Water was sometimes used to counter-balance the two vehicles as one went up and the other went down.

Water counterbalancing

Fribourg funicular featuring the Abt switch runs on waste waterFor a list of water-powered funiculars, see Category:Water-powered funicular railways.

A few funiculars have been built using water tanks under the floor of each car that are filled or emptied until just sufficient imbalance is achieved to allow movement. The car at the top of the hill is loaded with water until it is heavier than the car at the bottom, causing it to descend the hill and pull up the other car. The water is drained at the bottom, and the process repeats with the cars exchanging roles. The movement is controlled by a brakeman using the brake handle of the rack and pinion system engaged with the rack mounted between the rails.^[2][6]

The Bom Jesus funicular built in 1882 near Braga, Portugal is one of the extant systems of this type. Another example, the funicular Neuveville – St-Pierre [fr] in Fribourg, Switzerland^[10], is of particular interest as it utilizes waste water, coming from a sewage plant at the upper part of the city.^[11]

Some funiculars of this type were later converted to electrical power. For example, the Giessbachbahn in the Swiss canton of Berne, opened in 1879, was originally powered by water ballast. In 1912 its energy provision was replaced by a hydraulic engine powered by a Pelton turbine. In 1948 this in turn was replaced by an electric motor.^[2]

Watch The Labours of Hercules to see one in action?