on which you can climb to the top of Mount Pilatus on a specially laid railway, are considered one of the main attractions of both the Lucerne region and all of Switzerland.

The route of the road connects the city of Alpnachstadt with the top of Mount Pilatus, incredibly difficult and dangerous path the train overcomes in 30 minutes, and on the way back it takes 10 minutes more. On the final section of the journey, it passes through a narrow tunnel, at the exit of which passengers can immediately see the edge of the cliff.

The movement along the cliff continues for several minutes, in some sections of the path the once reliable fences and embankments have long since collapsed, so the rails protrude slightly beyond the edge of the fragile rock. At some point, the road climbs up so sharply that from afar it seems as if it is completely vertical!
Sometimes it seems that the trailer seems to be hanging over an abyss. I must say, this is not an optical illusion - in some places the rails pass literally a few centimeters from the cliff.

For centuries, Mount Pilatus has been considered the home of spirits, gnomes, and dragons. At least this is what legends tell that many parents in Switzerland still read to their children at night. According to legend, several fabulous dragons lived in the galleries on the top of the mountain, which periodically dragged beautiful girls from the surrounding villages upstairs, and brave Swiss fellows fearlessly went to save them. Fairy tales are fairy tales - and the image of a dragon now adorns the entire tourism infrastructure associated with Pilatus.

Pay attention to the photos: see the dragon?

The mountain was also considered inaccessible because of another hero - namely, Pontius Pilate. The legend says that the spirit of the "fifth procurator of Judea, the horseman Pontius Pilate", because of which Jesus died on the cross, took refuge in one of the local lakes. In 1387, the horror of this ghost, which was believed to be the cause of bad weather here, led the then government of Lucerne to forbid any climbing of the mountain. The ban was lifted only a few centuries later. By the name of Pontius Pilate, the mountain supposedly got its name. Another version - the name of the mountain comes from the Latin word "pilleatus", which can be translated as "in a felt hat", which reflects the nature of Pilatus, often covered with fluffy clouds.

Be that as it may, at the end of the 19th century, one of the Zurich industrialists named Eduard Locher (Eduard Locher) came up with the “crazy”, as many considered then, idea to build a railway right up to the top, making it accessible to mass tourism. It should be borne in mind that at that time technology reigned supreme in the mountains of Switzerland. cable cars. And it is clear that everyone was rather skeptical about Locher's idea.
However, being an experienced engineer, he developed a system that was actually quite simple and was based on a special kind of railway, between the rails of which an additional rack (rail) is laid. Accordingly, the rolling stock of such railways must be equipped with an additional gear wheel.

This design was so revolutionary for its time that it was even shown at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. The 4.6-kilometer track was built by about 600 workers, among them many Italians who had previously worked on the construction of the St. Gotthard railway line. This work was great. But all the work was completed just 400 days after they began, and therefore the first train with passengers on the Pilatus railway passed on June 4, 1889.

Locher was definitely a brilliant engineer: when he proposed a design with two horizontally moving gears, he was called an eccentric. Today, the Locher system is one of the most common gear designs on railways.
Typically, the path of a cog railway consists of three rails - two ordinary and a third - cog, located between the first two. A locomotive moving along such rails is equipped with a special gear and can overcome rather steep climbs, but Locher managed to raise the train to a record 48 degrees with the help of two horizontally moving gears. The ingenious design has been in service for more than 125 years, delivering tourists to the top of Pilatus. During all this time, only one global modernization was required - in 1937 the steam locomotive was replaced by an electric locomotive, average speed whose movement is 9-12 km / h. A remarkable fact: since the time of construction, the gear rails have not changed at all on the line, only current repairs have been carried out, and their safety margin is another 100 years of service!

The trip will last 30 minutes and will be extremely informative: in just half an hour outside the window you will see a broad-leaved forest, mountain coniferous forest, an alpine meadow, a real tundra, rocks and, finally, a glacier - everything natural landscapes from the plains to the highlands.

Currently, 10 small red trailers are constantly running along the road, each of which is designed for 40 passengers. The wagons move at a speed of no more than 12 km/h, which makes it possible to transport up to 340 passengers per hour. In all trailers, the atmosphere of the middle of the last century was maximally recreated, which makes the trip even more interesting. Inside, cleanliness and interior in the style of the 50s of the last century. Manual power windows and the inscription "keep your head out of the windows" catch your eye.

If you “don’t lean out” from the window, then the trip will seem as comfortable as possible, but if you nevertheless “lean out” at the right moment, you can feel the aroma of mountain flowers.

Pilatushbahn is one of the coolest railways in the world both in direct and figuratively.

Rack railway- a special type of railway, which differs from the usual one by the presence of a gear rack (rail). The toothed rail is usually laid in the middle between two conventional rails. Accordingly, the rolling stock of such railways is equipped with a gear wheel.

Rack railway trains can climb much higher grades than conventional railways. The steepest cog railway in the world is Pilatusbahn, leading to the top of Mount Pilat (Switzerland, near Lucerne). The slope of this road reaches 48%.

There are several different types rack railways. The most common gear designs used on them are the Marsh, Abt, Locher, Riggenbach, Strub and Von Roll systems.

Riggenbach system

Strub system

Abt system

Many rack railways are mainly of touristic importance, as they take visitors (tourists, skiers, nature walkers, etc.) to the tops and slopes of mountains. However, there are also more utilitarian rack railways. For example, in Stuttgart, the route of one of the tram routes (route No. 10) is designed as a rack railway. Rack railways also serve as urban public transport in other cities, such as Zurich (Dolderbahn) and Budapest.

To move ships around Panama Canal used are known as "mules" electric locomotives - "barge haulers", walking on a rack railway.