Editing Funicular (section)

===Track layout===
[[File:funicular_layouts.svg|thumb|link={{filepath:funicular_layouts.svg}}|Track layouts used in funiculars &ndash; in [{{filepath:funicular_layouts.svg}} the SVG file,] click to move the cars]]
{{Multiple image|align=right|total_width=390|image1=Cliff Railway Hastings (4906029502) (cropped).jpg|caption1=[[East Hill Cliff Railway]] in [[Hastings]], [[United Kingdom|UK]] – a four-rail funicular|image2=Angels Flight after reopening in September 2017.jpg|caption2=[[Angels Flight]] in [[Los Angeles, California]] – a three-rail funicular|image3=Nazare Funicular - panoramio (3).jpg|caption3=[[Nazaré Funicular]] in [[Nazaré, Portugal|Nazaré]], Portugal – a two-rail funicular}}

There are three main rail layouts used on funiculars; depending on the system, the track bed can consist of four, three, or two rails.

* Early funiculars were built to the four-rail layout, with two separate parallel tracks and separate station platforms at both ends for each vehicle. The two tracks are laid with sufficient space between them for the two carriages to pass at the midpoint. While this layout requires the most land area, it is also the only layout that allows both tracks to be perfectly straight, requiring no sheaves on the tracks to keep the cable in place. Examples of four-rail funiculars are the [[Duquesne Incline]] in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], and most cliff railways in the United Kingdom.
* In three-rail layouts, the middle rail is shared by both carriages, while each car runs on a different outer rail. To allow the two cars to pass at the halfway point, the middle rail must briefly split into two, forming a [[passing loop]]. Such systems are narrower and require less rail to construct than four-rail systems; however, they still require separate station platforms for each vehicle.<ref name="Giessbach" />
* In a two-rail layout, both cars share the entire track except at the [[passing loop]] in the middle. This layout is the narrowest of all and needs only a single platform at each station (though sometimes two platforms are built: one for boarding, one for alighting). However, the required passing loop is more complex and costly to build, since special turnout systems must be in place to ensure that each car always enters the correct track at the loop. Furthermore, if a rack for braking is used, that rack can be mounted higher in three-rail and four-rail layouts, making it less sensitive to choking in snowy conditions compared to the two-rail layout.<ref name="hefti" />

Some funicular systems use a mix of different track layouts. An example of this arrangement is the lower half of the [[Great Orme Tramway]], where the section "above" the [[passing loop]] has a three-rail layout (with each pair of adjacent rails having its own conduit which the cable runs through), while the section "below" the passing loop has a two-rail layout (with a single conduit shared by both cars). Another example is the [[Peak Tram]] in [[Hong Kong]], which is mostly of a two-rail layout except for a short three-rail section immediately uphill of the passing loop.

Some four-rail funiculars have their tracks [[Gauntlet track|interlaced]] above and below the passing loop; this allows the system to be nearly as narrow as a two-rail system, with a single platform at each station, while also eliminating the need for the costly junctions either side of the passing loop. The Hill Train at the [[Legoland, Windsor|Legoland Windsor Resort]] is an example of this configuration.

====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>