1907
Seventeen years after the lower section was opened, the upper section from Molkenkur to Königstuhl was inaugurated. Like the lower section, it was also single-track. The line between Molkenkur and Königstuhl now measured 1,020 metres in total. At its steepest point, just before the station at Königstuhl, it had a gradient of 41%. The two cars on the upper section each had capacity for 50 passengers and travelled at a speed of around two metres per second.
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- 1905: Work on the upper section
The upper section, purely a funicular railway without rack, was driven electrically. The lower section was also modified at this time, after which it was no longer driven by water ballast, but also solely by electric power. Electrical stations for the railway were built at Königstuhl and Molkenkur.
The handbrake served as the service brake and acted upon a brake disk connected to the winding gear. The automatic brake, which consisted of two wooden brake blocks, served as an emergency brake. It was applied by causing a weight suspended on a cable to drop. This caused the cable to unwind, turning a spindle which in turn applied the brake shoes.
The speed of the cars was controlled by an operator by means of a button. The operator was in continual contact with the conductors on the cars, communicating with them by means of electric bells.
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Running speed, driving mechanism, gauge etc.
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Maximum gradient:
43 per cent
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- Longitudinal profile of the funicular railways.
