Pilatus Railway, Alpnachstad, Esel Summit, Obwalden, Switzerland

The Pilatus railway (German: Pilatusbahn, PB) is a mountain railway in Switzerland and is the steepest rack railway in the world, with a maximum gradient of 48%. The line runs from Alpnachstad, on Lake Lucerne, to a terminus near the Esel summit of Mount Pilatus at an altitude of 2,073 m (6,801 ft), which makes it the highest railway in Obwalden. At Alpnachstad, the Pilatus railway connects with steamers on Lake Lucerne and with trains on the Brünigbahn line of Zentralbahn.
History
The first project to build the line was proposed in 1873, suggesting a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge and 25% maximal gradient. However it was concluded that the project would not be economically viable.