I just happened to be passing through downtown Seattle, and since I rode the famous monorail once about sixty years ago, it seemed like a good opportunity to visit it again...
The monorail is an idea whose time has come and gone, I would say. But it's still a rail-way, although one that would be particularly difficult to preserve in operation. Downtown Seattle has the only original Alweg system, still running in daily service.
Incidentally, I hadn't realized that "ALWEG" is actually the Swedish inventor's initials. I would have guessed it was a German abbreviation -- Anhangs-Linie-Weg or some such thing.
The system consists of two parallel tracks about a mile long, each with one four-car articulated train. There are no switches or anything; each train runs back and forth on its own track. The track is just a large concrete beam. Power is collected from two third rails, so to speak.
Maintenance must be a real headache.
One end of the line is at the famous Space Needle.
Anyway, let's go for a ride!
Well, that was fun. Just be glad we'll never have to maintain something like this!
3 comments:
The Seattle Monorail now connects to the light rail system so it's no longer a "no place to somewhere" system.
That's true, and we also rode the light-rail line which is quite heavily built and very active.
Even for a non-controversial comment, you should be identifying yourself.
Randy, I am sorry to have missed you guys on your trip to the North Wet. (Good timing for weather, by the way.) I guess you know about the local historic trolley stuff that can be skipped for seeing it earlier, but still it would have been nice to cross paths. Sounds like you had a good trip. O Anderson
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