THE DIAKOFTO - KALAVRYTA RACK & ADHESION RAILWAY
Pictures
In the late 1880s the mountainous Kalavryta Province was inhabited
by some 44000 people whose only access to the northern coast of Peloponnese
Peninsula was the poor road linking Kalavryta with Patra through montainous
passes. It took twice the money to carry a pound of grain from Egion to
Kalavryta than to bring it all the way from Russia to Greece.
A preliminary survey carried out by the "Mission Francaise des Travaux
Publics" in 1889, showed that only a 750mm-gauge rack railway would successfully
compete with the building of a road, regarding construction and transportation
costs. Consequently, a concession for building and operating the Diakofto
- Kalavryta railway was granted to SPAP, the operator of the Peloponnese
metre-gauge system. It took five whole years and 4.8 Mio francs to
reach the Kalavryta plateu scrapping the future extension of 90km to Tripolis
due to lack of funds.
On 10th March 1896 the first scheduled service entered Kalavryta
terminus inaugurating the narrowest public rack railway in Europe. Today,
it is the narrowest public rack railway in the world still in regular service.
The single-track railway begins from Diakofto at c.10m a.s.l.
and climbs up to Kalavryta at 720m a.s.l. having a route length of 22.4
km of which three sections totaling 3.4km feature a double Abt rack centered
between the rails. Straights correspond to 67% of the route length while
sharp curves with radii ranging from 40m to 110m represent 25% of the route
length. Minimum radius of curvature on the rack and adhesion sections was
set to 50m and 40m respectively. The adhesion sections are dominated by
ruling gradients of 15 o/oo - 34 o/oo, the latter being the steepest incline
worked by adhesion, while level stretches are restricted to a total length
of only 2940 metres. Maximum permissible speed is 40km/h. The rack sections
are dominated by inclined stretches of 12% - 14.5%, the latter being the
steepest gradient, that represent a total length of 2250 metres.
Maximum permissible speed is 12km/h.
Obviously, the construction of such a railway, unique in its
kind in Greece, demanded a great deal of earthworks and civil engineering.
From that point of view, "Odontotos" (= Rack Railway), constitutes a fine
example of the railway engineering at the turn of the 19th century. In
1996, on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary, the Ministry of Culture
acknowledged this rack railway as a Protected National Monument.
The line runs through spectacular rocky ledges alongside Vouraikos
River and comprises six tunnels with total length of 200m and retaining
walls of some 4000m in length. A total of 40 steel and 15 masonry bridges
and viaducts carry the railway over the Valley of Vouraikos River with
span ranging from 3m to 60.9m.
For over half a century the railway had been the only provisioner
for the inhabitants of the mountainous Kalavryta Province, linking
them to the commercial activities of the wealthy coast of Northern Peloponnese.
Today, when frequent snowfalls cut off road traffic during wintertime,
the railway still serves proudly as the only transportation mode in
the area.
The railway is strongly associated with the one of the most important
historical sites of Modern Greece, the Mega Spileon Monastery, founded
in the 5th century, where the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman
Empire commenced in 1821. Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged as one
the most scenic railway routes in Europe. The line slips through the cypress-
and fir-covered Gorge of Vouraikos River and runs along the picturesque
valley and waterfalls offering impressive views over the surrounding natural
environment, which is accepted as a significant ecological region.
Finally it serves as a potential tourist attraction in the area,
gathering large numbers of passengers during the summer. The
railway is operated with specially designed diesel-electric railcars and
retains the original traction stock; the first steam locomotive, designed
by Roman Abt himself, has been recently restored in working order. These
facts provide an extra interest for the numerous rail enthusiasts who visit
the first rack railway ever developed on 750mm-gauge.
Compiled by John Zartaloodes