Fell mountain railway system

The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running wheels. These horizontal wheels and shoes are fitted to specially designed or adapted Fell locomotives and brake vans.

History

The Fell system was designed, developed and patented by British engineer John Barraclough Fell. The first test application was alongside the Cromford and High Peak Railway's cable-hauled incline at Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, England, in 1863 and 1864.

These tests attracted the attention of the French Government, which conducted its own tests on the slopes of Mont Cenis in 1865. As a result, the Mont Cenis Pass Railway was built as a temporary connection between France and Italy whilst the tunnel under the Alpine pass was being built.

A list of Fell railways

The following railways have used the Fell system. Of these, the only one still in operation is the electrified Snaefell Mountain Railway on the Isle of Man, which occasionally uses the centre rail for braking only - the cars are all now equipped with rheostatic braking, which meets all normal braking needs. The only surviving Fell locomotive, New Zealand Railways H 199, is preserved at the Fell Engine Museum, Featherston, New Zealand, near the site of the Rimutaka Incline.

Brazil

• The Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo (Cantagalo railway) from Niterói to Nova Friburgo opened in 1873. Brazil's first mountain railway, of 1100 mm gauge, it re-used some of the equipment from the Mont Cenis Pass Railway, and continued in operation until the 1960s.

France

• The Chemin de Fer du Puy de Dôme at Clermont-Ferrand opened in 1907 and closed in 1926. It used compressed air to force the wheels against the centre rail.
• The Mont Cenis Pass Railway on the border with Italy was 77 km (48 miles) long and ran from 1868 until superseded by a tunnel under the pass in 1871.

Isle of Man

• The Snaefell Mountain Railway opened in 1895. It uses electric railcars, with a Fell rail for braking.

New Zealand

• The Rewanui Incline on the West Coast of the South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1914 to 1965. It closed in 1985.
• The Rimutaka Incline near Featherston on the North Island opened in 1878 and closed in 1955. It was replaced by the long Rimutaka tunnel.
• The Roa Incline on the West Coast of the South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1909. It closed in 1960.
• The Wellington Cable Car used a Fell rail for emergency braking from its opening in 1902 until 1978, when it was upgraded.

Renewals

Ten kilometres of new Chinese manufactured Fell rail was expected to be delivered to the Snaefell Mountain Railway in December 2006 for track-laying between the 2006 and 2007 seasons (Railway Magazine, February 2007).

Related patents

Fell lodged the following patents relating to his system with the British Patent Office:

• Patent 227 of 1863
• Patent 3182 of 1863
• Patent 899 of 1869
• Patent 762 of 1895

See also

• Rack railway

References

• Goodwyn, M. (1993). Manx Electric. 1st Edition, Platform 5 Publishing.
• Hendry, R. (1993). Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration. Midland Publishing Limited.
• (2007). "Chinese rail for Snaefell railway". Railway Magazine 153 (1270): p 58.
• Ransom, P. J. G. (1999). The Mont Cenis Fell Railway. Twelveheads Press.

External links

• Fell Centre Rail - Describes with pictures how the Fell system works.
• The Fell Engine and the Rimutaka Incline from Masterton Library.
• The Cantagallo Railway (page down to Nova Friburgo).