68-567: 41°17′07.25″S 174°46′04.17″E / 41.2853472°S 174.7678250°E / -41.2853472; 174.7678250 The Wellington Cable Car is a funicular railway in Wellington , New Zealand, between Lambton Quay , the main shopping street, and Kelburn , a suburb in the hills commanding views overlooking the central city , rising 120 m (394 ft) over a length of 609 m (1,998 ft). The one way trip takes approximately five minutes. The Wellington Cable Car
136-402: A Category II listing with Heritage New Zealand . At the end of the 19th century, Wellington was expanding rapidly, and, due to the city's hilly terrain, good building land was at a premium. When new residential developments were proposed for Kelburn , it was suggested that a cable car or funicular could be built to provide easy access. In 1898, a number of people prominent in the development of
204-529: A cable car gripper, but it also had a funicular-style balance cable permanently attached to both cars over an undriven pulley at the top of the line. The descending car gripped the haulage cable and was pulled downhill, in turn pulling the ascending car (which remained ungripped) uphill by the balance cable. There was a Fell type centre rail, used for emergency braking only. The line was double track, of 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge. Construction began in 1899, involving three teams working around
272-399: A cable car grips and releases a continuously-moving cable. Wheels on the south side of car 1 and the north side of car 2 have double flanges, while the opposite wheels on each car have no flanges, directing the cars to the correct side of the mid-way passing loop at Talavera. The cars are designed to fit the grade, using internal steps to provide horizontal floors. The normal operating speed
340-407: A carriage always enters the same track at the passing loop. One such solution involves installing switches at each end of the passing loop. These switches are moved into their desired position by the carriage's wheels during trailing movements (i.e. away from the passing loop); this procedure also sets the route for the next trip in the opposite direction. The Great Orme Tramway is an example of
408-455: A funicular that utilizes this system. Another turnout system, known as the Abt switch, involves no moving parts on the track at all. Instead, the carriages are built with an unconventional wheelset design: the outboard wheels have flanges on both sides, whereas the inboard wheels are unflanged (and usually wider to allow them to roll over the turnouts more easily). The double-flanged wheels keep
476-452: A haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators , which have a single car that is hauled uphill. The term funicular derives from the Latin word funiculus ,
544-521: A local conservation organisation, the Urban Wildlife Trust. Funicular A funicular ( / f juː ˈ n ɪ k j ʊ l ər , f ( j ) ʊ -, f ( j ) ə -/ few- NIK -yoo-lər, f(y)uu-, f(j)ə- ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope . The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends of
612-538: A tunnel 1.8 km (1.1 mi) long, is claimed by the Guinness World Records as the "least extensive metro " in the world. Technically, it is an underground funicular. The Dresden Suspension Railway ( Dresden Schwebebahn ), which hangs from an elevated rail, is the only suspended funicular in the world. The Fribourg funicular is the only funicular in the world powered by wastewater. Standseilbahn Linth-Limmern , capable of moving 215 t,
680-448: Is 18 km/h (11.2 mph) (5 m/s or 16.4 ft/s), with a maximum passenger load of around 100 (30 seated, 70 standing). Each car weighs approximately 13.5 t (13.3 long tons; 14.9 short tons) when empty and 21 t (20.7 long tons; 23.1 short tons) when full. The Cable Car typically provides around a million passenger journeys each year. In the mornings and evenings, it is used by commuters travelling between Kelburn and
748-475: Is also used in systems where the engine room is located at the lower end of the track (such as the upper half of the Great Orme Tramway ) – in such systems, the cable that runs through the top of the incline is still necessary to prevent the carriages from coasting down the incline. In most modern funiculars, neither of the two carriages is equipped with an engine of its own. Instead, the propulsion
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#1732772479623816-516: Is conducted annually usually in August and takes 1 week. In 1991, when passenger transport was deregulated , there was speculation about the future of the Cable Car. Councils could no longer provide transport services directly, having to either privatise or corporatise their operations. The city council sold its bus operation, but due to public pressure it retained ownership of the Cable Car and
884-757: Is in Antrim House , Wellington , while regional and area offices are in Kerikeri , Auckland , Tauranga , Wellington , Christchurch and Dunedin . It publishes the quarterly magazine Heritage New Zealand . Buildings owned by Heritage New Zealand include the Kerikeri Mission House , the Stone Store , Hurworth Cottage , and the Te Waimate Mission house. The New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero (formerly known as
952-622: Is in Cable Car Lane, off Lambton Quay ( 41°17′03.3″S 174°46′28.7″E / 41.284250°S 174.774639°E / -41.284250; 174.774639 ). The upper terminus is next to the Wellington Botanic Garden at the city end of Upland Road, Kelburn's main street ( 41°17′07.25″S 174°46′04.17″E / 41.2853472°S 174.7678250°E / -41.2853472; 174.7678250 ). The Cable Car has two cars, which start from opposite ends of
1020-632: Is one of the extant systems of this type. Another example, the Fribourg funicular in Fribourg , Switzerland built in 1899, is of particular interest as it utilizes waste water, coming from a sewage plant at the upper part of the city. Some funiculars of this type were later converted to electrical power. For example, the Giessbachbahn in the Swiss canton of Bern , opened in 1879, was originally powered by water ballast. In 1912 its energy provision
1088-497: Is owned and operated by Wellington Cable Car Ltd, owned by Wellington City Council. Wellington Cable Car Ltd also owns the overhead wires for Wellington's trolleybuses. Operation was contracted out to Australian company Transfield Services until early 2007, when it was brought back in-house. Wellington Cable Car Ltd is responsible for all operations of the Cable Car, including the maintenance of cars and track, employing drivers, selling tickets and providing customer service. The operation
1156-425: Is provided by an electric motor in the engine room (typically at the upper end of the track); the motor is linked via a speed-reducing gearbox to a large pulley – a drive bullwheel – which then controls the movement of the haul rope using friction. Some early funiculars were powered in the same way, but using steam engines or other types of motor. The bullwheel has two grooves: after the first half turn around it
1224-480: Is pulled upwards by one end of the haul rope, the other car descends the slope at the other end. Since the weight of the two cars is counterbalanced (except for the weight of passengers), no lifting force is required to move them; the engine only has to lift the cable itself and the excess passengers, and supply the energy lost to friction by the cars' wheels and the pulleys. For passenger comfort, funicular carriages are often (although not always) constructed so that
1292-455: Is said to have the highest capacity. Some inclined elevators are incorrectly called funiculars. On an inclined elevator the cars operate independently rather than in interconnected pairs, and are lifted uphill. A notable example is Paris ' Montmartre Funicular . Its formal title is a relic of its original configuration, when its two cars operated as a counterbalanced, interconnected pair, always moving in opposite directions, thus meeting
1360-654: Is the Monongahela Incline located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . Construction began in 1869 and officially opened 28 May 1870 for passenger use. The Monongahela incline also has the distinction of being the first funicular in the United States for strictly passenger use and not freight. In 1880 the funicular of Mount Vesuvius inspired the Italian popular song Funiculì, Funiculà . This funicular
1428-687: Is the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014. Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe gifted the site where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed to the nation in 1932. The subsequent administration through the Waitangi Trust is sometimes seen as the beginning of formal heritage protection in New Zealand. Public discussion about heritage protection occurred in 1940 in conjunction with the centenary of
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#17327724796231496-525: Is the steepest and longest water-powered funicular in the world. It climbs 152 metres (499 ft) vertically on a 58% gradient. The city of Valparaíso in Chile used to have up to 30 funicular elevators ( Spanish : ascensores ). The oldest of them dates from 1883. 15 remain with almost half in operation, and others in various stages of restoration. The Carmelit in Haifa , Israel, with six stations and
1564-561: Is widely recognised as a top visitor attraction in Wellington. The line consists of 628 metres (2,060 ft) of mostly straight 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge single track with pine sleepers . The only curves are at the passing loop in the middle, at Talavera station. Except for the lowest part the line rises at a constant grade of 1 in 5.06 (17.86 % or 10.13 degrees), through three tunnels and over three bridges . The lower terminus
1632-559: The Lugano Città–Stazione funicular in Switzerland in 1886; since then, the Abt turnout has gained popularity, becoming a standard for modern funiculars. The lack of moving parts on the track makes this system cost-effective and reliable compared to other systems. The majority of funiculars have two stations, one at each end of the track. However, some systems have been built with additional intermediate stations . Because of
1700-721: The New Zealand Historic Places Trust ; in Māori : Pouhere Taonga ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand . It was set up through the Historic Places Act 1954 with a mission to "...promote the identification, protection, preservation and conservation of the historical and cultural heritage of New Zealand" and is an autonomous Crown entity. Its current enabling legislation
1768-463: The Stanserhorn funicular [ de ] , opened in 1893. The Abt rack and pinion system was also used on some funiculars for speed control or emergency braking. Many early funiculars were built using water tanks under the floor of each car, which were filled or emptied until just sufficient imbalance was achieved to allow movement, and a few such funiculars still exist and operate in
1836-490: The 1820s. In the second half of the 19th century the design of a funicular as a transit system emerged. It was especially attractive in comparison with the other systems of the time as counterbalancing of the cars was deemed to be a cost-cutting solution. The first line of the Funiculars of Lyon ( Funiculaires de Lyon ) opened in 1862, followed by other lines in 1878, 1891 and 1900. The Budapest Castle Hill Funicular
1904-404: The 1940s, the Cable Car suffered from increased competition: City Council buses ran to Karori and other western suburbs, bypassing it. The company believed that it was inappropriate for the city council to compete with a private company, and a legal dispute broke out. The argument ended when the city council agreed to purchase the company, which occurred on 13 February 1947. In the 1960s and 1970s,
1972-487: The Cable Car was the subject of complaints about safety and comfort. The old wooden cars were increasingly considered antiquated. On 10 May 1973, a worker on the new motorway suffered serious injuries in an accident when he stepped in front of a Cable Car at the Clifton stop, prompting a review. The Ministry of Works concluded that aspects of the Cable Car were unsafe, particularly the use of unbraked trailers, and called for
2040-695: The Register) is divided into five main areas: The historic places are organised in two categories: As of 2014 , the register contains over 5,600 entries. The Canterbury earthquakes of September 2010 and February 2011 resulted in damage to a number of historic buildings in Christchurch. Post-earthquake redevelopment has caused a significant loss of heritage buildings in Christchurch . The Māori Heritage Council (MHC) sits within Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and
2108-418: The alternative Mount Cook Gaol site for the university, although this site was widely supported in Wellington. The designer of the system was James Fulton , a Dunedin -born engineer. Fulton was responsible for both selecting the route and deciding the method of operation, a hybrid between a cable car and a funicular . Like a cable car, the line had a continuous loop haulage cable that the cars gripped using
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2176-475: The board was defined in the legislation and the board was appointed on the recommendation of the minister. The name of the organisation was changed to New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1963. Early work undertaken by the trust included the recording of Māori rock paintings , as some sites were to be submerged, e.g. through the Waipapa Dam and Benmore Dam . In 1961, the trust bought Te Waimate mission ,
2244-420: The cable returns via an auxiliary pulley. This arrangement has the advantage of having twice the contact area between the cable and the groove, and returning the downward-moving cable in the same plane as the upward-moving one. Modern installations also use high friction liners to enhance the friction between the bullwheel grooves and the cable. For emergency and service purposes two sets of brakes are used at
2312-408: The carriages bound to one specific rail at all times. One car has the flanged wheels on the left-hand side, so it follows the leftmost rail, forcing it to run via the left branch of the passing loop; similarly, the other car has them on the right-hand side, meaning it follows the rightmost rail and runs on the right branch of the loop. This system was invented by Carl Roman Abt and first implemented on
2380-660: The city council granted permission for the venture, on the condition that it had the option to purchase the operation at a later date. The location of Victoria University of Wellington was influenced by the company's offer of a donation of £1000 if the university were located in Kelburn, so students would patronise the car when travelling between the city and the university. Several of the Company investors like Martin Kennedy were supporters of Seddon , who stalled on releasing land on
2448-478: The city; at other times of the day, it is used by people travelling between the city and the Wellington Botanic Garden , by students attending Victoria University and living in nearby student hostels, and by many tourists, especially during summer. On 30 December 2023, the millionth passenger for the year was recorded — the first time that this milestone had been reached since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cable Car
2516-433: The clock. The line opened to the public on 22 February 1902. Demand was high, with thousands of people travelling each day. In 1903, a number of old horse-drawn Wellington trams were converted into cable car trailers, increasing capacity. By 1912, the annual number of passengers had reached one million. In 1933, the steam-powered winding gear was replaced by an electric motor, improving control and reducing operating costs. In
2584-515: The definition of a funicular. However, the system has since been redesigned, and now uses two independently-operating cars that can each ascend or descend on demand, qualifying as a double inclined elevator; the term "funicular" in its title is retained as a historical reference. Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014,
2652-428: The diminutive of funis , meaning 'rope'. In a funicular, both cars are permanently connected to the opposite ends of the same cable, known as a haul rope ; this haul rope runs through a system of pulleys at the upper end of the line. If the railway track is not perfectly straight, the cable is guided along the track using sheaves – unpowered pulleys that simply allow the cable to change direction. While one car
2720-497: The electric drive and control system. Since the 1979 upgrade, each car has completed more than one million trips. The Cable Car also took the opportunity to cosmetically upgrade the existing cars and make changes to the staff facilities. Whilst the Cable Car was out of action, the Wellington City Council also carried out construction work in the Cable Car Lane and Lambton Quay Terminal. This included: 1. replacing
2788-581: The electric winding gear still in working order. Car 1 is in red 1970s livery, including contemporary advertising. Car 3 was restored in 2005 to a green livery dating from about 1905, and a bell from the San Francisco Cable Car was added. The winding gear is still in working order and runs a loop of cable, but the cable no longer leaves the building. The Cable Car Museum is operated by the Wellington Museums Trust. It has
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2856-860: The end of the 1870s, the four-rail parallel-track funicular was the normal configuration. Carl Roman Abt developed the Abt Switch allowing the two-rail layout, which was used for the first time in 1879 when the Giessbach Funicular opened in Switzerland . In the United States, the first funicular to use a two-rail layout was the Telegraph Hill Railroad in San Francisco, which was in operation from 1884 until 1886. The Mount Lowe Railway in Altadena, California,
2924-425: The engine room: the emergency brake directly grips the bullwheel, and the service brake is mounted at the high speed shaft of the gear. In case of an emergency the cars are also equipped with spring-applied, hydraulically opened rail brakes. The first funicular caliper brakes which clamp each side of the crown of the rail were invented by the Swiss entrepreneurs Franz Josef Bucher and Josef Durrer and implemented at
2992-405: The floor of the passenger deck is horizontal, and not necessarily parallel to the sloped track. In some installations, the cars are also attached to a second cable – bottom towrope – which runs through a pulley at the bottom of the incline. In these designs, one of the pulleys must be designed as a tensioning wheel to avoid slack in the ropes. One advantage of such an installation is the fact that
3060-401: The line and pass in the middle. They are attached to each other by a 30 mm diameter cable, supported by 120 rollers, which runs round a pulley at the top of the hill. A 185 kW 550 V DC motor at the top of the hill drives the pulley. The Cable Car is a funicular rather than a true cable car : the cars are permanently attached to the cable, which stops and starts as required, while
3128-525: The nature of a funicular system, intermediate stations are usually built symmetrically about the mid-point; this allows both cars to call simultaneously at a station. Examples of funiculars with more than two stations include the Wellington Cable Car in New Zealand (five stations, including one at the passing loop ) and the Carmelit in Haifa , Israel (six stations, three on each side of
3196-499: The new legislation, e.g. the branch committees were dispensed with. The legislation, which came into effect on 20 May 2014, also finished the transition from an NGO to a crown entity. It is governed by a board, appointed by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and currently chaired by Hon. Marian Hobbs, and a Māori Heritage Council, currently chaired by Sir John Clarke. Past chairs include Dame Anne Salmond . The head office
3264-409: The old leaky canopy with an elegant new glass one that will let the sunshine in (Phase 1) 2. building a new ticket booth and moving the entry gates to make queuing and buying tickets easier (Phase 1) 3. new paving, signs and colour scheme for the heritage-listed Stonehams building (Phase 2 – final phase of work on the lane in 2017) The landmark Kelburn Kiosk was built at the Kelburn terminal in 1905. It
3332-538: The operations contract was won by Serco , which was later purchased by Transfield Services. Wellington Cable Car Ltd took the operation in-house in early 2007. Cracks were discovered in the tunnel below Talavera station during the 1999 Annual survey. These were fixed with metal anchoring and by coating the tunnel with reinforced concrete. In July 2006, renovation of Lambton station began, to improve its looks and accessibility. The works were budgeted at $ 1.3 million, scheduled to be completed in early November. On 18 December
3400-627: The passing loop). A few funiculars with asymmetrically placed stations also exist. For example, the Petřín funicular in Prague has three stations: one at each end, and a third (Nebozízek) a short way up from the passing loop. Because of this arrangement, carriages are forced to make a technical stop a short distance down from the passing loop as well, for the sole purpose of allowing the other car to call at Nebozízek. A number of cable railway systems which pull their cars on inclined slopes were built since
3468-548: The passing loop. Some four-rail funiculars have their tracks interlaced above and below the passing loop; this allows the system to be nearly as narrow as a two-rail system, with a single platform at each station, while also eliminating the need for the costly junctions either side of the passing loop. The Hill Train at the Legoland Windsor Resort is an example of this configuration. In the case of two-rail funiculars, various solutions exist for ensuring that
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#17327724796233536-457: The refurbished Cable Car suffered a number of problems. The service was frequently interrupted for technical reasons and for extensive safety checks. Largely as a result of these problems, patronage dropped to a low of 500,000 in 1982. After a serious accident in 1988, which put the cars out of service for months, the system underwent a major revamp. This solved most of the problems and patronage has steadily increased since then. A major safety survey
3604-469: The renovated station came into use, with automated turnstiles (and a substantial price rise). Lingering problems with the ticketing system upgrade were fixed during the October 2007 annual survey. A new computer was also added to the winding mechanism during the survey which has caused a few temporary issues with how smoothly the cars run. In 2016, the Cable Car underwent a major equipment upgrade to replace
3672-523: The residential subdivisions founded the Kelburne & Karori Tramway Company. The plan was to build a tramway between the city and Kelburn, and link it by carriage to Karori , a settlement on the far side of Kelburn. The company began purchasing land for the construction of the tramway and negotiated with the Karori authorities for a new road (now Upland Road) to link the upper terminus with Karori. In 1898,
3740-476: The same way. The car at the top of the hill is loaded with water until it is heavier than the car at the bottom, causing it to descend the hill and pull up the other car. The water is drained at the bottom, and the process repeats with the cars exchanging roles. The movement is controlled by a brakeman using the brake handle of the rack and pinion system engaged with the rack mounted between the rails. The Bom Jesus funicular built in 1882 near Braga , Portugal
3808-738: The second-oldest building in New Zealand. In Akaroa , the trust enabled the Akaroa County Council via a significant grant to buy the Eteveneaux cottage , which serves as a link to Akaroa's French history. In 2004, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust became an autonomous Crown entity. On 14 April 2014, the organisation's name changed to "Heritage New Zealand". Later that year, the enabling legislation—Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014—was passed. There were changes in governance introduced by
3876-520: The section "above" the passing loop has a three-rail layout (with each pair of adjacent rails having its own conduit which the cable runs through), while the section "below" the passing loop has a two-rail layout (with a single conduit shared by both cars). Another example is the Peak Tram in Hong Kong , which is mostly of a two-rail layout except for a short three-rail section immediately uphill of
3944-635: The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The purchase of Pompallier House in 1943 by the government further raised the issue of how historic buildings should be cared for. Duncan Rae , the MP representing the Parnell electorate, suggested that a heritage organisation should be set up and put in a private member's bill . Whilst this did not proceed, the First National Government (of which he
4012-457: The system to be scrapped. The trailers were withdrawn, considerably reducing capacity. Despite public protests led by Mayor of Wellington Michael Fowler , the line closed on 22 September 1978 for re-gauging and installation of new steel cars and equipment by Habegger AG of Switzerland , becoming a full funicular . The contract was managed by Wellington engineering firm Cory-Wright and Salmon . The line re-opened on 22 October 1979. Initially,
4080-499: The trolleybus overhead wiring, with operations and maintenance contracted out separately. Initially both contracts were won by Harbour City Cable Car Ltd, a joint venture between the Stagecoach Group , which had purchased the buses, and East by West , a Wellington ferry operator. In 1994, the city council decided to carry out its own maintenance, and Wellington Cable Car Ltd established its own maintenance capacity. In 1997,
4148-408: The weight of the rope is balanced between the carriages; therefore, the engine no longer needs to use any power to lift the cable itself. This practice is used on funiculars with slopes below 6%, funiculars using sledges instead of carriages, or any other case where it is not ensured that the descending car is always able to pull out the cable from the pulley in the station on the top of the incline. It
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#17327724796234216-611: Was a member) took responsibility of the issue and the Historic Places Act 1954 was passed, which established the National Historic Places Trust as a non-governmental organisation (NGO). The trust was governed by a 12-member board plus a chairman, and they first met in 1955. The National Historic Places Trust came under the responsibility of the Minister of Internal Affairs . The composition of
4284-485: Was able to achieve surpluses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but suffered a 72% drop in patronage and 77% drop in revenue in 2021-22, and required financial support of $ 1.3 million from the council. In 2023, the Cable Car returned to making a profit. The Cable Car Museum was opened in December 2000. Located in the original winding house, and with a new extension completed in 2006, it houses original grip cars 1 and 3, with
4352-600: Was built in 1868–69, with the first test run on 23 October 1869. The oldest funicular railway operating in Britain dates from 1875 and is in Scarborough , North Yorkshire. In Istanbul , Turkey, the Tünel has been in continuous operation since 1875 and is both the first underground funicular and the second-oldest underground railway. It remained powered by a steam engine up until it was taken for renovation in 1968. Until
4420-444: Was burnt down in a suspicious fire in 1982. The Skyline Restaurant was built to replace it in 1984. The first woman cable car driver in New Zealand was Lorraine Ruka-Isaac who drove the cable car from 1979 to 1981. In March 2022, the windows of the Kelburn terminal building were fitted with decals to help prevent bird strikes , as a wildlife conservation measure. The initiative was partly funded through crowd-sourcing undertaken by
4488-642: Was destroyed repeatedly by volcanic eruptions and abandoned after the eruption of 1944. According to the Guinness World Records , the smallest public funicular in the world is the Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway in Bournemouth , England, which is 39 metres (128 ft) long. Stoosbahn in Switzerland, with a maximum slope of 110% (47.7°), is the steepest funicular in the world. The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway , built in 1888,
4556-406: Was replaced by a hydraulic engine powered by a Pelton turbine . In 1948 this in turn was replaced by an electric motor. There are three main rail layouts used on funiculars; depending on the system, the track bed can consist of four, three, or two rails. Some funicular systems use a mix of different track layouts. An example of this arrangement is the lower half of the Great Orme Tramway , where
4624-419: Was the first mountain railway in the United States to use the three-rail layout. Three- and two-rail layouts considerably reduced the space required for building a funicular, reducing grading costs on mountain slopes and property costs for urban funiculars. These layouts enabled a funicular boom in the latter half of the 19th century. Currently, the United States' oldest and steepest funicular in continuous use
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