The Mont Blanc Tramway or Tramway du Mont-Blanc is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. The line runs from a connections with the SNCF at Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet station to the Nid d'Aigle station at the Bionnassay glacier at an altitude of 2372m (7800ft). The initial intention was for the line to reach the l'Aiguille du Goûter. A mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. ... Haute-Savoie is a French département, named after the Alps mountain range. ... An SNCF train. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 1 km and 10 km (103 and 104 m). ...

The line is 12.4km (7.7mi) long and has a rail gauge of 1m (3ft3in). It is a rack and adhesion railway, using the Strub design to overcome a height difference of 1792m (5900ft). The line has an average gradient of 15% and a a maximum gradient of 24%. Some 85% of the line is equiped with rack rail, with adhesion being used at the foot of the line and at intermediate crossing stations. The line is electrified using an overhead line at 11000 volts and 50 Hz ac. To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 10 and 100 km (104 to 105 m). ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between one metre and ten metres. ... The rack rail on a cog railway. ... The term adhesion railway or adhesion traction describes the most common type of railway, where power is applied by driving some or all of the wheels of the train and thus it relies on the friction between a steel wheel and a steel rail. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 1 km and 10 km (103 and 104 m). ... The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential and voltage (derived from the ampere and watt). ... The hertz (symbol Hz) is the SI unit of frequency. ... What is usually hidden to the unaided eye, the 60Hz blinking of (non incandescent) lighting powered by AC mains, is revealed in this motion blurred long exposure of city lights. ...

The line is operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc which also manages the Montenvers Railway and many ski lifts in the Mont Blanc region. The first section of the line, to the Col de Voza, was opened in 1907. The line reached its current terminus in August 1914 when work was suspended, because of World War I, and never resumed. The line was worked by steam locomotives until it was electrified in 1956. View of the train and the Mer de Glace The Montenvers Railway or Chemin de fer du Montenvers is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. ... A chairlift A chairlift is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a constantly moving loop of steel cable strung between two end terminals and generally over intermediate towers. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... Great Western Railway No. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The line is worked by three motor coaches which are named Anne, Marie and Jeanne. These were the names of the three daughters of the lines owner at the time of electrification.

The Mont Blanc Tramway is featured in the film Malabar Princess.

External links

• Mont Blanc Tramway web site

Sources

• Wikipedia article fr:Tramway du Mont-Blanc, last updated on the 28th November 2004 at 17:44 GMT.
• Web page http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/en/tramway/index.html and descendents, retrieved on the 15th March 2004 at 17:15 GMT.