Record #00438Transport archive
Switzerland's Pilatus Railway reaches a maximum gradient of 48% between Alpnachstad and Pilatus Kulm, making it the world's steepest cogwheel railway.
Current Record
48%
Current record value
Opened on 4 June 1889, the 4,618-metre railway climbs Mount Pilatus. Its exceptional gradient posed a risk of conventional rack mechanisms disengaging.
Engineer Eduard Locher developed a side-engaging rack system with horizontally rotating cogwheels. The railway was subsequently electrified and retains this distinctive principle.
The record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
The operator explicitly identifies it as the world's steepest cogwheel railway with a maximum gradient of 48%; funiculars and adhesion railways are excluded.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
Help keep the archive accurate
If a fact has changed, a value is incorrect, or you know a more authoritative source, leave a note. Feedback enters an administrator review workflow and never edits a record directly.
ARCHIVE VISUAL / 01
NOT TO SCALE
