Rack Railways
Real mountain rack railways rebuilt from OpenStreetMap and survey heights, to drive at model scale: each line on its own page, with its trains, its points, the map, the seasons and the cab ride. The workshop holds the working-model kits, and How it works explains the rack railway itself.
The lines
TodayRochers-de-NayeMontreux – Glion – Rochers-de-Naye as it is in 2026: 10.4 km at up to 22 %, the Bhe 4/8 railcars, overhead line and avalanche galleries.
HistoricPilatusbahnAlpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm: the 1889 steam railcar on the Locher rack at up to 48 %, the transfer tables at Ämsigen, Gauge 1.
TodayTanvald–KořenovTanvald to Kořenov: the T 426.0 on the Abt rack at up to 58 ‰, Dolní Polubný with its rack turnouts, Gauge 1.
HistoricSnowdonLlanberis to the summit, the 1896 line: 7.5 km at up to 1 in 5½, Abt rack and points, loops at Hebron, Halfway and Clogwyn.
HistoricWengernalpbahnLauterbrunnen and Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, the 1893 line: 18 km at up to 25 %, Riggenbach rack.
HistoricSchynige PlatteWilderswil to the summit, the 1893 line: 7.3 km at up to 25 %, four tunnels, Riggenbach rack.
HistoricBrienz RothornBrienz to Rothorn Kulm, the 1892 line: 7.6 km at up to 25 %, Abt rack and points.
HistoricRigiVitznau to Rigi-Kulm about 1893: 6.9 km at up to 25 %, double track with transfer tables, Gauge 1.
HistoricMonte GenerosoCapolago to Vetta, the 1890 line: 9 km at up to 22 %, Abt rack and points.
TodayGornergratZermatt to Gornergrat as it is in 2026: 9.3 km at up to 20 %, double track, the three-phase overhead and the Bhe 4/8 twin railcars.
TodaySchafbergbahnSt. Wolfgang to the Schafberg as it is in 2026: 5.9 km at up to 26 %, steam on the Abt rack, three passing loops and the Krauss nostalgia train.
HistoricPikes PeakManitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak as opened in 1891: 14 km at up to 25 %, a Baldwin tilted-boiler engine pushing one car on the Abt rack.
TodayJungfraubahnKleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch as it is in 2026: 9.3 km at up to 25 %, seven of them in the Eiger and Mönch, on the Strub rack, with its own points.
HistoricSchneebergbahnPuchberg to the Hochschneeberg as opened in 1897: 9.7 km at up to 20 %, a Krauss engine pushing two coaches on the Abt rack, through two spiral tunnels.
TodayWendelsteinbahnWaching to the Wendelstein as it is in 2026: 7.5 km, the Strub rack with adhesion between, a 1912 electric locomotive pushing its trailer.