Schwebebahn Wuppertal
Location	Wuppertal, Germany
Type	suspended
Builder	Eugen Langen
Length	13.3 kilometres (8.3 miles)
Inauguration	March 1, 1901
Lines	1
Stations	20
Daily ridership	72,000
Operator	Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (WSW)
Top speed	60 km/h
Operational mode	with operator

Schwebebahn over the river Wupper

The Schwebebahn Wuppertal is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. Its full name is the "Eugen Langen Monorail Suspension Railway" (Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen). The people of Wuppertal know it, however, as the "Old Lady" or the "Iron Wyvern". Designed by Eugen Langen, who originally planned to build it in Berlin, it was built in 1900, opened in 1901 and is still in use today as a local transport system in the city. It is the oldest monorail system in the world. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The Wuppertal University The Schwebebahn in Wuppertal Wuppertal Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1901. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The suspension railway travels along a route 13.3 km long, about 12 m above the surface of the river Wupper between Oberbarmen and Sonnborner Straße^[1] (10 km^[2]) and approximately 8 m above the city streets, between Sonnborner Straße and Vohwinkle^[3] (3.3 km).^[4] At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes.^[5] The Wupper is a tributary to the Rhine river in Northrhine-Westfalia of Germany. ...

The Schwebebahn operates within the VRR transport association and accepts tickets issued by the VRR companies. VRR area The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (abbreviated VRR) is the public transport association covering the area of the Rhine-Ruhr megalopolis in Germany. ...

History

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn had one model: in 1824, Henry Palmer of England first presented the world with a railway system which differed from all previous construction forms. It was basically a small suspension railway on which suspended carriages were drawn by horses. 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

The Schwebebahn Wuppertal crossing an intersection

Friedrich Harkort, a famous German industrialist and politician, loved the idea. He had a system of this type built as a trial in 1826 and ran it on the grounds of what is today the tax office at Elberfeld. He tried to interest the public in his scheme. Download high resolution version (700x626, 115 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (700x626, 115 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Elberfeld is a district of the German town Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. ...

On September 9, 1826 the town councillors of Elberfeld met to discuss the use of a "Palmer's Railway" from the Ruhr to the Wupper river, mainly for the purpose of supplying the growing city with cheaper coal. Friedrich Harkort inspected the projected route with a surveyor and a member of the town council. The railway was to go from Elberfeld to Hinsbeck or from Elberfeld to Langenberg. The plan never went ahead, however, due to the owners of various pits who had not been included in it and felt disadvantaged at being left out. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For the conurbation see Ruhr Area. ... Langenberg is a part of Velbert. ...

The suspension railway which was finally built was planned and tested by the engineer Carl Eugen Langen in Cologne^[6] during the 1880s. In 2003 the Rhenish Heritage Office (Rheinische Amt für Denkmalpflege des Landschaftsverbandes Rheinland or LVR) published a press report announcing the discovery of an original section of the test route of the Wuppertal Schwebebahn. For other uses, see Cologne (disambiguation). ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Rhine (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ; Italian: ; Romansh: ) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres (820 miles), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second. ...

Construction on the actual Wuppertal Schwebebahn began in 1898. On October 24, 1900, William II, German Emperor, rode a monorail trial run.^[7] This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1898. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1900. ... William II or Wilhelm II (born Frederick William Albert Victor; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Albert Viktor König von Preußen) (27 January 1859–4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia (German: Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen), ruling both the German Empire and...

In 1901, after a construction period of about three years overseen by the government's master builder, Wilhelm Feldmann, the railway came into operation. It opened in sections: the line from Kluse to Zoo/Stadion opened on March 1, the line to the western terminus at Vohwinkel opened on May 24, while the line to the eastern terminus at Oberbarmen did not open until June 27, 1903.^[8] Around 19,200 tonnes of steel were worked to produce the supporting frame and the train stops.^[9] Construction cost 16 million Goldmark. Since its first opening, the railway has closed once due to severe damage from World War II, but managed to open as early as 1946.^[10] 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1903. ... German 20 Mark banknote from 1914 (www. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1946. ...

Current Modernisation

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn was considered one of the safest means of transport in the world, carrying up to 75,000 passengers a day through the town. Since 1997, the supporting frame has been largely modernised, and a large number of train stops have been reconstructed and brought up to date technically. The "Kluse" stop, at the theatre in Elberfeld had been destroyed during the Second World War; this too was reconstructed during the modernisation. Work was planned to be completed in 2001; however a serious accident took place in 1999 which left 5 people dead and 47 injured. This, along with delivery problems, meant that the completion date was delayed. In recent years (2004) the cost of the reconstruction work has nearly doubled from 250 million to 390 million euro.^[11] 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Since 2004 many of the train stops have been fitted with CCTV cameras. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The usage of surveillance cameras is increasing rapidly. ...

Technology

Details of the suspension and motors

The suspension railway is a monorail suspended from a steel supporting frame with a rail built underneath it. It hangs on wheels which are driven by electric motor operating at 600 volts DC.^[12] Download high resolution version (640x635, 84 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (640x635, 84 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, a colourful straddle-beam monorail Gyroscopically Balanced Monorail (1907) by Brennan and Scherl The term monorail is used to describe a number of systems in which a chair or carrier is suspended from, or rides on, an overhead rail structure for the transportation of...

The supporting frame and tracks are made out of 486 pillars and bridgework sections. At the ends of the route there are turning points^[13] and parking spaces for the trains, which turn around so as to carry passengers there and back one after the other.

The current fleet consists of twenty-seven^[14] two-car trains^[15] built in the 1970s.^[16] The cars are 24 metres long and have 4 doors. One carriage can seat 48 and stand approximately 130 passengers.^[17] The top speed is 60 km/h and the average speed is 27 km/h.^[18]

On special occasions and for charter events, the Kaiserwagen, the car ridden by Wilhelm II, is operated.^[19]

Stations

• Oberbarmen-eastern terminus
• Wupperfeld
• Werther Brücke
• Alter Markt
• Adlerbrücke
• Loher Brücke
• Völklinger Street
• Landgericht
• Kluse
• Hauptbahnhof
• Ohligsmühle
• Robert-Daum-Platz
• Pestalozzistr
• Westende
• Varresbecker Street
• Zoo/Stadion
• Sonnborner Straße
• Hammerstein
• Bruch
• Vohwinkel-western terminus

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Accidents

January 15, 1917

On this day a train rear ended another train that had stopped unexpectedly in front of it between Oberbarmen and Wupperfeld, causing the trailing car of the stopped train to fall off of the track. There were two minor injuries.^[20] Subsequently, a safety device was developed to make derailments nearly impossible.^[21] January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1917. ...

July 21, 1950

A circus made a publicity stunt on this day by putting an elephant named Tuffi on the train at Alter Markt. Tuffi became disturbed shortly after the ride began and crashed through the left side of the car and fell into the river below. The elephant, two journalists, and one passenger received minor injuries. Both the WSW and the circus director were fined in the incident. July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1950. ... The current version of this article or section is written in an informal style and with a personally invested tone. ...

September 11, 1968

On this day, a truck crashed into a pillar and caused to section of track to fall. There were no trains in the area at the time. This incident led to the use of concrete walls in pillar anchors. This article is about the date September 11 in general. ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1968. ...

March 25, 1997

A technical malfunction caused a rear-end collision in Oberbarmen station between a structure train and the Kaiserwagen. There were 14 injuries, but no derailment. March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1997. ...

April 12, 1999

The only fatal accident on the Schwebebahn Wuppertal occurred during construction work on the Robert-Daum-Platz station. Workers forgot to remove a metal claw from the track and the first train of the morning crashed down into the river. There were 5 deaths and 47 injuries.^[22] April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1999. ...

In Literature

The Schwebebahn is alluded to in Theodore Herzl's utopian novel Altneuland. (The Old New Land) For Herzl, the Schwebebahn was the ideal form of urban transport, and he imagined a large monorail built in its style in Haifa.[1] Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (May 2, 1860–July 3, 1904) was an Austrian Jewish journalist who became the founder of modern political Zionism. ... The Old New Land (or Altneuland in the original German) is a utopian novel published by Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, in 1902. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In Film

Rudiger Vogeler and Yella Rottlander takes The Schwebebahn in Wim Wenders' 1974 movie Alice in den Städten. It also appears in Tom Tykwer's 2000 film Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Warrior and the Empress). Wim Wenders at Cannes, 2002. ... Alice in the Cities (German: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. ... Tom Tykwer (born May 23, 1965 in Wuppertal, Germany) is a German film director. ... Synopsis The Princess and the Warrior (German title Der Krieger und die Kaiserin lit. ...

References

1. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
2. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
3. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
4. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
5. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
6. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
7. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
8. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
9. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
10. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
11. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: the re-construction (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
12. ^ Wuppertaler Stadtweke AG - English. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
13. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
14. ^ Wuppertaler Stadtweke AG - English. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
15. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
16. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
17. ^ UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Germany > Wuppertal Schwebebahn (supension railway) - (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
18. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
19. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: overview and history (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
20. ^ http://www.schwebebahn-wtal.de. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
21. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: accidents (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
22. ^ Uni Wuppertal - Wuppertal's Suspension Railway: accidents (html). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

See also

• Monorail
• H-Bahn
• Schwebebahn Dresden
• MonoMetro
• Memphis Suspension Railway
• List of rapid transit systems

The KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, a colourful straddle-beam monorail Gyroscopically Balanced Monorail (1907) by Brennan and Scherl The term monorail is used to describe a number of systems in which a chair or carrier is suspended from, or rides on, an overhead rail structure for the transportation of... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Schwebebahn Dresden around 1920 The Schwebebahn Dresden is the oldest suspension railway - a kind of hanging monorail - in the world (1891/1900), in Dresden, Germany. ... MonoMetro is a company formed to promote a suspended narrow gauge rail system. ... The Memphis Suspension Railway connects the city center of Memphis with the entertainment park on the island Mud Island. ... This is an alphabetical list of cities worldwide that have a rapid transit system, or a light-rail system with some elements of rapid transit. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Wuppertaler Schwebebahn

• Official Website (German and English)
• Photos and Info Schwebebahn Monorail in Wuppertal, Germany
• Monorail in Wuppertal, Germany
• Structurae: Wuppertaler Schwebebahn
• Wuppertal in UrbanRail [2]
• The Monorail Society