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Rack railway
A
rack railway
(also
rack-and-pinion railway
,
cog railway
) is a
steep grade railway
with a toothed
rack rail
, usually between the running rails. The
trains
are fitted with one or more
cog wheels
or
pinions
that mesh with this
rack rail
. This allows the trains to operate on steep grades above around 7 to 10%, which is the maximum for
friction-based rail
. Most rack railways are
mountain railways
, although a few are
transit railways
or
tramways
built to overcome a steep
gradient
in an
urban
environment.
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