Mühleggbahn funicular

The Mühleggbahn is a self-service funicular that runs up the hillside from the old town of St.Gallen to the Drei Weieren recreation area and the St.Georgen district. When the funicular opened in 1893, it was initially a water weight cableway and was later converted to a cog wheel rail in 1950. In 1975 the railway had to be upgraded but the necessary capital was lacking. Right before it was about to be closed forever, Paul Hell raised the money needed at the last minute in a big fund-raising campaign. As a result, the funicular was outfitted with an electric drive that is still in use today. This system is known as an inclined elevator and operates fully automatically. Passengers at one station push the button to call the elevator. They can then go up or down. In memory of the monk Gallus, the valley station was provided with the lettering "Bangor" as part of an art campaign in 1997.