In the late nineteenth century, the rapidly expanding industrial cities along the narrow Wupper River valley faced an acute urban dilemma. Flanked by steep hillsides and packed with textile mills, the terrain left virtually no room for conventional streetcars or steam railways. Engineer Eugen Langen proposed a radical solution: build a railway that floats above the water.
Opened in 1901, the Wuppertal Suspension Railway (Wuppertaler Schwebebahn) became the world's first electric elevated monorail system, and it remains in continuous daily operation today. Suspended beneath an intricate continuous steel support structure consisting of nearly 500 steel framing arches, the trains hang directly over 10 kilometers of the Wupper River bed and 3 kilometers of narrow city streets. The mechanics are uniquely elegant.
Each carriage hangs from two bogies equipped with single-flanged wheels riding on a single elevated rail mounted underneath the supporting frame. Electric motors power the wheels above, allowing the suspended cars to swing freely into curves at angles up to 15 degrees, minimizing centrifugal force for passengers and drastically reducing wear on the steel track. Beyond its daily transport of tens of thousands of commuters, the Schwebebahn is legendary for a bizarre 1950 promotional stunt involving a young elephant named Tuffi.
Overwhelmed by the noise during her ride, Tuffi crashed through a car window and fell 12 meters into the muddy river below, emerging entirely uninjured.