Water balance railway

The Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular was opened in Braga (Portugal) in 1882, which is the oldest railway that is still operating as a water balance.

[citation needed] The two carriages of the facility are connected by a rope or cable that runs over a pulley in the mountain station.

The carriages maintain approximately balance, so propelling the wagon requires only applying the force to unbalance the system.

The amount of water required depends on the weight difference between the two cars, which is assumed to be around 80 liters for each passenger.

This is done with brakes in the vehicles, which usually act on a rack in the track bed, and especially in longer systems also by draining water from the wagon going down the valley.

Due to the special switch construction of the Abtschen Weiche, each car is automatically guided to one of the two sidings.