Technology

The yellow and blue carriages of the Nerobergbahn have been rumbling up and down Wiesbaden's local mountain at a leisurely 7.3 km/h since the days of Kaiser Wilhelm. In just 3.5 minutes, they cover the 440 metre route, overcoming an impressive gradient of up to 25 per cent. The train's ingenious drive system, which has been operating without incident since 1888, uses a simple but ingenious principle: the carriage travelling downhill is weighted down with up to 7,000 litres of water at the top station, which pulls the other carriage uphill. Once it reaches its destination, the water is drained and pumped uphill to repeat the process. The two carriages are connected by a 452 metre long steel cable, and the downhill carriage driver controls the speed. Gear wheels under the carriages, which engage in a rack, provide additional safety.

Here you will find facts, figures and pictures of various technical details as well as the link to our video "The Nerobergbahn - ESWE Verkehr up close".

Although there was no talk of environmental protection in 1888, Wiesbaden, as a spa town, was already committed to it back then. The decision was made to use a low-noise and completely pollutant-free drive with water ballast: the carriage travelling downhill is filled with up to 7,000 litres of water at the top station and pulls the other carriage uphill on a steel cable. When the downhill carriage reaches the bottom, the water is drained and pumped uphill again. Both carriages are connected by a 452 metre long steel cable. The downhill carriage driver controls the speed. It is secured by cogwheels under the carriages, which engage with a rack attached to the track. The seemingly ingenious drive system is one of the reasons why the Neroberg railway remains so attractive to this day.