Bellevue funicular
Encyclopedia
The Bellevue funicular in Meudon
, Hauts-de-Seine
department, was from 1893 to 1934 a funicular
running from the Bellevue-Funiculaire station on the Coteaux line
(today, Brimborion), to the Gare de Bellevue
, on the Paris–Brest railway
line.
rising 52.44 m (172 ft).
After being permitted to cross the Coteaux line
, the lower station was raised 3.5 m (11.5 ft) to connect with the route from Vaugirard (Bas Meudon), thus requiring passengers to climb a staircase, clearly seen on the left of the station.
With a constant gradient of 16° 56' (about 30%), it was entirely built on a viaduct
of twelve metal sections, resting on five lattice pillars and two masonry abutments with a foundation of solid brick. A passing loop
was provided in the middle of the route. The Vignole rails weighed 30 kg/m, at a track gauge of . Safety brakes were provided by a rack rail
.
Traction was provided by two fixed 54 hp steam engine
s, though only one was used in normal conditions. The cabins were attached by herringbone gear
s to cables wound on drums of 2.8 metre diameter, moving at a speed of 2 m/s (7.2 km/h; 4.5 mph), one drum winding and the other unwinding, to haul a cabin of 59 passengers. The weight of the ascending carriage would be partly counterbalanced by that of the other descending. The journey took between one-and-a-half and two minutes.
Operation neeeded at least four people: two drivers (one for each car), a mechanic and a boilerman for the steam engine.
and Paul Houette, a local councillor), agreed to build a funicular to connect the Seine
to the heights of Meudon and so to give walkers access to the Forest of Meudon.
In 1893, a line opened connecting the two railway stations and the steamboat
s on the river. At the start of its operation, the line worked with a departure every five minutes from 7am until 7.30pm in winter, and from 6am until 10.45pm in summer. The fares for ascent were 20 centime
s on Sundays and holidays and 10 centimes on other days; descent cost 10 centimes at all times. In the first twenty months of operation, passengers numbered .
Nevertheless, the line made a considerable loss in the winter season; the service was soon curtailed to the summer season, from 1 April until November. In 1895, the funicular transported passengers and bicycle
s. But the deficit was still francs and a grant of francs was requested from the Commune of Meudon, which the municipal council rejected on 5 May 1895.
From 1917 until Easter 1922 the line was inactive, following the mobilization
of personnel for the First World War. In 1923, the funicular transported passengers. But in 1932 the chronic losses of the line forced services to be cut to Sundays only. The line had only passengers in 1934, and it was finally decided to abandon the line in 1938. After a period of rail adhesion
trials with a horizontal wheel gripping a central rail, the infrastructure was totally dismantled after the Second World War.
) and Meudon Bellevue (Transilien
station). Though the object be to resurrect the funicular for the 21st century, its route and technology will be very different. The new permanent way will climb nearly 60 m (197 ft) in a curving path, as far as the Rue Henri-Savignac and the Pavé des Gardes. The aim is to allow the residents of the Meudon heights more easy access to:
As of the end of 2008, this project remained very uncertain and nothing definite had been said aboutits eventual construction or financing.
|publisher=La Vie du Rail
|year=1992
|isbn=9-782902-808427
|language=French
|ref=harv}} ("French rail in postcards")
|publisher=La Vie du Rail
|first=Maryse|last=Angelier
|volume=I: ("West and northwest")
|year=2003
|place=Paris
|isbn=2-915034-10-9
|language=French
|ref=harv}}
Meudon
Meudon is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...
, Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...
department, was from 1893 to 1934 a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
running from the Bellevue-Funiculaire station on the Coteaux line
Paris Tramway Line 2
Tramway line T2 is a tramway in France. It connects Porte de Versailles, Paris, with La Défense, just outside the limit of Paris...
(today, Brimborion), to the Gare de Bellevue
Gare de Bellevue
The Gare de Bellevue is a railway station in the French commune of Meudon in the Île-de-France administrative region. It is situated on the Paris–Brest railway...
, on the Paris–Brest railway
Paris–Brest railway
The railway from Paris to Brest is an important French 622-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the western port city Brest via Le Mans and Rennes. It is used for passenger and freight traffic...
line.
Description
The line, designed by the engineers Guyenet, Madamet and Tinel, was 183 m (600.4 ft) of single trackSingle track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
rising 52.44 m (172 ft).
After being permitted to cross the Coteaux line
Paris Tramway Line 2
Tramway line T2 is a tramway in France. It connects Porte de Versailles, Paris, with La Défense, just outside the limit of Paris...
, the lower station was raised 3.5 m (11.5 ft) to connect with the route from Vaugirard (Bas Meudon), thus requiring passengers to climb a staircase, clearly seen on the left of the station.
With a constant gradient of 16° 56' (about 30%), it was entirely built on a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
of twelve metal sections, resting on five lattice pillars and two masonry abutments with a foundation of solid brick. A passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
was provided in the middle of the route. The Vignole rails weighed 30 kg/m, at a track gauge of . Safety brakes were provided by a rack rail
Rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby...
.
Traction was provided by two fixed 54 hp steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, though only one was used in normal conditions. The cabins were attached by herringbone gear
Herringbone gear
A herringbone gear, also known as a double helical gear, is a special type of gear which is a side to side combination of two helical gears of opposite hands. Unlike helical gears they can sustain axial load smoothly...
s to cables wound on drums of 2.8 metre diameter, moving at a speed of 2 m/s (7.2 km/h; 4.5 mph), one drum winding and the other unwinding, to haul a cabin of 59 passengers. The weight of the ascending carriage would be partly counterbalanced by that of the other descending. The journey took between one-and-a-half and two minutes.
Operation neeeded at least four people: two drivers (one for each car), a mechanic and a boilerman for the steam engine.
History
In 1991, two businessmen from Meudon (Gabriel ThomasGabriel Thomas
Gabriel-Jules Thomas was a French sculptor, born in Paris.Thomas attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and in 1848 he won the Prix de Rome in the sculpture category with his Philoctète partant pour le siège de Troie in plaster...
and Paul Houette, a local councillor), agreed to build a funicular to connect the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
to the heights of Meudon and so to give walkers access to the Forest of Meudon.
In 1893, a line opened connecting the two railway stations and the steamboat
Voguéo
Voguéo was a water taxi service operated on the River Seine and the River Marne in the Île-de-France .The Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France adopted the service in 2007. It started on 28 June 2008 between the Gare d'Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement of Paris and the École Vétérinaire de...
s on the river. At the start of its operation, the line worked with a departure every five minutes from 7am until 7.30pm in winter, and from 6am until 10.45pm in summer. The fares for ascent were 20 centime
Centime
Centime is French for "cent", and is used in English as the name of the fraction currency in several Francophone countries ....
s on Sundays and holidays and 10 centimes on other days; descent cost 10 centimes at all times. In the first twenty months of operation, passengers numbered .
Nevertheless, the line made a considerable loss in the winter season; the service was soon curtailed to the summer season, from 1 April until November. In 1895, the funicular transported passengers and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s. But the deficit was still francs and a grant of francs was requested from the Commune of Meudon, which the municipal council rejected on 5 May 1895.
From 1917 until Easter 1922 the line was inactive, following the mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
of personnel for the First World War. In 1923, the funicular transported passengers. But in 1932 the chronic losses of the line forced services to be cut to Sundays only. The line had only passengers in 1934, and it was finally decided to abandon the line in 1938. After a period of rail adhesion
Rail adhesion
The term adhesion railway or adhesion traction describes the most common type of railway, where power is applied by driving some or all of the wheels of the locomotive. Thus, it relies on the friction between a steel wheel and a steel rail. Note that steam locomotives of old were driven only by...
trials with a horizontal wheel gripping a central rail, the infrastructure was totally dismantled after the Second World War.
Future projects
Since 2005, a new Bellevue funicular project has been proposed. The RATP carried out a feasibility study concerned with creating public transport in reserved lanes connecting two of Meudon: Meudon-sur-Seine (on Paris Tramway Line 2Paris Tramway Line 2
Tramway line T2 is a tramway in France. It connects Porte de Versailles, Paris, with La Défense, just outside the limit of Paris...
) and Meudon Bellevue (Transilien
Transilien
The Transilien is the brand name for suburban railway services of the SNCF-owned railway network operating within the Île-de-France région...
station). Though the object be to resurrect the funicular for the 21st century, its route and technology will be very different. The new permanent way will climb nearly 60 m (197 ft) in a curving path, as far as the Rue Henri-Savignac and the Pavé des Gardes. The aim is to allow the residents of the Meudon heights more easy access to:
- The industrial areas of Meudon-sur-Seine and the future industrial areas of Boulogne-BillancourtBoulogne-BillancourtBoulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
, via the future Tramway Meudon - Boulogne - Saint-Cloud; - ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and La DéfenseLa DéfenseLa Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
, via Paris Tramway Line 2Paris Tramway Line 2Tramway line T2 is a tramway in France. It connects Porte de Versailles, Paris, with La Défense, just outside the limit of Paris...
.
As of the end of 2008, this project remained very uncertain and nothing definite had been said aboutits eventual construction or financing.
Sources
("French funiculars and rack railways")|publisher=La Vie du Rail
La Vie du Rail
La Vie du Rail is a French publishing group headquartered in Auray, which specialises in magazines and books about rail transport, and transport more generally. The editor-in-chief is Vincent Lalu....
|year=1992
|isbn=9-782902-808427
|language=French
|ref=harv}} ("French rail in postcards")
|publisher=La Vie du Rail
La Vie du Rail
La Vie du Rail is a French publishing group headquartered in Auray, which specialises in magazines and books about rail transport, and transport more generally. The editor-in-chief is Vincent Lalu....
|first=Maryse|last=Angelier
|volume=I: ("West and northwest")
|year=2003
|place=Paris
|isbn=2-915034-10-9
|language=French
|ref=harv}}