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Wuppertal, Germany, has a unique public transportation system. The Wupper River, which is so shallow that you can walk across So, they hung the subway upside down over the only relatively flat In 1901.
We rode the rail from one end to the other and I took a few shots. Schwebebahn Facts:
Length: 13.3 kilometers (9.64 miles) For more information, please see
The Official Schwebebahn Site
Click on any photo, then click on the Back button
Historic Information
On April 12, 1999, one of these trains derailed and fell 30 feet into the Wupper River On July 21st, 1950, a baby elephant, Tuffi, on its way to a circus, broke through the side of A short synopsis of a century of mishaps can be found
here
The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn has been undergoing extensive renovations for many years. After riding its length, and back, I can only tip my hat to the man who concieved of,
Carl Eugen Langen: 1833-1895
Eugen Langen was an engineer from Cologne who pioneered the use of electricity Much to Langen's credit, it's still there. His hanging electric train design principles and
Links to Schwebebahn and Wuppertal History and Information
English Website:
Bergische Universitat Wuppertal More history
German Websites:
Correct dates, times,
and original photos Courtesy of Dafkurse.de
Live Schwebebahn Cam! Courtesy of
Wuppertal.de
Back to ChezJAG
it at any point, has carved a valley out of the surrounding solid rock
over the past several million years. The sides of the valley are steep,
drilling under it through solid rock to make a subway system was
extremely cost prohibitive, there was already a train running through the
valley, and there was no room left for a quick, urban transit system.
path through the entire valley - the Wupper - and created
the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (Suspended Train).
Shooting from the train was extremely difficult as it vibrates a bit and swings
from side to side. But, it was a fun, inexpensive thing to do (6.70 eruo buys a
full day pass for five people!).
Stops: 20
Average Speed: 26.6 km/h (16.5 mph)
Maximum Speed: 60 km/h (37.3 mph)
Passengers per working day: 72,000
Power: 600 volts direct current
Number of trains: 27
Type of construction: Dual (bidrectional) monorail
which is where those facts and figures came from
in your browser to return to this page.
As the trains wind their ways
down the river, they swing, right and left
This one is just headed into the station I'm standing on
No tunnels, and no railings on the ends of the platforms. If you are of a mind to walk off the end, it's about a 30 foot
drop into a 2-foot deep river
One view out the front
Train coming into a curved station. The trains bend in two places
After experiencing the ride for about 20 minutes, I got curious about what was moving these trains
Our pass let us hop on and off wherever we liked for the whole day, so, we stopped at this station
and I shot the motors. Each train is powered by 4 600vdc motors that drive two wheels apiece
This is a closer look at one of the motor/wheel assemblies on a different train
Century-old steel and engineering...
...still functioning as designed.
killing 5 people. The accident investigation concluded that a metal clamp left by workers
who were restoring the system was to blame for the derailment. Those were the only fatalities
of passengers during transit in the 102 years that this system has been in operation that I have
been able to find. Even Tuffi survived.
a car and fell 30 feet into the river. And lived to perform another day.
I am pleased to say that, as of this writing, it is now totally reopened, running every five minutes
from each station, and that the renovations are nearing total completion. All stations are open.
designed and built the electric motor and system that made it possible:
for motors in the late 19th century. He didn't live to see the Schwebebahn built. But his
ideas were so good that Kaiser Wilhelm II, who rode the prototype in 1900,
embraced his ideas, and it was built.
vision are still what is the safest railway, monorail or otherwise, for its scope, in the world.