Mountain railway

A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and through tunnels beneath mountain passes, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the summit.

Mountain railways often use narrow gauge tracks to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge, also lessening the cost of construction. Where mountain railways need to climb steep gradients, they may use steep grade railway technology, or even operate as funicular railways.

Some mountain railways have been named World Heritage Sites, such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. 

Related pages
 Funicular

References

Other websites
Homepage of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn  (in English, German, French)
Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland (in English and German)
Map of central Peru  Callao – Huancayo
Map of south Peru/Bolivia  Machu Picchu – Lake Titicaca – west coast Pacific Ocean
 Homepage of the Mount Washington Cog Railway (First ever mountain climbing cog railway)

Category:Mountains
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