Virtual Railfan Special - Schwebebahn Monorail at Wuppertal, Germany

In June 2011 mary and I took a day trip from Dusseldorf to see the famous Schwebebahn at Wuppertal

The DB train that took us to Wuppertal was a regular one. But from there normality ended.

The inspiration for this page came from this amazing video  from the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)made in 1902 shortly after the line was opened

This system is unusual in that the cars hang down from an overhead rail. Most monorails straddle the rail which is underneath

The cars sway slightly from side to side while standing at stations.



The overhead rail is a substantial structure


Views from the front are easily obtained

The trains look a little weird as they enter the stations

The system allows for some interesting riverbank walks

And interesting streetscapes


This video gives a side by side comparison between the 1902 video and today

This video is well worth watching. It shows the interiors, the Kaiserwagen, how the
switches work and street advertising on the undersides.

The Schwebebahn was built to provide a transport system in a very restricted space but after 120 years it is doing what it was built to do. At present the line is out of use until next spring because there have been rail wear problems with newly delivered rolling stock

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