Carl Roman Abt

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Abt rack system

Carl Roman Abt (born 16 July 1850 in Bünzen; died 1 May 1933 in Luzern) was a Swiss mechanical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur.

He made groundbreaking innovations in rack-and-pinion railways (the Abt rack system) and developed the self-regulating "Abt Switch" for funicular railways. He also lead the construction of 72 mountain railways worldwide including the Visp-Zermatt, Gornergrat, Furka-Oberalp and Ferrovia Monte Generoso railways.

In 1903, as president of the Gotthardbahn company, Abt led buy-back negotiations with the Confederation during the nationalisation of private railway companies. He received many honours, including an honorary doctorate (Doctor honoris causa) from the Technical University of Hannover. He was also a patron and connoisseur of the arts, a member of the Swiss Federal Art Commission from 1904-1907 and the President of the Swiss Art Association from 1905-1911.

Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company No. 5, an Abt type locomotive

[edit] Pastimes

Abt was a keen collector of hammered gold artwork; he would not let go of any coin or medal whose special beauty aroused his artistic interest. His coin and art collection was auctioned off after his death.

[edit] References

Wägli, Hans G.: Carl Roman Abt. In: Sieben Bergbahnpioniere. Zürich 2005. S. 23--34. Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik. Bd. 81.
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 15:33, 20 November 2006 (UTC).