Rasian Chainway

The Rasia Chain Carriageway, or simply the Chainway, was a funicular railway which connected the centre of Rasia City with the Rasian Academy in the valley above. The chainway was a quick and efficient means of transporting visitors and students, since the only alternative was the long uphill climb by road. The chainway was a particular matter of pride for the citizens of Rasia, since it was achieved entirely by mechanical means, all use of magicplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMagic

In common terms, magic is the art of producing a desired outcome through occult means. Various arts are described as magical, from common street illusionists, village herbalists, and rituals for the intercession of deities. However, true magic is the art and science of elemental mastery, harnessing elemental creatures and instructing them to perform simple or complex tasks. being banned within the city boundaries.

The Chainway was destroyed along with the rest of the old city in 236 ME, though ruins of the viaduct and the upper station still remain.

The chainway consisted of two counterbalanced carriages operating on a single carriageway, which ran from a station on the northern side of Academy Hill, down to Chainway Square in the centre of the city. The track crossed two viaducts as part of its descent, with a passing point halfway down the track's length. The carriages were connected by a long double chain, with a winding mechanism at the top. The carriages were powered by gravity, with both carriages having water tanks which were filled at the top to provide extra counterweight as required, then discharged at the bottom for the ascent. Each carriage was manned by a guard and a brakeman, who controlled and regulated the speed of descent.

The chief safety concern was regulating the speed of descent. Early chainway carriages had a simple brake, though later carriages added a “dead man's handle”, so that the brake automatically engaged if the brakeman released the lever. Carriages also had an emergency passenger brake which could be pulled as a backup. Since the carriages were driven only by gravity and momentum, if the carriages were brought to a halt halfway through the descent, it was often necessary to get them moving by engaging the cranking mechanism at the upper station. This was simply a water-powered wheel powerful enough to get the carriages moving.

Carriages also carried signal flags, which could be use to communicate any problems.

In it's 300 year history there were only two major accidents. In the first, one of the brakemen suffered an apoplectic attack, and the brakes in the second carriage failed, resulting in the lower carriage hurtling down the track and derailing, killing most of the passengers. The upper carriage was brought to a halt near the station and most passengers survived, though injured. This led to introduction of the dead man's handle, and the emergency passenger brake. The second incident was the result of deliberate sabotage of the chain and braking mechanism. One carriage plunged into the buffers at the lower station, whilst the second was brought to a safe halt.