Editing Funicular (section)

====Turnout systems for two-rail funiculars====

In the case of two-rail funiculars, various solutions exist for ensuring that a carriage always enters the same track at the passing loop.

One such solution involves installing [[Railroad switch|switches]] at each end of the passing loop. These switches are moved into their desired position by the carriage's [[Wheelset (rail transport)|wheels]] during trailing movements (i.e. away from the passing loop); this procedure also sets the route for the next trip in the opposite direction. The [[Great Orme Tramway]] is an example of a funicular that utilizes this system.

{{CSS image crop|Image = 2-rail Funicular Railway 01.svg|bSize = 230|cWidth = 220|cHeight = 200|oTop = 95|oLeft = 5|Location = left|Description = [[Abt switch]]}}

{{anchor|Abt switch}}
Another turnout system, known as the Abt switch, involves no moving parts on the track at all. Instead, the carriages are built with an unconventional [[Wheelset (rail transport)|wheelset]] design: the outboard wheels have [[flange]]s on both sides, whereas the inboard wheels are unflanged (and usually wider to allow them to roll over the turnouts more easily). The double-flanged wheels keep the carriages bound to one specific rail at all times. One car has the flanged wheels on the left-hand side, so it follows the leftmost rail, forcing it to run via the left branch of the passing loop; similarly, the other car has them on the right-hand side, meaning it follows the rightmost rail and runs on the right branch of the loop. This system was invented by [[Carl Roman Abt]] and first implemented on the [[Lugano Città–Stazione funicular]] in Switzerland in 1886;<ref name="Giessbach" /> since then, the Abt turnout has gained popularity, becoming a standard for modern funiculars.<ref name="Stoos">{{cite web |title=Ceremonial Inauguration of the New Stoos Funicular |url=https://newsroom.doppelmayr.com/download/file/5051/ |publisher=Garaventa |date=December 18, 2017 }}</ref> The lack of moving parts on the track makes this system cost-effective and reliable compared to other systems.
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Six and Seven , Great Orme tramway , Llandudno.jpg|The two cars on the upper half of the [[Great Orme Tramway]] passing each other at a switch-controlled passing loop
File:Heidelberg funicular wheelset.jpg|Wheelset of a two-rail funicular with the Abt switch turnout system
</gallery>