Fell mountain railway system
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The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the the normal running wheels. These horizontal wheels and shoes are fitted to specially designed or adapted Fell locomotives and rolling stock.
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[edit] History
The Fell system was designed, developed and patented by British engineer John Barraclough Fell. The first test application was alongside the Cromford and High Peak Railway's cable-hauled incline at Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, England, in 1863 and 1864.
These tests attracted the attention of the French Government, which conducted its own tests on the slopes of Mont Cenis in 1865. As a result, the Mont Cenis Pass Railway was built as a temporary connection between France and Italy whilst the tunnel under the alpine pass was being built.
[edit] A list of Fell railways
The following railways have used the Fell system. Of these, the only one still in operation is the electrified Snaefell Mountain Railway on the Isle of Man, which uses the centre rail for braking only. The only surviving locomotive using the Fell system for traction, New Zealand Government Railways H class 199, is preserved at the Fell Engine Museum, Featherston, New Zealand, near the site of the Rimutaka Incline.
- The Mont Cenis Pass Railway on the borders of France and Italy was 77 Km (48 miles) long and ran from 1868 until superseded by the tunnel under the pass in 1871.
- The Cantagallo Railway (Estrada de Ferro Cantagallo) from Niterói to Nova Friburgo in Brazil was opened in 1873. Brazil's first mountain railway, of 1100 mm gauge, it re-used some of the equipment from the Mont Cenis Pass Railway, and continued in operation until the 1960s.
- The Rimutaka Incline near Featherston in New Zealand opened in 1878 and closed in 1955, replaced by the long Rimutaka tunnel.
- The Snaefell Mountain Railway on the Isle of Man opened in 1895. It uses electric railcars, with a Fell rail for braking.
- The Wellington Cable Car in Wellington, New Zealand used Fell rails for emergency braking from its opening in 1902, until 1978 when it was upgraded.
- The Chemin de Fer du Puy de Dôme at Clermont-Ferrand in France opened in 1907 and closed in 1926. It used compressed air to force the wheels against the centre rail.
- The Roa Incline on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1909. It closed about 1960.
- The Rewanui Incline on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1914 to 1965. It closed in 1985.
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] Renewals
Ten kilometres of new Chinese manufactured Fell rail was expected to be delivered to the Snaefell Mountain Railway in December 2006 for track-laying between the 2006 and 2007 seasons (Railway Magazine, February 2007).
[edit] Related patents
Fell lodged the following patents relating to his system with the British Patent Office:
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Fell Centre Rail - Describes with pictures how the Fell system works.
- The Fell Engine and the Rimutaka Incline from Masterton Library.
- The Cantagallo Railway (page down to Nova Friburgo).
[edit] References
- Goodwyn, M., (1993), Manx Electric, 1st Edition, Platform 5 Publishing, ISBN 978-1-872524-52-8
- Hendry, R., (1993), Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration, Midland Publishing Limited, ISBN 1-85780-009-5
- Railway Magazine (2007) Chinese rail for Snaefell railway, IPC Media, February, No. 1270, Vol. 153, p.58, ISSN 0033-8923
- Ransom, P. J. G., (1999), The Mont Cenis Fell Railway, Twelveheads Press, ISBN 0-906294-41-X,
