Nestled in the historic Vila de Paranapiacaba the Museu do Sistema Funicular awaits. This railway museum stands high in the Serra do Mar in Sāo Paulo. It once served as the São Paulo Railway’s workshop. Here, workers maintained the funicular system trains. These trains traveled between Cubatão’s Raiz da Serra Station and Alto da Serra. The journey ended on the Paulista Plateau.
Imagine the year is 1867. The São Paulo Railway begins construction. It is part of the railway between Santos and Jundiaí. Fast forward to today. The Museu do Sistema Funicular now occupies those very workshops. These workshops tell tales of a bygone era.
Let’s step back in time. Picture the first funicular system. It started operations in 1867. This system stretched from Paranapiacaba Station to Raiz da Serra Station. The 8 km route was divided into four sections. Each section had inclined planes rising at 10 degrees. The funicular moved sixty tons. It worked using a counterweight system. Like elevators, one train went up as another went down. They were connected by a steel cable. Steam engines at each level powered the system. Water was plentiful and powered the boilers.
The “Serra Velha” system stopped in 1970. In 1974 a rack and pinion system replaced it. Demand grew. So in 1890, construction started on a second line. It ran parallel to the first. Known as “Serra Nova” this descent was 10.5 km long. Its incline was a more gentle 8 degrees. It ran from Paranapiacaba Station to Piaçaguera Station.
In 1900, the new line opened. It featured advanced technology. This allowed an increased load capacity of 120 tons. The Serra do Mar was split into five inclined planes. There were five plateaus. Larger machines used an endless rope system. The new train also got a steam engine. It could now do maneuvers on the yards of the plateaus. The Museu do Sistema Funicular displays some of these machines.
However, the train still used cables on inclined planes. So the locomotive got a “tenaz” device. This let it connect to the steel cable automatically. This resembled a cable car system where the cable ran continuously.
The second funicular system’s commercial use ended in 1983. The section from the fourth level to Piaçaguera was removed. In 1986 PRESERFE and ABPF began restoring the fifth to fourth level section. This operation lasted from 1987 to 1991. RFFSA provided machinists and operators. ABPF provided monitors. In 1991 funding cuts stopped the rides.
Since 2005, ABPF has managed the Museu do Sistema Funicular. In 2008, the ABPF managed to bring back the steam train ride. In 2012, the city funded restoration of the walkway connecting the museum.
Today, the Museu do Sistema Funicular stands as a testament. It showcases the remarkable engineering of the past. It invites you to witness the ingenuity that conquered the Serra do Mar. It is open weekends and holidays from 10:00 to 16:00. The Museu do Sistema Funicular awaits your visit.