Reichenbachfall Funicular

The Reichenbachfall Funicular (German: Reichenbachfall-Bahn; RfB) is a funicular in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss canton of Berne. It links Willigen, near Meiringen, with the uppermost of the Reichenbach Falls, famous as the site of the apparent death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes. On its route the line follows and crosses the lower falls of the Reichenbach.[1][2]

Reichenbachfall Funicular
The lower station
Overview
Statusin operation
OwnerEWR Energie
LocaleBernese Oberland,
Canton of Berne,
Switzerland
Termini
  • Willigen (Reichenbachfallbahn)
  • Reichenbachfall
Stations2
Service
TypeFunicular
Operator(s)Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG
Rolling stock2 for 24 passengers each
History
Opened8 September 1899 (1899-09-08)
Enhancements1999
Technical
Track length714 metres (2,343 ft)
Number of tracks1 with passing loop
Track gaugeMetre (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrificationfrom opening
Operating speed2 metres per second (6.6 ft/s)
Highest elevation843 metres (2,766 ft)
Maximum incline61%

The funicular was opened in 1899, and was rebuilt in 1999 to the original design. Between 1912 and 1956, it was linked to Meiringen by the Meiringen–Reichenbach–Aareschlucht tramway. Today it is owned by the EWR Energie company, which operates the adjacent hydroelectric power plant, but is maintained by the neighbouring Kraftwerke Oberhasli company, which also operates several other lines in the area. It has the following parameters:[1][2][3][4]

Feature Value
Number of cars 2
Number of stops 3
Configuration Single track with passing loop
Track length 714 metres (2,343 ft)
Rise 242 metres (794 ft)
Maximum gradient 61%
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Capacity 24 passengers per car
Traction Electric
Speed 2 metres per second (6.6 ft/s)
Journey time 7.5 mins

The funicular operates only between May and mid-October. During this period it operates every 15 minutes from 09:00 to 17:00.

The lower station is some 20 minutes walk, or a 6-minute bus ride, from Meiringen station on the Brünig railway line.[1][5] It is 500 m from the Alpbach station.

  • Car in lower station
    Car in lower station
  • At the passing loop
    At the passing loop
  • Looking down on the upper station
    Looking down on the upper station
  • The line's longest bridge, circa 1910
    The line's longest bridge, circa 1910

References
  1. Richard Green (2007). Railways in the Berner Oberland - Part 3. Today's Railways Europe: Issue 134: February 2007. Platform 5 Publishing Ltd.
  2. "61.036 Reichenbachfallbahn, Meiringen, Standseilbahn", Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune (in Italian, German, and French), Federal Office of Culture, 2011, retrieved 24 April 2014
  3. "Grimselwelt - Transport Lifts". KWO. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  4. "Kraftwerke übernehmen Betrieb der Reichenbachfall-Bahn". bernerzeitung.ch. Berner Zeitung. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  5. "Meiringen RfB–Reichenbachfall" (PDF). Bundesamt für Verkehr. Retrieved 24 April 2014.

46.7195°N 8.1877°E / 46.7195; 8.1877

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