Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-24
COMING OF THE ONE-RAIL ROAD
Features of the Foreign MonO-Rail
and systems Projected in This
Country

Within few months the term monorail-
road mas acquired new significance which
Is likely to become exclusive, in the sue
cessful operation OF the gyroscOpe cars
upon a single rail laid upon the level Of
the ground In the older application OF
the name to the cars or trains suspended
from a single overhead rail no new princi-
pie was involved.
In the Elberfed to Barmen railway,
which runs along the valley Of the wup-
per. in Rhenish Prussia the monorai, or
single rail- is carried on steel girders sup
ported by A-shaped trestles, the cars hang
Ing downward and running between the
legs of the A. This road is something over
eight miles long and proceeds partly
through the main streets of the towns 1t
traverses and PARTLY suspended over the
River Wupper.
Its steepest grade is one foot in twenty
two feet. and the sharpest curve is a rad
icsl swing OF 295 feet. The working speed
vs. about thirty miles an hour.
The cars are 9.5 feet long and e.5 feet
wide. with capacity of fifty passengers.
Bach car has its independent motive
power, but the entire train is controlled
by the motorman in the front car
Each car is hung from two two-wheeled
trucks or bogies, twenty-six feet apart
the wheels Of which are thirty-five inches
In diameter. These wheels are driven by
electric motors mounted on the bogies A
cal when loaded with fifty passengers
makes up d total weight of fourteen tons,
or an average weight of about $40 pounds
per passenger, which compares favorably
with tho weight per passenger carried by
the ordintTy type Of elevated electric rail-
road.
Another cars of railway to which the
term monoraii voad has been applied is
that in which The cars are arranged in
pairs after tho fashion OF saddle-bags
hanging on opIGTite sides Of the central
elevated single rJil, carried on A-shaped
trestles, as in the Glberfeld road but run
ming on the outside of the legs Of the A.
instead of between them. In addition to
the supporting rail IL the top there are
y. two bearing rails on LOch leg of the A tc
steady the cars when in motion.
Such a road is projected between Liver
pool and Manchester, and at the proposed
speed of 100 miles per hour the distance
thlrty-two miles, would be covered In but
a little over q quarter of an hour, includ
ing stops. A road built on this principle
with some variations, is projected to rur
through Pelham Bay park to City Island
in the Bronx, New York City.
A third class of monorail-road Coz. Sist'
OF a single rail laid on the level of III
ground, being essentially half OF an ordi
nary two-rail road. The balance of tn.
cars is maintained by arms which reacl
out laterally, and are supported by maj
or horse walking at one side and sup
, plying the motive power at the same time
To form a fourth class comes the gyro
scope car running on a single rail, ant
preserving its own balRnce-the germ o
the monoraA road par excellence. Tw
{ types of the gyroscope car have been pro
! duced, the first by Louis Brennan, of Eng
land, who exhibited q model car earl
in 1907 and a practical service car fort
feet long and ten feet wide and weighin
twenty-five tons, which successfully carrie
forty passengers in December, 1909
The force made use of In maintainn
: the balance of the gyroscope cars is tn
t resistance which a rapidly revolving wheel
;. exerts against any change of the plane 1
t which 1t Is rotating.
d In the Brennan car the upright positio
n upon single rail is preserved by tw
o wheels revolving side by side in parall
n vertical planes. These wheels are three an
e five tenths feet in diameter and weigh 1,5
pounds each. and are placed IN vaouui
chambers to escape friction. They are mao
to revolye in contrary directions to counte
act certain tendencies to wabbllng and
II a speed Of 5000 revolutions per minute.
The other gyroscope car was invented
y Germany ny Richard Scherl. 1t differs fro
. the Brennan car In that the gyroscoI
- wheels rotate edge to edge in the horizont
= plane Of the floor Of the car and vel
much smaller than the Brennon wheel
&c weighing only 1875 Wounds each, and a
made TO rotate at speed of 5000 revolt
p tions per minute.-New York Times.