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Looking at an image in a Guardian article about it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/world-steepest-funicular-rail-line-open-switzerland https://ww
by sndean 9y ago
Looking at an image in a Guardian article about it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/world-steepest-funicular-rail-line-open-switzerland https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/world-steepest...) what is the purpose of those panels further up the mountain on either side of the tracks?
Is that to try to catch the train if it falls off the tracks?
- _nalply 9y agoTo catch snow or rocks falling down.
- red_admiral 9y agoTo prevent a large snow sheet building up that could trigger an avalanche.
- pierrebeaucamp 9y agoThose are avalanche protection fences Edit: s/avalanche protection/snow/g > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_fence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_fence
- sndean 9y agoThanks, that "Snow fence" name helps. With zero mountains/trains/snow knowledge, it's hard to google for.
- Bluestrike2 9y agoSpecifically, they're called snow sheds[0] as they're angled to capture and hold snow deposits, serving as a physical obstacle to accumulated snow that could then later slide. The big risk there would be a slab avalanche,[1] possibly triggered by the funicular's own vibrations. Because the snow sheds are directly supporting any heavy deposits of snow, they isolate the slab from a weaker snowpack that'd otherwise be underneath it. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_shed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_shed [1] https://www.meted.ucar.edu/afwa/avalanche/navmenu.php?tab=1&page=2.3.0 https://www.meted.ucar.edu/afwa/avalanche/navmenu.php?tab=1&...
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]