[Piermaster]

Just bought the Brawa funicular set in HO for £50 from Fleabay. It is really an impluse purchase but I could either run it as supplied - It is the Forest Cemetery Funicular in Stuttgart or see what potential it has for conversion/adaptation to a British style funicular.

This will take some time!!!

Just been asked to complete 'My Physiotherapy Project' and write an article about it!

Dave

 

[john woodall]

Hi Dave,

at worst you have european one, but the up side is that by building new cars and adapting the buildings, you could turn it into a British one with a bit of thought.

It is a nice model when painted and built. My local club gets good comments about it when we exhibit our layout.

Cheers

John

 

[Brian Considine]

Hi Dave,

I did assemble one a couple of years ago & it ran very well, although the motor was a little noisey. I had the top & bottom stations & some extra track, but then I "eBayed" it & got well over £200 for it so I think you got yours at a good price.

 

[Piermaster]

The Brawa Funicular set arrived today and despite it being in new condition, I can see why she sold it!!!

It is certainly no toy and as for the baseboard it needs - OUCH!!!!!

Definately a back burner project!!! On the other hand, Margate is a lot easier scenically - just one great big brick retaining wall to start with!!!!

I think I'll stick with Walmington Pier Tramway - it's what I'm noted for.

Dave

 

[dwb]

Whilst browsing last year's holiday photos, I found this one of the Lugano funicular.

David

 

[Piermaster]

I went to Lugano as part of a school holiday in 1966 and I don't even remember a funicular there, even though we travelled by train from Venice!

Dave

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (dwb @ 20 Jul 2008, 07:41) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Whilst browsing last year's holiday photos, I found this one of the Lugano funicular.
David

Thanks for the photo David - interesting pickup arrangement, which I take is just for lighting, sort of trollybus style, but I take it on the common track sections one of the wires (say positive if DC) is central to the track & then there are two (negative) wires either side !

 

[dwb]

QUOTE which I take is just for lighting

Probably. As you can see from the photo, most of the journey is in tunnel.

David

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (dwb @ 20 Jul 2008, 10:09) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Probably. As you can see from the photo, most of the journey is in tunnel.

David
Another question - I take it that the "points" have no moving parts similar to how the Brawa model works - double flanged wheels on the "outer rails" (on the passing loop) & a flangelass on the "inner" ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Another question - I take it that the "points" have no moving parts similar to how the Brawa model works - double flanged wheels on the "outer rails" (on the passing loop) & a flangelass on the "inner" ?

I've no idea. Whilst the original of this photo is a lot larger than the one I have posted, the points themselves are not visible, so no amount of magnification is going to help

.

I've seen a few funiculars on my holidays in Switzerland - another is at the Rheichenbach falls near Meiringen, and yes it is /those/ Rheichenback falls, Dr. Watson where meringues come from and very tasty they are too - but I've never noticed anything special about the passing places. I don't recall seeing any "remote" moving parts in their vicinity apart from the cable which connects the two cars, so the points must "decide locally", probably based on which side the cable is running. It's not the kind of thing you can leave to "chance" since both cars will arrive at the points at the same time.

David

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (Brian Considine @ 20 Jul 2008, 17:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks for the photo David - interesting pickup arrangement, which I take is just for lighting, sort of trollybus style, but I take it on the common track sections one of the wires (say positive if DC) is central to the track & then there are two (negative) wires either side !

*** I suspect most of the power use is actually for traction management and braking....

Richard

 

[ben1]

I've just returned from my trip to Hungary, and while in Budaapest, we took the Funicular there (it was probably the most expensive price/meter trip there ever was! ) and while going up, I thought wouldn't a funicular model railway be nice!
Regards,
Ben
P.S. The Funicular in Genoa is extremely interesting as I believe it has 8 stops some of which were undeground!

 

[dwb]

I took this close up of the upper switch on the modern section of the funicular at Heidelberg last Friday. As far as I can tell there are no moving parts in the rails. There don't appear to be flange ways for wheels either which makes me wonder if only one side of each car has a flange with the other side being smooth?

I have a photo of the switch on the older (~100 years?) section too. It looks pretty similar with no obvious moving parts.

David

 

[Brian Considine]

Thanks for the well detailed picture David - looks like it works the same way at the Brawa model.

 

[John Webb]

QUOTE (dwb @ 5 Aug 2008, 19:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I took this close up of the upper switch on the modern section of the funicular at Heidelberg last Friday. As far as I can tell there are no moving parts in the rails. There don't appear to be flange ways for wheels either which makes me wonder if only one side of each car has a flange with the other side being smooth?

Presumeably one car has double-flanged wheels on one side which locates it on one track and the other car has the double-flange on the other side which keeps it on the other track?

By the way, there's an interesting article in "The Railway Magazine" for September 2008, just published, on "4ft 8.5in and All That" looking at some 40 different gauges in the UK - many of the odd ones are on cliff railways, it seems, up to 7ft 6in on the St Nicholas Cliff Railway in Scarborough.

Regards,
John Webb

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (John Webb @ 6 Aug 2008, 11:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Presumeably one car has double-flanged wheels on one side which locates it on one track and the other car has the double-flange on the other side which keeps it on the other track?
Regards,
John Webb
Hi John,

Thats how the Brawa one works - the unflanged wheel is more of a wide'ish roller though.

 

[Piermaster]

Visited Legoland, Windsor yesterday. Unfortunately their resident funicular railway the 'Hill Railway' was out of service with the track receiving a lot of attention from a pest (not children) control contractor.

This was originally part of the Windsor Safari Park and the 3-car trains were the 'Central Africa Tram Co' from opening in 1990 until closure of the safari park in 1992, reopening in 1996 as part of Legoland Windsor and now a 3ft 6in gauge interlaced track with mid loop running approx 1000 feet at 1 in 10 average gradient. Sorry no pics taken, weather was foul yesterday!!!!

Dave