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10 unusual facts about São Paulo Railway


São Paulo Railway

At each section the wagons were attached to a steel wire rope with the help of a special fitted brake van called Serrabreque (transl.: Hill Brake).

Fox was at that time only 26 years old but had experience in the construction of railways through the mountains of northern Wales and the hillsides of the Pyrenees.

A four section cable railway with stationary steam engines, in use from 1867 till 1970, called Serra Velha, transl.: Old Mountain

The incline system was later called Serra Velha (transl.: Old Mountain) to distinguish it from the later built second incline system called Serra Nova.

It had five sections using continuous steel wire ropes which were moved by stationary 1,000 hp steam engines.

On 1946-09-13, the railroad was nationalised by the Brazilian government, and renamed the Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí, and on 1948-09-27, it was merged with most of the other Brazilian railways in to the Rede Ferroviária Federal, SA (RFFSA).

A five section cable railway with stationary steam engines, in use from 1901 till 1982, called Serra Nova, transl.: New Mountain

An electrified Rack-and-adhesion railway built on the right of way of the abandoned Serra Velha opened in 1974, called Systema Cremalheira-Aderência, transl.: System Rack-and-adhesion

The company was nationalised in 1946 and became the Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí.

The locomotives for this changeover had been constructed by Hitachi with the help of SLM and are working with 3 kV DC supplied by an overhead lines.