The Dolderbahn is just a 1.3 km long rack railway in the Swiss city of Zürich. The line is owned
by the Dolderbahn-Betriebs AG, and operated on their behalf by the municipal transport operator
of the city of Zürich Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich VBZ. The line was opened in 1895. It used to be a long
funicular combined with a regular tram upwards from the upper terminus of the funicular where the
slope is not any more as steep as it is downhill. The funicular was opened for traffic in 1895 and
it was converted into a rack-rail railway in 1973. The line begins at Römerhof down by the city and
it runs up the hill of Adlisberg up to the Dolder Grand Hotel and its train station called
Bergstation Dolder. There are two intermediate stops on the way. There is a height difference of
162 metres. The line was modernised in 2004. It is built with metre gauge and electrified with 600 V DC
from an overhead catenary.
There are two identical motor wagons built in 1972. Each wagon has just two axles. One axle is motorised
and the other one just has brakes. Both wagons can take up to 100 passengers. In the middle of the line,
between the intermediate stations of Titlisstrasse and Waldhaus there is a short section where the two
wagons can pass each other.
This picture shows the Dolderbahn wagon no.2 at the uppermost station, Bergstation Dolder.
Picture by Ilkka Siissalo 30.9.2002.
