Once The Funicular Comes To Haji Malang The Palki Carriers Will Be History, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.
The basic idea of funicular operation is that two cars are always attached to each other by a cable, which runs through a pulley at the top of the slope. Counterbalancing of the two cars, with one going up and one going down, minimizes the energy needed to lift the car going up. Winching is normally done by an electric drive that turns the pulley. Sheave wheels guide the cable to and from the drive mechanism and the slope cars.
Bottom towrope[edit source | editbeta]
The cars can be attached to a second cable running through a pulley at the bottom of the incline in case the gravity force acting on the vehicles is too low to operate them on the slope. One of the pulleys must be designed as a tensioning wheel to avoid slack in the ropes. In this case, the winching can also be done at the lower end of the incline. This practice is used for funiculars with gradients below 6%, funiculars using sledges instead of cars, or any other case where it is not ensured that the descending car is always able to pull out the cable from the pulley in the station on the top of the incline.[2]
Gravity plane[edit source | editbeta]
Funiculars used in mines were sometimes unpowered gravity planes, also known as self-acting inclines or brake inclines. The weight of descending loaded wagons was used to pull the empty mine wagons.[4]
Wikipedia
At the moment the palki carriers charge exorbitant rates which is paid by the rich and the very rich hijra gurus , too old to climb the Malangad mountains..
The rate can be from 4000 to 7000 one way I am told but it is a tough job mind you , and if you have the money than this is the only way to reach the Haji Malang Holy shrine as there is no motor able road to the top.
It takes me over 3 hours to reach the top as I tire easily ,being a asthmatic and a diabetic too and I climb and come down the mountains barefeet..
