Description

Rack railways based on the rack and pinion system are designed to maximize traction over extreme grades and often difficult terrain.
We take a comprehensive look from both archival and modern perspectives at the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania.

Other steam operated rack railways covered, ranging from Standard gauge to 800mm include:
Snowdon Mountain Railway, Wales.
Mount Washington Cog Railway, USA.
Manitau & Pikes Peak Railway, USA.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway, India.
Ambarawa Rack Railway, Indonesia.
Achenseebahn, Austria.
Schneebergbahn, Austria.
Rigibahn, Switzerland.
Schynige Platte Bahn, Switzerland

Also included are scenes of the now defunct Austrian Erzbergbahn, Switzerland’s Brienz Rothorn and rare archive footage of two former rack systems in Lebanon and Hungary.

Running time – 54 min