Two Rooms and a Bath

remark

I wrote previously, that the only place left in the world, where "two-rooms-and-a-bath" type cars in regular use, are the Hungarian towns. This is not correct, as in Germany, the monorail service of Wuppertal uses similar structured articulated vehicles. Although here the car is suspended on bogies which are situated above, between the frontal and the rear section there is a real floating part. Alltogether there are 28 such vehicles in service nowdays, all made by MAN between 1972-75, having 4x50 HP motors and chopper control.

Wuppertal, 7
Wuppertal, 12
 

Wuppertal, 24
The monorail of Wuppertal, with an older type and the recently used ones. These are all unidirectional articulated cars, whith doors only on one side.


And at this point I must not skip the experimental O-bahn vehicle made by Mercedes-Benz - which was based on the construction of two bus with floating middle section. This was a unique car, without any further followers.

According to the conception of the O-bahn, the buses run in a closed lane, with side edges. The buses are fitted with side wheels, which keep them in the middle, without any need of steering. The closed track is also makes electric operation possible. The picture below shows only a test-track, however in EssenMannheim, and in Adelaide (Australia) there are some such sections operating with conventional diesel-buses. The self-steering systems of buses are starting to advance again in 2004, with more modern solutions.

O-bahn
The O-bahn of Mercedes-Benz.
<< Back! <<
Pictures from collection István Papp.

2004.07.