The new Sierre - Montana - Crans

Valais
Text and photos by Michel Azéma

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Technical

 

 

These panels are located in each compartment of the cabins. As in building lifts the passenger can press the button corresponding to their optional stop.

 SMC
Compagnie de Chemin de Fer Sierre-Montana-Crans
Case Postale 362
CH-3962 MONTANA-VERMALA

 

 TECHNICAL DATAS
Status

public

 Start

1911
End

 ...
Type of funicular

 
Type of tracks

Type of energy

Bottom station

Sierre (Siders) (540 m)
Top station

Montana Vermala (1471 m)
Length

4192 m
Difference of levels

931 m
Maximum Gradient

48,4 %

Gauge

1 m

Speed

8 m/s

 Study, making, realization

 Garaventa

 Cabins making

 Gangloff, Bern

 Electronic

 Frey AG, Stans


 

Details of the two cables.

The big one, of course is used to pull the cabin and the small one is used to tight the big cable.

The main difficulty of the new SMC is to control and regulate the tight of the big cable (more than 4 kilometers length). The cable is really sensitive to the temperature. A high temperature can extend the length of the cables. The cables must always keep the same tight! This is a big problem which is very complex to solve. Look at the photo below-left to see the mechanism used to solve such a problem!

     
 At Sierre station is the very complex mechanism used to control and regulate the tight of the cables. It is a very heavy load which can go up and down into an iron frame. It is moved by the tight of the small cable. It is used also to offset the effects of acceleration and deceleration of the cabins on the cables.    At Sierre station, a contactor which must be touched by the cabin to indicate the end of the track! Sometimes the contact is really... virile!

 


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Copyright 1998 by Michel Azéma, Paris (France)
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