When the railroad went into operation in 1929, it was the first funicular railroad in Germany with an automatic control system. The car attendants only had to press one button for departure, everything else went by itself. The ride on the more than 500-meter-long line still takes four minutes. In the process, the listed ropeway climbs almost 100 meters in altitude. The two historic teak cars are connected by a long steel cable and always move up and down the mountain at the same distance almost silently.
After the cable car was put into operation, it quickly received the nickname "Erbschleicherexpress" in the vernacular, because it was mainly used by visitors to the forest cemetery. Today, numerous tourists and both large and small train enthusiasts are also among the passengers. This is because the teakwood carriages with brass fittings and enamel signs have been preserved in their original state and transport passengers back to the golden age of the 1920s.
Those who arrive at the top station should not miss visiting the forest cemetery. Numerous celebrities are buried there, including former German President Theodor Heuss and artist Otto Herbert Hajek. The Waldfriedhof also features a grove of honor for fallen soldiers of the First World War by Paul Bonatz. The graves of the fallen of the Second World War are adorned by a large sculpture by the Stuttgart sculptor Fritz von Graevenitz. Between April and June, the rhododendrons bloom and give the forest cemetery a very special atmosphere.
The cable car is operated by Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB).
