Around the turn of the last century, three towns along the Wupper river in Germany’s Rhine/Ruhr area said ‘Yes’ to an unusual idea that had already gotten a resounding ‘No’ from Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Breslau and other cities. Many cities were building local train systems, but only one was ready for one that was ‘upside down.’
Today, the three towns of Oberbarmen, Elberfeld and Vohwinkel are neighborhoods in the city of Wuppertal, created in large part by that railroad, the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, the brainchild of engineer Eugen Langen. The name Schwebebahn means, simply, ‘suspended railway.’ and even 125 years later, there is only one other in the world, built in the 1970s in Japan.
For most of its 13-kilometer length, it runs above the Wupper, which meant its construction was relatively easy and didn’t require dislocation of stores, homes and businesses.
The stations look not very different from most transit stations, except that there are no tracks at the platforms, just a flat concrete path.
The cars hang from massive wheel carriages, which run on fairly conventional steel rails overhead; power cables supply the electric motors that turn the wheels. At the ends of the line, cars are turned on a tight curve in the station.
At the Vohwinkel end of the line, it leaves the river and follows the street for the last three kilometers or so.
The curve above and others gave a little extra interest to my ride on the system…
Inside, the ride is smooth and it’s easy to forget the unique system that’s moving you along.
The construction of the Schwebebahn started in 1897, with most of the route opening in 1901 and the rest in 1903. Before the opening, in October 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the project and took a ride in one of the first cars, known since then as the Kaiserwagen. That’s it below; it still runs on special occasions and nostalgia trips.
A few more historic views…
The city’s pride in its unusual transit system, which carries over 80,000 passengers a day, is reflected in posters and artwork around town…
I’m a long-time fan of subways, trams and trolleys, so no one was surprised that the Wuppertal Schwebebahn became the motivator for an entire trip—I was following the advice of this poster with its caption: “Once in a lifetime, float through Wuppertal.”
The Schwebebahn has fascinated me ever since I saw photos of it as a kid. I have since seen it, but I have never ‘floated’ on it.
It took me about 60 years to get around to it, but it was worth it!