One of the newest additions to Moru Kel, the funicular is a marvel of engineering. Two strings of coaches, suspended from ropes, have watertight holds under their seating compartments. Filling or emptying these allows the two trains to counterbalance each other, alternating trips up and down the tiers of the city. They stop at points along the way, loading and unloading passengers and cargo.
The funicular offers spectacular views of the city, is significantly faster than negotiating the Slow Road, and much easier than climbing the stairwells.
Passengers can board at any of the designated platforms; a modest fare is charged for the use of the system. Each train consists of 4 coaches: the top-most is normally the public passage train, while the central trains are used for cargo and the bottom-most train is reserved for private use. Private use means the nobility don’t want to fraternize with the riff-raff. Occasionally coaches are re-tasked based on current demands.
The suspension is a marvel of engineering: a cable that is strong enough to hold the cargo and light enough to maintain its tension was braided up from the finest, smallest spider silk by Seta cordwrights. A particularly fine counter-twist makes this cable virtually waterproof, preventing sag during Moru Kel’s rainy season.
The funicular’s towers dot their way up the northern end of the tiers. Each has a massive horizontal grooved wheel at the top; the cable forms a band that runs the length of the system, riding around the edges of these wheels.
On each side of the cable — to the left and the right of the towers — hangs a string of 4 coaches. The trains are spaced at alternate ends; when the left-hand train is atop the city, the right-hand train is at the bottom of the system, and vice-versa. Each coach’s lower portion is, in fact, a large tank: when a train reaches the top of the system, it is filled with water from the funicular reservoir. Conversely, the car at the bottom is drained into an out-take aquaduct. The resulting weight differential drives the car’s motion, with the now much heavier car at the top pulling down the mountain, and tugging the opposing car up to the pinnacle.
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