A rack railway is a railway locomotive readily climbs steep hills since its wheels slip on the smooth rails. To climb mountains, a special system is needed. The first rack and pinions railway was built in 1811, but the system was not widely used until the 1870s. The train ‘claws’ its way uphill by means of a toothed pinion, or gear wheel, which engages with the rack which is a third rail with teeth cut into it.
This ensures that the train cannot slip. The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire, USA, was built in 1869 and is still working. The steepest rack railway is the Mt. Pilatus Railway in Switzerland, built in 1889, with a highest gradient of 1 in 2.
