What is a Funicular?
It’s an old idea, dating back to the 1500s, but the basic concept of the funicular has remained viable over the centuries. Sometimes referred to as an inclined railway, the funicular consists of a track, a pulley, and an engine. The engine powers the pulley, which slowly draws the car up the side of a steep incline. The track is there to guide the wheels. All of this sounds quite logical — but what about the trip down? Wouldn’t the gravitational force of a heavy rail-type car quickly tear the engine and pulley apart, flinging the passengers to their death? It probably would, except that the original inventors of the funicular figured out that if cars were ascending and descending simultaneously, an equal number on each side of the pulley, the force of gravity would cancel itself out. The ascending car or cars serve as a brake on the others; those heading down help supply the pulling power to yank the ascending cars upward. This is a simple concept, but not easy to put into practice. T
