Wuppertal monorail Bashny.Net

One of the most stimpankovyh in spirit yet perfectly functional objects in the Old World - a suspended monorail in Wuppertal (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). It has existed for over a hundred years.





For a start - a bit of history. Wuppertal monorail commonly called Schwebebahn, the official name of its much longer: Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen (monorail suspension system Eugen Langen).



Designed road engineer Langen, who in 1890 built a unique pendant in Dresden funicular railway, and in 1880 - the first German Monorail in Cologne. Discussions on the construction of an overhead railway horse-drawn around Wuppertal began much earlier, in the 1820s, when an entrepreneur Frederick Harcourt designed by British inventor deystvuschuyu Palmer built a model of the monorail at Elberfeld *. City councilors would stretch of road in Elberfeld Langenberg (one of the districts neighboring Velbert), but because of opposition from landowners decayed matter.
It was only in 1898 in Wuppertal, began to build a monorail.
Construction overseen by Imperial Inspector Wilhelm Feldman, lasted three years. Monorail cost of 16 million marks. October 24, 1900 Kaiser Wilhelm II himself made a test drive in the car suspended.



The road was opened in the next year - March 1 took passengers primarily Clouseau - Zoo on May 24 - the western branch to Fovinkelya. Eastern branch to Oberarmena, just opened June 27, 1903.



During the Second World War was seriously poverezhdeniya monorail, but was quickly repaired and put into operation in 1946.



Destroyed in the bombing of the station "Clouseau" restored during the reconstruction carried out in the past decade



Schwebebahn - it's 20 stations. Travel from Oberarmena to Fovinkelya lasts about an hour and takes place at a height of 8-10 m. Rolling stock - 27 cars, built in the 70s. Imperial wagon sample in 1900 and stored in special occasions goes on line.



...



Wuppertal monorail - one of the most reliable and safe means of transport in the world. Accidents in his stories can be counted on the fingers.



Only once, the relatively recently - April 12, 1999 - there was a fatal accident. But the blame for this accident not design features or road cars, and workers who have forgotten to remove the shoe from the rail after a night of prevention. The car, which went on the speed of 50 km / h, broke from the rail and fell from a height of 10 meters into the river Wupper. Five passengers were killed, 49 were injured of varying severity. Only two months Schwebebahn resumed transportation.
And most recently, August 5 this year, the car crashed into a crane boom, standing under the tracks. The driver was seriously injured passengers escaped with slight shock. Again, the design has nothing to do with it.



Photos, as mentioned above, made in 1949 and 1951 (the fiftieth anniversary of the monorail). In between filming in 1950 of the suspension of the car fell an elephant. Yes, the elephant. Named Tuffah. It brought the train at the station "Alter Markt" to draw attention to the touring circus "Althof". Travel Tuffah not like it, he decided to get off the train on the move, the car crashed through the wall and fell into the river. Affected were five (including two of the elephant and reporters). No serious injuries they received. Director of the circus and the driver of the train was fined.



Elberfeld - since 1929, one of the areas of Wuppertal, before - a city with its own government.
© lord_k



Source: