A train that never sees daylight
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2024
- Deeply buried below the mountain Mittagskogel, the funicular (cablecar) Pitztaler Express operates in a long and dark tunnel, tirelessly transporting people up and down the mountain. In this video, you will discover how this mysterious train works and get to know its operators.
Gletscherexpress: www.pitztaler-gletscher.at/be...
Introduction of the new Gletscherexpress (German): • Der neue Gletscherexpr...
Support my work on Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=83250136
Many thanks to the Pitztaler Bergbahnen who once again let me film everything and patiently explained the funicular and it's propulsion, top to bottom! 
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I can't believe not more people have discovered your channel. Your videos are super informative and interesting!
agreed!
This is a payed advertorial, there is nothing informative about it as more experienced youtubers would probably have noticed.
@@presidentstaatshoofd473 Nothing informative about the video? Huh?
@@presidentstaatshoofd473 how smooth is your brain? 🥴
@@rigatoniphoni8247 The truth hurts but the good news is that it hurts less when you don't use your brain.
This is so much more sophisticated than the timber harvesting funicular railways that used to operate 100 years ago east of Melbourne in Australia. There were hundreds of them. In 1939 the founder of Mt Buller ski resort died when the simple mechanical brake failed on one of them failed. Passengers were banned on logging tramways, but he was testing funiculars with plans to install one to improve access to the ski resort.
Perisher uses rack rail instead!
the funny part is it says the train never sees daylight, well it saw daylight in the first half a second of the video lol
This feels like the new, long-form Tom Scott. Glad to see there is someone ready to take on the job ones Tom retires this year.
There are several. Tom has even featured a few in his January guest host videos.
@@gljames24I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for letting me know!
I did not expect this kind of quality from a channel with just 8k subscribers. Keep it up!
Love the engineering spaces views, IMHO that's the real tour of the spaces. Far too often these places are hidden away tucked away and never to be seen, and yet they are essential to any of the modern amenities we enjoy. I really appreciate the folks that let you see some of the spaces, and talk through how they all work. Most appreciated.
Another difference between the San Francisco cable cars and funiculars is that the San Francisco cable cars can detach from and attach to the cable, while funiculars are of course permanently attached. Thus the San Francisco cable cars are the last of the traditional cable cars. The idea for them originated in 1869 (nice) by Andrew Smith Hallidie, who had the idea after witnessing an accident in which a streetcar drawn by horses over wet cobblestones slid backwards, killing the horses. Hallidie solicited financial support in 1871 and 1872, and the first successful cable-operated street running train was the Clay Street Hill Railroad which had its inaugural run in August 1873.
The cable cars are pulled by a cable running below the street, held by a grip that extends from the car through a slit in the street surface, between the rails. Each cable is 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter, running at a constant speed of 9.5 miles per hour (15.3 km/h), and driven by a 510 horsepower (380 kW) electric motor located in the central power house (part of the Cable Car Museum), via a set of self-adjusting sheaves. While these are the last of the traditional cable cars, other lines pretend they're cable cars, like the Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno, Wales that goes between the summit of Great Orme to the center of town at Llandudno Victoria where a part of it is street running. Lisbon's three street funiculars act that way too.
You should be ashamed of yourself! Let those people go!🤨
In Liege they had cable trains in 1842, most likely not the first either
Underground funiculars exist elsewhere too! Examples include the Tünel/F2 in Istanbul! It has two stations connecting Karaköy and Beyoğlu. It runs uphill from near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the Bosphorus and is about 573 meters (or 1,880 feet) long. It opened all the way back in January 1875, making it the second-oldest underground railway in the world after the London Underground, and the oldest in continental Europe as it opened two decades before Budapest opened their Metro!
There's also the Carmelit in Haifa! As the name implies, it runs through the religiously important Mount Carmel. It has a total of six stations and connects downtown Haifa with Carmel Center, and connects to places like the Haifa Zoo, Haifa Center railway station, and the beautiful Baháʼí World Centre. It's the oldest subway system in the Middle East as it opened in October 1959, but because of its small size, it's also one of the world's smallest subway systems as well, as the tunnel is just 1.8 km/1.1 miles long!
how are you everywhere💀💀💀
No speak gemern
I actually thought they were talking about the F2 in Istanbul when I first saw the video heading.
Incredible video - it's like you exactly read my mind, answering every question I came up with, and addressing all the parts that I wanted to learn more about! Subscribed, thank you!
Although I’m surprised I wasn’t already subscribed - I’ve apparently watched every one of your cable car / ropeway videos!
This is really cool! Thanks for showing this amazing equipment and the amazing people who operate it.
YAY!! A new video to enjoy during lunch!
As usual, awesome work, great editing, and great people at the facility!
Thank you.
The sound of the cable cars actually in orperation sounds so much like the zipline i went on in Wales. Real loud and awesome.
This is sooooo fascinating! Thank you for this very well made video. Another set of childhood questions that nobody could answer…finally answered.
Awesome vid mate!
Hi! Finnally new video! I've been waiting for it. Can you do "A day in life of ropeway operator?"
Edit: Thank you'all guus for 6 likes! You are the best❤
Love your tone and manner of presenting. Thanks for a fascinating detailed video about such a cool funicular!
Thank you youtube for suggesting me this well produced video! And thank you Kalsan for great thumbnail and title work to lure me in :D
This is an amazing video. I've known of funicular railways and as they are called in the USA incline railways but I wasn't aware of a funicular railway running completely in a diagonal tunnel. It was neat to see just how much it had in common with the gondola system only flipped perpendicular 90 degrees. I was noticing the similarities of the power supply when you said you wouldn't go into anymore detail because you had covered it in another video. I thought it was funny when the operator said that if there was a fire detected in the tunnel the alert would come up on the panel and he said Oh, shizer. I want to thank you for making these videos in English.
I had ridden the underground funicular at Kaprun several times that killed all those many people. Once you understand what happened by fire, it is something I would never do again. My understanding is that the train no longer exists. Back then there was no door at the lower end of the tunnel to stop wind. It as a blow torch once the fire started.
I have to admit; Every time I see an underground funicular, Kaprun is the first thing I think of. 🪦😢
The effects of fire in diagonal shafts were already known of before the disaster by reference to the Kings Cross fire in 1989, where fire spreading up the station escalators caused a blast-furnace effect that drew fresh air in from below, setting a draught that propelled the fire up the incline and decimated the booking hall. 🔥↗⚠
Tragically, this effect was also seen at Kaprun and would've made the entire tunnel above the train thick with smoke all the way up to the summit complex. One thing Kaprun has taught me is: _In the event of fire in a confined space, _*_always_*_ head down - _*_Never_*_ up!_ ↙🔥👍
Good job on the video and love your dedication. Keep up the good work I’m rooting for you.
Fascinating engineering and attention to details. Thanks for making such a content.
This channel is super underrated! Every single video is an absolute banger. Your Style and topics are always engaging and interesting. Thank you for everything you do!
Liebi grüess us em aargau :)
Thank you so much for this. Very professional recording. You can be proud of yourself.
Thank you very much for taking the time and energy to put this video together. Very interesting video.
What a masterpiece and a beautiful build too. Thanks for posting this as well. Have a nice day.
What a fantastically underrated channel, subscribed!
Very nice stuff - I work as a driver of the only funicular in New Zealand. Always love hearing more about the system and its history!
Luckily the driver speaks German so I don't need subt...
... thank you for including subtitles.
Didn't know about the trick with different wheels for switches. Ingenious little trick!
Excellent video. Keep up the great work. I love the behind the scenes perspective
Enjoyed this video even more than i thought i would
Very nice model. There are lots of channels that try to explain things while looking at the real thing and just end up confusing their viewers. Reducing the whole system down to 2 cars, a wheel, and a string on a sheet of cardboard was perfect.
Excellent explanation!
Great video !!! James.
Incredible video, keep it up!
Your channel is criminally underrated
Great video. Enjoyed.
High quality for this "small" channel. Keep going!
THATS is one hell of a video! God job mate
Very well presented and informative, well done.
Impressive! I knew about funicular railways but never in this much detail.
Great video!!!
Hi Markus 😉
Thank you for sharing.
Honestly with Tom Scott about to take a break here soon, this guy has so much potential to fill his gigantic shoes and carry on great educational content.
Just found your channel. Excellent video, very well explained, i will for sure be subscribing, thank you!
Great video
Amazing Video
This Is Awesome... Very Informative... Thanks...
Very good work, learned something today.
The original Hungerbergbahn (1rst stage from downtown Innsbruck) used to be a Vernicular railway. I've ridden on it.
One of its cars is still on display in Jenbach at their cable car museum. You can catch glimpses of it from the railroad cab cams.
Very well done. Thanks.
Bloody marvellous video.
I agree with comments from others, very nice detailed work on this. Thank you
Very interesting and technical . Quality video 👍👍
Sehr interessant! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where our cable cars work by gripmen engaging grips to pull the car, then releasing when at a stop. Only time I've ever been on a funicular was in Athens. Such a great tech. But I'd hate to think someone had to spend all day underground on one of these.
There is a similar funicular/train tunnel under Galata in Istanbul, called the Karaköy-Beyoğlu Tünel. Its construction was completed in 1875. It's much easier than walking up the steep slope to Galata from the Golden Horn area. A lovely historical train.
I've noticed funiculars have the strange looking switch as shown at 4:01 and I'm always confused as I thought the wheels of the train were shaped the same as regular trains. This video finally explained it in such an easy-to-understand way!
this system was griding my midn for so long trying to figure it out how the trains avoid crashing , thanks to your vide now I can rest in peace !!!
The sound at about 6:48 is amazing....you can really feel the enormous power of the engines.
Glad to _hear_ it's not just me who finds this sound so natural and comforting! ⚙🔊❤🔥
I find the same thing whenever travelling on the TGV-TransManche (Eurostars older trains; Quick, whilst rolling stock lasts! 🚄 🇪🇺 ⏳) in coaches 01 or 18 (The coach is half power-car), many VAL systems across France, plus any Paris metro line (1, 4, 14) operated using MP-89 trains, just in case it's useful! 🚈⚙🔊❤🔥😇
Amazing vid bro
You gained a new subscriber
I was curious about the windscreen wipers. It was interesting to learn of the tunnel seepage and car wash. Great video.
Omg he's back!
amazing and very interesting! thank you!
i love it too see a video about a cable car i have been to!
the video is so informative
Thanks a lot for this video. 30 years ago when was around 10..11 years old, my family went for ski holiday every christmas to Kaprun and every easter to Pitztal. Because i was very interested in cable cars and ropeways and ask my parents a lot of questions they could not answer (my biggest concern at this time was, the switch will be switched wrong and the trains fail to pass at the right side, or the cable would brake....) , they speak about me with our host and he knows someone working at the Gletscherbahn. So at the next bad weather day my parent drop me at the bottom station and the guy showed me nearly everything. First thing was the function of the switch. I could drive with him in the drivers cabin upward and he stopped for a short time just before the switch, so i can see it in detail. Then at the top station we went below the train and he showed me the wheels , so it was now clear to me that the switch never will fail. Also he explained the emergency brakes that will grab the rail in case of a cable brake, and how the cable is fixed by a drum and can be shortened after some time of stretching. (You missed this part? ) after that he showed me the rectifier room. I was impressed by this big semicondutor parts, comparing to the small parts of my electronic experiment box...Not sure if it was a thyristor rectifier and if it was able to feed back power to the grid or if they just used it at brake resistor to heat the restaurant? Also i have seen the DC motors, gearbox and the generators. I think there was no demonstration how to switch the gear....Sadly i had no camera with me, so i made drawings of the drivetrain later. And in my memory the machine room is somehow bigger as in the video. Thanks a lot!
I think the red counterweight 'car' at the bottom accounts for any cable stretch (probably up to it's service life). He discusses it @ 7:25; and you can also see it again @ 8:30.
@@troubleshooter1975 No. The counterweight can compensate the stretch of the lower cable, but not of the upper cable. If the the cable stretches within its lifetime maybe 3 meters, the cars do not fit any more the desired park position at the top and the bottom station.
@@wasserdrucker6227 Ah, ok, I agree now (after reading your whole reply, LOL).
I thought he meant the the cables would get droopy without the drum or means to tension them.
That's why I pointed out the counterweight.
It will account for total stretch (for maintaining tension), but not for positioning.
My comment was partly wrong.
Thanks!
That's amazing and had no idea something so heavy-duty existed! Cool.
Now, I am fan of your channel.
Good video, thank you.
Wow awsome quality video, and very interesting. 😊 grüessli us züri 😊
welcome back, interesting did not know there was a funikular that is fully underground
This is very cool! DTW airport has a funicular and I couldn't figure out how the cars switched tracks in the middle of the run. In that case there are 3 stations, a double-sided one in the middle in addition to the end stations for transporting passengers along the long terminal building. It is clear you spend a lot of time getting video and editing, I wish you well.
Nice to see funiculars being used and modernized for the future.
This is an awosome video, i enjoyed it alot.
It was very fun seeing and hearing about... well everything realy
Hope you (whoever reads this) have a lovely day :D
Very interesting indeed. Great video.
This is amazing
There is even a funicular in Wiesbaden (Germany) which only uses the weight of the cars, it's called "Nerobergbahn". The way they make sure the upper care is always heavier then the lower one is a huge water tank in any of them where they take water from a pond at the top of the mountain making it heavier and at the bottom you can hear (and see!) how the water swooshes out of the tank in just a few seconds!
The speed and the departure is simply controlled by brakes!
Ah forget to mention - it doesn't brake on the regular rails it rolls on of course, but on Rack rails located between the rails. And those are really just for braking! They have a 5th wheel (the most useful 5th weel maybe) which runs on that and can be braked.
Here is a Wiki-Site where you can find some useful information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerobergbahn
There's also a german version linked in the site which has more details for those who speak german!
And yeah 450m in 3.5 Minutes aproximates to an average speed of 7.7km/h so you are way faster by bike downhill and you might be able to top it uphill as well, but keep in mind your way is a bit more curvy, therefore longer and therefore you have to ride a bit more faster than the train does to be at the same speed!
Ok calculated it. If you don't care about traffic rules (there are ways that aren't for bikes) it makes 620m so you need 10.6 kph uphill to be as fast as the train 83m on that distance, which can be really hard. It's not much, but if you race the train it might get much 🙈
There are several others funiculars around the world that use water balance propulsion such as the Lynton Lynmouth in Devon UK
This is a type known as a water balance funicular (🇩🇪: _Wasserausgewogensfunicular_ ) and is quite common in parts of the world, particularly some areas of the UK as somebody else has already pointed out. 🚞🌊😇
Funnily enough, this has just reminded me the UK also has a globally unique type: In a small eco theme park in North Wales is a gravity driven rollercoaster where the lift-hill is replaced by a funicular, where the weight of people waiting to ride is used to lift the train to the top of the track. It is quite possibly the only _Human_ balanced funicular in the World! 👯🛗🚞😁
I actually used this funicular during a ski trip. It was really fun.
It's funny to see this as an Austrian who lives 20 minutes away from the Pitztal and has never ever heard from this. Additionally hearing the Austrian accent in an englich video is hilarious!
Was really interesting to watch!
It's interesting 🤔 to see the cable car. Improved.
Subbed, Liked and now binge watching.. :) great channel.
Subbed, looking forward to you hitting 100k soon. ^^
14:30 the amount of energy in that room, wow, just the sounds!
Now imagine the carnage that cable would cause if it snapped.. Wouldn't want to be in that room if that happens
Look, an "Imagine" comment!
@@martinc.720 what's wrong with having an imagination?
I totally thought you were going to talk about the tunneled funicular in Istanbul when I first saw the video heading.
I found your video fascinating. I live in Palm Springs, California and we have an aerial tramway that runs up one of our local mountains, Mount San Jacinto. The similarities to Pitztaler are amazing. Again, dual cars with one going up while one goes down. Each car holds up to 80 people. However, our tramway never sees darkness. It's always in sunshine or moonlight! Primary use of course is for passengers, but like the Pitztaler it must carry all goods, food and supplies up the mountain as there is no road. It even has to carry water for drinking and sanitation purposes in an under carriage belly tank.
You start at the bottom where the altitude is 440 feet (134 m). Your drive your automobile up to the parking lots at the 2,643 foot level (803 m). After parking you enter the Valley Station where you board for the 10 minute ride on the rotating tram cars up to the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet (2,589 m). That's a rise (or fall) of 5,873 feet or 587 feet (179 m) per minute. By comparison, a typical airline jet climbs or descends at 500 feet (152 m) per minute. Then, if you are hardy and ambitious, you can hike on foot to the mountain top at 10,834 feet (3,294 m). There are beautiful lookouts at the top and many trails around the State Park there. There are also 2 nice restaurants, one of which is fine dining.
Wonders like this dot the world and I thank you for sharing yours with us!
Danke schön for this video, chap! Always a pleasure to see just how magical stuff like this really operates! Subbed! ⛰🚞💜
I wish we had things like this in my country too - Not least because I would love to design and build something like this (Ideally; With a speed >25m/s 🚞💨😍 ) - But aside from not having the terrain of Schweiz und Österreich; If HS2 is anything to go by, we don't have the money for mountainbahnen either! 🇬🇧💷📉😉
One thing that scares me is that every time I see a funicular in a tunnel, Kaprun is the very first thing that comes to mind. It wouldn't ever stop me from using one (If only I could afford a Skiurlaub! 🎿 🇦🇹 🥺) but you can be damned sure I'll always be checking the cab for fan heaters before I step on board! ♨🔥😨
And I have to admit: Seeing how handsome Austrian folks can be, it's not only _Mountainbahnen_ I feel the UK is desperately short of... 🇦🇹🏳🌈😍
Fun fact I watch the video in a cable car (funicular) right now. It's my primary form of transportation between the District I live in and town in the valley .
The great big cable and the wheels that pull/guide them remind me a of a big machine we have here in Canada that operates as a lock on a waterway. It's called Big Chute, it runs on rails, and it lifts boats out of the water, down a hill, and back into the water at the bottom. It is pulled up the hill by four cables and each cable runs into these big wheels and into the building which houses the motors that pull the machine up the hill. Each cable has its own motor. The difference is the water at the top is past the peak of the hill and slightly down the other side so when the machine reaches the peak the cables flip direction and it is let down hill on either side by gravity and the speed is governed by the motors. The cables switch in pairs in different spots so it's not possible for the machine to stall. The whole machine is powered by a hydro-electric dam right next to it.
Hey there! wonderful video!
Ich bin in Heidelberg aufgewachsen, dort haben wir auch 2 solcher bahnen. Eine modernisierte Bahn zum Schloss und zur Molkenkur hoch (Die Schlossstation ist dabei die Weiche, an der die beiden Bahnen aneinander vorbeifahren. Hier stoppen sie halt genau da auch noch.) und dann von der Molkenkur auf den Königsstuhl ganz nach oben eine historische Bahn, mit nur 2 Stationen. Beide haben aber exakt das Prinzip, was du hier erklärt hast!
Falls du mal Gelegenheit hast, musst du dir das unbedingt ansehen 😌
Thanks for this well done video.
In Los Angeles we have the shortest funicular in the world called Angel's Flight. It's similar to the Pollybahn. It always feels like the two cats are going to hit.😊
Outstanding video. You really put the “fun” in “funicular.” 😂
There's one like this in Aven Armand in France aswell. It's really cool
Loved the Video. This what needed in India. There are few temples on in the Lap of the Himalayan Ranges. This would significantly reduce the travel time and burden on people
4:03 that is so smart yet simple. i would have never guessed that.
In Hastings UK, the west hill funicular is underground. The east hill funicular is in an open cutting in the side of the cliff and is extremely steep.
I love the engineering of underground transportation
The wheels on that first funicular are quite interesting. I was assuming they would be more similar to regular railroad wheels and assumed they had some sort of automatic mechanical switching system. This is much more functional and clever though. Really neat.
i love this
Very cool. Subbed 👍
Haifa, Israel, has had a fully underground funicular for decades, the only subway line in the country.
You should check out the Fribourg funicular that's powered by just filling up the car at the top with water and letting gravity do the work. Sort of like the emergency mode for the one here
Not sure if it may not count due to it's lack of cable/rope (it could be made to use a suspended cable or cable-suspended rail even easier), but the system Eugen-Langen suspension railway in Wuppertal might be interesting.
....actually, now that I think of it, Dresden has a funicular instead of adhesion-railway-self-propelled installation of system Eugen-Langen.
It's great advantage over regular railway is the natural pendulum nature giving very strong tilting easily (they tested up to +-30degrees back in the day on test track; the Wuppertal installation was designed for +-15 degrees).
Otherwise, it's like a subway, but suspended on a bridge structure (that could be cable suspended, if the rails are designed to conformally twist enough to not resist the natural torsion wobble of the cable suspension in curves) over a street or river.