Saturday Film Club: Merry Hill Monorail remembered

Another excellent video from Transport Matters - and another monorail I missed out on riding. 

Saturday Film Club: This is Japan's UNIQUE Monorail Built By a Hospital!

This is a terrible video. I recommend skipping the first minute and a half, but the subject is interesting, a monorail in the grounds of a hospital. A bit like Hellingly Hospital, but not for carrying coal. And with one fewer rail. 

There's a cracking view of the thing on Google Streetview too. 

 

Saturday Film Club: How A Small Irish Town Built The World's First Commercial Monorail

I've never fancied visiting Ireland, that's what being a child in the 1970s does for you. Except for here. Maybe, as I've ridden on the Wuppertal, it should be on the list. 

HO Schwebebahn

 

 

This is the model I was always going to buy. Not cheap at 59 Euros for a static item, but having spent the money to go and see the real thing, and with more leftover Euros than I expected, it would have been churlish not to have one as a souvenier. 

 

Ordered from Modelbahn Apitz, the box arrived quicker than the postcard I sent from Wuppertal, around three days, as opposed to nearly a week for the card. 

 

Nicely packaged, you can happily display the box.

 

To be fair, the box is where most of these will live, as they aren't the easiest things to show off out of it. 

 

While the model is self-coloured plastic, with the real thing being fibreglass, this is perfectly acceptable. Interior detail is impressive, although the real seats don't lean like this! I'd have a look to see if I can level them up, but how you get inside is a mystery, and I don't want to risk breaking anything by investigating too closely. 

 

I can't be sure about the roof detail, it's not easy to examine from normal viewing angles, but I assume it's pretty accurate. The probe on the front, by the way, is to push any stalled cars. There is a pocket in the back for it to locate into. The model wheels rotate freely. 

 

For display, I'll need some track, and handily, there are laser-cut card kits for both the river and road sections. 

 

 

 

I've opted for the road version as it's a lot narrower, and so should be easier to turn into a small display. I fancy adding some street with a few cars. 

Happy with my buy? Yes I am. The Schwebebahn is a unique system, and visiting it scratched an itch for me. The model just puts a cherry on this cake.  

Schwebebahn haul

 

Look, I have wanted to visit the Wuppertal monorail for many, many years. There were going to be some souvenirs purchased. Ahead of the trip, someone told me that they weren't really set up for enthusiasts. Well, considering this, they have a very well-stocked souvenir shop!

I knew I was going to have to have a stern word with myself before I went in. With just a rucksack, carrying space was limited. So there was no chance to buy a knock-off Lego station.  The box was as big as my bag, and it only makes sense if you buy the companion track and train. Also, it's £300(ish) and needs the space of a dining table to display. I'm excited to visit, but not that much!

As it was, I settled for some pens with moving monorails, postcards, a squashed coin, brick Tuffi model, and some jelly sweets in the shape of the monorail. I actually bought two packets of these and gave one away. I've been told "you need to go back for more wuppeetal train jellies. Scrummy". 

And there is a snow globe. 

Well, it is a properly tacky souvenir! I love it.

And I needed a bag to stash it in:

Handy hint: Bags like this make excellent presents as they don't cost that much, and take up very little space in the rucksack. 

Of course, the best souvenirs are the memories I take away. But I know you are wondering if I didn't bring back a model of some sort. More on that another day. 

Schwebebahn (The Dingle-Dangle)

This is the face of a very happy man. Riding the "dingle-dangle" in Wuppertal. I've wanted to visit this unusual line for more years than I can remember - and now I've actually done it. 

As the train neared the station, I spotted one of the Schwebebahn stations, and then odd glimpses of the track between buildings. I had to pretty much be peeled off the window to exit the train. 

My hotel was a very short walk away, and at the desk I asked for a room at the back, overlooking the line. Happily, they delivered. 

So, after all this travel, I'm overlooking the line, as though it was nothing special at all. Which of course, to the good people of Wuppertal, it isn't. This is public transport that they use every single day. 

Bags dumped, I headed to the station clutching the pass that came with my hotel. It might be late afternoon, but I was going to live the dream. And I did, taking the first car to Vohwinkel Schwebahn station at one end of the line. There, a little kiosk supplied an English guidebook, and some stamped coins. 

The next day, my plan was to ride the entire length of the line, a journey taking just over half an hour. I hopped on a train in the opposite direction, ending up at Oberbarmen, where Google maps told me there was a model shop. More on this later. 

When riding the Schwebebahn, the place to be is at the back of the train. A large window offers an excellent view as you "fly" over the river that is the reason for the line's existence. Getting in those seats is as easy as getting the front top deck of a bus, everyone wants to be there. Especially tourists. But, as it was, I got lucky and enjoyed my ride in the company of a young Asian guy, just as interested in taking photos as I was. 

The other interesting spot is behind the driver. A darkened window still allows the passengers to see what is going on. 

The driver has a surprising amount to do, but it still must rank as a dull job. After all, you are safe from the public, except at stations, and while there are speed restrictions, I can't help feeling the whole thing could be automated. 

One part we would all love to experience, but aren't allowed to, is at the end of the line, where the train creeps around a very tight curve, to head back the way it came. 

Riding the monorail is interesting. The car does swing from side to side slightly. There is even a sign in the station to tell passengers not to shove the cars! On curves, they swing out slightly, not particularly noticeable, but enough to confirm we are supported by a single rail.  

And that's it. In the afternoon, I spent half an hour sitting by the river, watching the cars pass overhead. With only three minutes between each train (six on a Sunday), you aren't waiting long to see another one. 

And that is it. Dream realised. I enjoyed about a day and a half in Wuppertal, and that was enough. With the best will in the world, all the cars, except the rarely run earlier "Kaiser car" look the same. The ride is just over eight miles, and even the guide doesn't make jumping off at many of the intermediate stations sound that appealing. 

But, I'm glad I did it.

The elephant? That's Tuffi. 

You can find more photos over on Flickr.  

Saturday Film Club: End of the Line for Britain's Hovertrain (RTV 31)

Sad news, but an interesting story. 

Saturday Film Club:

This is what YouTube should be for*. Interesting long-form videos on subjects that appeal to me. This time, the NTM digs some proper monorails out of the cabinets for a proper look. 

*also cat videos.

Saturday Fim Club: A double-sided monorail

What a shame this never came into fruition - a great ride, and potentially, an interesting model too.

Saturday Film Club: Dortmund university monorail

Why does a univeristy need a monorail? Who cares, it's cool!

Monorails in Magazines 1918-1971 by Paul Langan

Monorails have been a technology that is coming soon for at least a century. 

Paul Langan has retyped 20 articles from old science magazines extoling the virtues of the latest monorail type scheme. Each includes the cover for the relevant magazine, as well as many of the photos and diagrams that accompany the text. 

Prett much every single scheme failed to take off. The exception is the Chicago World's Fair "Sky Ride" which existed for the duration of the fair, but is arguably a transporter bridge. Certainly not a monorail, as the cars moved along a set of wires. 

The promotors of each scheme were very gun-ho, with tracts of countryside being opened up in Canada, and pretty much all major US cities due to have their traffic problems solved. I'd be interested in a more detailed book that tells the fuller story of the rise, and fall of each. What happened? (I really should sit down and read Adrian S Gardeners books which probably provide this)

There are regular mentions of the Wuppertal system, and Binnie Railplane, both of which actually existed, even in the latter was only 130 yards long, not something many articles care to mention. 

Illustrations uniformly show something from a Flash Gordon film, with many truly amazing craft to be found zipping along in the future. There are some clever ideas too - one system has the cars running on a incredibly thin film of water for frictionless travel. 

Overall, this is a tale of misplaced optimism from a world where the future was going to be amazing. It's such a shame that none of it was ever realised.

Monorails in magazines on Amazon. 

Saturday Film Club: Düsseldorf Flughafen SkyTrain

 

 I want to go to Düsseldorf and have a go on this. That is all. I mean I'd like to go by train because I don't like flying, but apart from that...

Lego Wuppertal

Yes, I know it's another Lego post, but how amazing is this Wuppertal monorail? ]

OK, it's a bit slow, but fascinating. Well, I liked it anyway.

E-R Models Monorail

Bargain of Doncaster show for me was this E-R Models HO scale monorail.

The 39cm long train comes with an oval of track plus the supports, clips to hold the rails together really strongly and some other bits I can't identify - probably because there are no instructions in the box.

Never mind, a quick track and pickup clean and a dose of 9V from a battery sees the model trundle along the straight lengths of track.

According to the web, this is a model of the Sydney monorail and it certainly looks like it. I missed riding on this by a couple of years, much to my annoyance but at least I can enjoy it in miniature.

Looking underneath, the wheels look just like normal HO ones, but with the flanges on the outside. The powered wheels both have traction tyres, pickup being from long metal strips rubbing on the rails.

My first impressions were that this is a bit of a toy, but it's pretty accurate, at least in looks. As the basis for a more detailed model, I can see it has loads of potential. Maybe I'll build that futuristic model railway I've often wondered about after all. Making my own track shouldn't be too hard, and watching the second-hand market might produce more sensibly priced trains.

And now the obligatory clip from the Simpsons:

Saturday Film Club: The Butlins Monorail

It's the future!

No it isn't, but that doesn't mean this isn't lovely film showing the Butlins monorail being built and operated. 

I like the clean-coated and quiffed workers laying down the fibreglass. Surely the place wasn't that spotless? The lack of face masks during fibreglassing and spray painting is worrying. 

Never mind, the colourful film looks great in that very 1960s way colour films did. The sun always shines at Butlins!

Saturday Film Club: Lartigue Monorail

I've never had any interest in visiting Ireland, apart from one thing. I'd like to see the Listowel monorail reconstruction. For the minute, I'll make do with this video showing a run along the line. Operated by a diesel-powered replica locomotive, it's certainly quite something. 

My understanding is that the weird looking system was much easier to lay over uneven ground than conventional tracks. It would have to be, in all other respects, it's a right pain!

While looking at this, another piece of old film appeared, this time showing the original steam-powered version:

Saturday Film Club: The Merry Hill monorail

Christmas is all about hanging around shopping centres it appears, and the biggest one locally(ish) is Merry Hill. To be honest, it's not my idea of a good time, but that might be different if it still had its monorail.

The system was intended to evolve into something more than just a ride for people escaping the shopping.

Sadly, the monorail was scrapped in 1996 after only 5 years of use. Apparently there were lots of technical problems with engineers being constantly called to fix the thing. Added to this the issues of evacuating a train, the system wasn't designated as a ride, but as real transport meaning a different set of rules, a problem that apparently bedevils Blackpool trams.

Anyway, the whole lot was sold to the Gold Coast in Australia, where it was built into a shopping centre.

It was rather more successful here, only closing at the start of 2017 after nearly 30 years of operation.

But what of Merry Hill?

Well, there is a station on top of Marks & Spencer. This film with truly terrible camerawork looks inside what is left.

And there has been a display mounted by the shopping centre to commemorate the system.

Monorail toy

Pete sent me the above photo last week: 

Knowing you liking for monorails (amongst the myriad of other things) I finally dug out one that I was given as a present back in the early to mid 1970’s. See attached pic. Still works back and forward including the headlight. Not the quietest of things.

Was produced by Winfield which apparently was Woolies own brand developed in the  1960’s (see part http://www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk/1960s-ownbrands.htm for full history.

Have looked on the web site but cant find an example of this particular toy.

I immediately stopped doing useful work and spent 20 minutes looking for other example and no, I couldn't find one either. Presumably this makes this a rare set or is it just that no-one else thinks they are worth photographing?

Even the monorail society don't have anything. Can any reader help?

Saturday Film Club: Sydney Monorail

When I visited Sydney a couple of years ago, I was gutted to discover that the city had enjoyed a monorail service, but this had all finished 2 years before I arrived. All that was left was a few stations with no connecting rail system. 

I understand that the monorail wasn't universally popular with residents. For the Sydneysider, the system didn't go anywhere useful and there was quite a lot of visual clutter associated with a high-level system. However, as a tourist staying in Darling Harbour, it would have been brilliant for me and not just because I've never actually ridden on a monorail. 

At least we can enjoy some video and watch another bit of the future, along with Concorde, which has already become the past.

Transrapid 07

I've always been fascinated by Maglev and monorail systems. In model form they are rare, but a few hints saw me receive a tatty box containing the Revell HO scale model arrive at Christmas. There is a dusty corner of the Hereford Model Centre that is a little bit emptier now...

The Transrapid concept was developed in German around the turn of the century. Sadly, despite the prototype information in the model's box, the only working application is a short line in China. The planned links in Germany lost out to conventional railway systems - you can build an ICE train cheaper than a fancy-pants monorail maglev system and travel sufficiently fast for practical purposes. Even the Emsland test facility has been scrapped.

Full history can be found on Wikipedia.

The model is a pre-painted plastic "kit" designed as a desk ornament. At just under half a metre long, it's an impressive beast. Detail is limited, just like the real thing, although electromagnets are moulded underneath the "track" if you look underneath. 

Conversion to a working model might just be possible. You need to plan on making something that looks right rather than is right. The air gap on the real Transrapid is 10mm. Scaling that down results in a gap best described as bu**er all. This pretty much rules out proper maglev working as you'd need an overscale gap and the thing would probably move oddly. 

Get past this though and I can see why wheels shouldn't be fitted inside, picking up from wipers operating under the track. 

Two sections of track are supplied and as far as I can tell, spares were never available. Making your own wouldn't be too bad although some experimentation would be required. Apparently pre-fabricating standard sections on the prototype isn't as easy as it looks, everything to form a curve has to be bespoke. 

For the minute, this is just a collectors item, but I am sure a Maglev model will feature in my future.