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Wuppertaler Schwebebahn - Wuppertal Suspension Railway

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Ianno87

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Rode it back in 2012 - it's a fantastic (and slightly bizarre) experience. Well recommended if you're in the area.
 
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Fireless

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Been there, done that (but living not too far away from Wuppertal and holding a VRR season ticket makes it rather easy just to pop by for a couple of rides).
I can even claim to have been on the very first public run of the modern trains out of Vohwinkel and to have travelled on the "Kaiserwagen" (heritage set formed of B00 cars 5 and 23 used for touristic excursions).

Monorail enthusiasts from further abroad should also consider the two "modern" suspended monorails nearby at the Düsseldorf Airport and at the university of Dortmund.
 
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Gordon

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Ken H said:
anybody ridden it?
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Yes, in 1971 with the original stock (by chance really, not because we knew the 72 stock was coming).

Rode it again in about 1985, when I though the GTW sets were really funny - just like riding the standard 'modern' German trams of the era but upside down.
 
Jamesrob637

Jamesrob637

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Yes it's amazing and a bit daunting if you're not used to having clear air a few metres below you!
 
duesselmartin

duesselmartin

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gordonthemoron said:
It is great, which is more than can be said for Wuppertal
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Wuppertal does have its problems but also its nice parts, even If they are not enough to attract mass tourism.
Nordbahntrasse and Korkenzieherbahn are former rail lines that are now cycle paths. The latter goes above the zoo.
Skulpturenpark is an artistic green space by Tony Craig.
The von der Heydt museum has an amazing art collection. I could go on....
 
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YorkshireBear

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I wanted to take a trip recently but found it was closed which was a shame. Will probably end up goinhr again and combining it with the trolley buses in solingen
 
matt

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I had a ride on the Dangle Bahn a few years ago. Something a bit different

 
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Steamysandy

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I travelled on it in May 1976 as part of an LCGB steam railtour..A service train was used which was packed to the gunwales !
My recollection is of the way it swing outwards on curves which would be similar to super elevation on a conventional railway.
The cars were the ones in use till recently which were almost new but I saw it in 1972 when the original red and cream stock was in use
 
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Mag_seven

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I've seen it loads of times from a passing ICE but not done it yet - definitely on the "to do" list. :)
 
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alex397

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I went on it last year, and it was well worth the trip to get there. Fairly easy to get to from Cologne for a day trip.

It was quite the experience, and there is nothing really quite like it anywhere else. If I remember correctly, it was quite scenic too, as most of the time you are above the nice clear river, and I remember the area being quite green.

For some reason, I expected the Schwebebahn to be fairly lightly used, but it is a busy line, and I'm not sure I enjoyed standing on one of my trips! I was lucky to have a few trips on the older stock - the new stock was in the minority then.
 
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Gerald Fiennes

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Yep, definitely worth going on one day. Have been one or two safety issues over the past decade, hence the line is being renovated again as far as I know. The super-elevation around the curves indeed is slightly un-nerving at first, I think it is at a greater angle than on normal lines, but you soon get used to it.
 
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jfollows

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duesselmartin said:
It is still out of service for repair.
Initially 1. August was planned for re-opening but that date is now in doubt.
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Today's (Thursday August 1st.) Guardian reports the line's reopening.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-electric-suspension-train-reopens-in-germany
World's oldest electric suspension train reopens in Germany
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Wuppertal’s so-called Schwebebahn was undergoing repairs for almost nine months

Kate Connolly in Berlin

Thu 1 Aug 2019 16.22 BST


The Wuppertal suspension railway is back in service. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA

The world’s oldest electric suspension railway has reopened in the western German city of Wuppertal following the longest closure in its history for extensive repairs.

Commuters and train buffs greeted the hanging train or the Schwebebahn which had been shut down for almost nine months with cheers and applause as it left its depot in Oberbarmen just after dawn.
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