Let's Ride ... The Wuppertal Schwebebahn

It's time to go Dangling! When in Germany recently on the Siemens trip I realised that just a short ride away was a railway that was a suspended monorail up in the aie, and dangles down above a river, and that I really needed to go for a ride on it ...
Thanks to Chris & Nicole for joining me, and translating for me! The German word for 'Sway' is 'Schwanken' and Christ later told me that "See it, say it, sorted" should be "Sieh es, Sag es, Geregelt"
Tim Traveller's (it was his very first!) video:
• Schwebebahn: Why Wuppe...

[@edwardlees4585]

It does seem that every transport KZbinr needs to make pilgrimage to Wuppertal at some point in their career. I'm glad Geoff made it. And he's the first I've seen to highlight the souvenir shop.

[@geofftech2]

Tom's been, Tim Traveller has been, DadRail has been ... yes! it was about time :-)

[@ixlnxs]

Einmal im leben.... .... oben Wuppertal schweben! @@geofftech2 (Sorry if my German isn't entirely grammatically correct)

[@chestertonboobons9333]

It brings a whole new meaning when you ask somone if they fancy hanging out.

[@BeeblebroxZaph]

When Geoff was counting the stairs, I was waiting for him to exclaim that it would be equivalent to 15 floors 🤣See It, Say It, Sorted.

[@johnlister]

That was my thought too!

[@Cowman9791]

Doing that would have been a case of 'climb it, count it, say it, sorted'

[@allthingsgerman]

I was waiting for information about the car parks ;-)

[@geofftech2]

Chris later told me that "See it, say it, sorted" should actually be "Sieh es, Sag es, Geregelt" I also regret not 'Dangling' my video camera for a portion of this video (i.e. holding it upside down by the tripod), and perhaps calling it the 'Sway Ber Bahn' too!

[@Ro99]

I don’t think he would be the only person to misunderstand it and think it’s sort it rather than sorted (I mean the person misunderstanding I know it’s actually sorted)

[@Trockenshampooleopard]

I'd suggest "Kumma, samma, hamma." as in "Kumma da! Samma wat! Hamma jeklärt."

[@djlewis5149]

Or the post office mantra see it, squash it, sort it 😅

[@guusjeeggen]

Dutch: Zie iets, Zeg iets, Opgelost

[@jandieken8354]

Another possible translation could be "Gesehen. Gesagt. Geklärt.". Of course this is just a translation that transfers the meaning, not the exact translation for the words in English.

[@MirkoC407]

Fun fact, "Amtsgericht" is basically the same as a county court, i.e. also where you register and unregister a business. And, you might have noticed or not, but it is on an island. So when you have to give up something (today as a literal saying not only a business) you say "Es geht über die Wupper", i.e. "It goes over the Wupper. Because no matter from where you come, to get to the court and unregister your bust company, you have to go over a Wupper bridge onto that island. And instead of "My company is bankrupt" it sounded less ashaming to say "I have to go over the Wupper."

[@richiehoyt8487]

That is so interesting. Really, no sarcasm. 👍

[@roerd]

Sounds like a regional variant von "über den Jordan gehen" (to go over the Jordan) as slang for dying.

[@leDespicable]

@@roerd I think it kind of has leaked into general colloquial German, at least I've heard several people use it before that definitely aren't from Wuppertal

[@MirkoC407]

@@leDespicableI'm neither, although my brother moved there and told the background story. However, we both knew that phrase already before, when we lived at our parents' about 150 km away from Wuppertal.

[@chimefloon-w-4146]

​@@leDespicableI've absolutely never heard it in my life, and I'm even from NRW 😂

[@haraldselke]

I grew up in Wuppertal (not far from the Oberbarmen end of the Schwebebahn). We always knew that it was special (or as my best friend usually says: “a very funny concept”), but for us it was so normal to ride it. People who don’t know much about the Schwebebahn 🚟 often assume it is some tourist attraction - which in a way it is -, but at its core it is the main means of transport along the valley from east to west and vice versa and used by many commuters every day.

[@gormoboskos]

It's brilliant using the tight river sections like this

[@jmtubbs1639]

I remember seeing the braiding machines through windows in Barmen from the Schwebebahn in 1973. I worked for an English braiding company at the time.

[@NoZoDE]

I have also noticed this phenomenom myself. While not from Wupeprtal, rather Franconia, I never was that impressed by being surrounded by 500m "mountains", having 800+ year old castles in every village, etc etc. but I can see why there are tourists coming here, many of them from America

[@hymek7017]

Putting the rails so far up in the air is a great way to keep leaves off the line. 😉😉

[@Mreasyplay2]

"Einmal im Leben durch Wuppertal schweben" - Once in a lifetime, fly through Wuppertal!

[@LasseGreiner]

Nitpicking here: I would translate to "glide" in the context but that is debatable of course. Thanks for reminding me on this advertisment slogan.

[@bedri1]

@@LasseGreiner hover or levitate through wuppertal. gliding is for wings without engine - like para gliders or sailplanes

[@u1zha]

@@bedri1 In airplane context yes, but gliding is a word outside that context too. Gliding can be powered, e.g. a gondola in Venice

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

5:28 No, Germans don’t use the "English word for break“. German and English are both Germanic languages, so a lot of words are very similar or even the same in both languages and are just pronounced differently. I think a lot of English-speakers would be surprised if they knew how similar German and English actually are.

[@FindecanorNotGmail]

The word came to German and English from Latin, which had borrowed it from Greek.

[@roderickjoyce6716]

I lived in Germany and Italy when I was young. It took me about a year to learn German. It took me two years to learn Italian. It took a lot longer to learn both languages in depth but Italian was definitely harder. Forty-odd years later I'm equally as fluent in both languages as I am in English, but I still feel more at home in German (even though my wife is Italian).

[@benespection]

It's a very English thing to do, assuming it came from the English language and ignore the total mongrel of a language that English is itself, with all these borrowed words :)

[@fulknerra6116]

Except for the three genders, the declined nouns, the conjugated verbs, the 'verb 2' rule, the adjectival agreements, the word order and rules for subclauses, the pushing together of verbs and conjunctions, and compound nouns....yes, they are very similar. Hammer's German grammar is a very thick book.

[@Rutgerman95]

You could see the brief, well, pause on his face where he seemed to be considering explaining all that or just go "yeah sure lets go with that"

[@timor64]

Although it feels precarious it's been very safe. The only accident I know of happened when they put an elephant in one of the carriages.

[@acm_1985]

Sadly there had been a tragic accident in 1999. A train collidet with a construction site, derailed and crashed into the river killing 5 and severely woundet another 47 people.

[@singapuu7643]

This is a quite interesting recollection, especially because it's held by a lot of people. Yes the Schwebebahn is very safe, but it has had incidents and accidents. Most notably a tragically fallen Train in 1999. But for some reason people seem to forget that happened, I've had professors tell me the same thing in lectures that you just did.

[@maxtremetrains3743]

Well it wasnt really an accident, the elephant jumped out of the carriage during a pr stunt in the year 1950 into the (quite shallow) river because she panicked. She wasnt really injured tho, and still lived with the circus for another 39 years until 1989. However there has actually been ONE fatal accident with the Schwebebahn in 1999 with 5 casulties and 47 injured because a construction piece was left on the track which the first train of the day hit and then completely fell into the river. The only other probably notable incident happened in 2018 where a part of the electrified rail (which would be the “third rail“ on some conventional train/metro lines) fell down onto a stopped car on a bridge below and hit the rear. Luckily neither the driver of the car nor anyone else was hurt.

[@another_pointless_account4130]

My mum, too, has been to Wuppertal.

[@KaterChris]

Also there have been a couple of incidents where unfamiliar drivers or operators of cranes and cherry pickers on the street underneath the line didn't pay attention and struck moving trains with their equipment.

[@memofromessex]

"So you use the British word 'Pause' to mean break" is such a Brit-abroad way of saying things!

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Austrian buses have "Kaffeepause" on the front when laying over. (Austrian buses have to be very wide to fit such displays on)

[@barvdw]

I'd say pause is originally French.

[@poluki]

As a German viewer, I must say this is a must see for railway enthusiasts looking to discover Germany

[@PhilSmith71]

I recently visited Wuppertal with a friend of mine who retired a year ago after 50 years on the railway. We both really enjoyed the whole Schwebebahn experience. We took the ICE back to Hamburg to visit Miniatur Wunderland which was fantastic. For anyone wanting to travel to/from Hamburg Hbf or the airport, use the S-bahn from Stadthausbrücke station for Miniature Wunderland for a quicker journey than the U-bahn. Great video Geoff! 👍

[@TSSaale]

This is a really nice video🎉 Because, I was in Wuppertal before, I have some Fun Facts for you: • The Schwebebahn is officially classified as a subway. • It uses ETCS. • Wuppertal was the last city in Germany to lose its tram network. Only a small part survives as a museum. Of course there are other tram networks in Germany, but Wuppertal was the last city to discontinue theirs. I hope, you learn something new.😄

[@enisra_bowman]

uh, you should note that Wuppertal was the last city that lost it's tram ... before they stopped doing that, since there are still many left

[@obelic71]

@@enisra_bowman Yes and its increasing. For example west Berlin did not have trams anymore before unification and the tramlines from East Berlin were extended and former old tram lines are being resurected. Also several cities like Aachen regret getting rid of their tramsystem now.

[@LasseGreiner]

Abolishing a perfectly working and useful tram network was one of the great losses due to car fetishism. They have regretted it.

[@sglenny001]

​@@obelic71did any other East German City's have trams I know the Eastern block and socialist politics values public transport ie trams

[@TSSaale]

​​@@enisra_bowmani hope its better now

[@robinparkes9]

I’ve travelled on the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and trains in and out of Cologne but never had the opportunity to ride the Wuppertal train. I’ve always been fascinated by it. Thank you for a very entertaining video.

[@icecranberry2148]

I was recently in Bremen riding their trams (Strassenbahn) amd they have their very own Bremen pattern! I'm sure Geoff would love this detail too.

[@erik_griswold]

Too bad! You can ride the Schwebebahn using the same NRW day ticket that works in Cologne

[@michaelz.7140]

@@icecranberry2148 whats so special about bremer straßenbahn?

[@michaelz.7140]

@@erik_griswold or the same day ticket that works in düsseldorf, then its a vrr-ticket. cologne would be vrs (local transport cooperations)

[@erik_griswold]

@@michaelz.7140 But I thought the VRS (Köln/Bonn) and the VRR (Wuppertal and Düsseldorf) tickets are different?

[@patrickmaynard7553]

I love the moment at 5:26 where you can see the translator briefly internally debating whether to go into the idea that most English words come from German words before he just wisely decides to let it go :-)

[@JudgeHill]

this specific usage comes from French :)

[@patrickmaynard7553]

@@JudgeHill nice :-)

[@segawalilac]

I took the Shonan Monorail in Japan recently, which is twinned with this. I had more fun than I expected. It even went through a tunnel!

[@bobk4404]

I have ridden this line half a dozen times and find it, and its history, to be enjoyable and absorbing. I especially like the Vohwinkel end of the line because of the over-street running and the fact that you can change here onto trolleybuses - all very fun. I love the way that the city is proud of its very unusual hanging railway and promote it. You clearly really enjoyed your visit to Wuppertal; loved the video, thank you.

[@4307kettwig]

At Vohwinkel, the western terminus, you also can change from the Schwebebahn onto a line of the Solingen trolleybus, one of three remaining networks in Germany.

[@RichardWatt]

I know of Solingen from the scissor manufacturers - we ordered a pair of hairdressing scissors from them a few years ago.

[@MarceloBenoit-trenes]

I was here to comment the same.

[@FelixvonMontfort]

I'm totally shocked that a fun fact loving guy like Geoff didn't mention the Elephant Story of the Schwebebahn. Does he even know?? :D

[@ingemarolson3240]

Same here, and in fact neither did Tim, which is even more surprising. Wikipedia article: Tuffi

[@nixmixes770]

Ich haette "Sieh es, Sage es, Erledigt" gesagt. A marvel of engineering and transportation.

[@stevewarner9095]

Rode this when based in Germany in the 1980’s. My kids loved it, and we visited Wuppertal Zoo, it’s one of the stops. Siemens test track is based at what was RAF Wildenrath where I was based. We loved our time in Germany.

[@richselby7878]

This should be a UNESCO world heritage site. Unique and amazing and historic.

[@evabrinckmann3231]

I live in Wuppertal, we love our Schwebebahn! Next time you should tell the story of Tuffi the elephant baby which fell out of the Schwebebahn and lived.

[@atroposmoira5285]

Instantly thought about Tuffi too and asked myself if they told him the story 😂

[@u1zha]

​@@atroposmoira5285 I think the logo on the souvenir socks 1:20 might be elephant inspired. All in all I bet the story has not escaped Geoff's attention, but he wasn't going to repeat it on air because cliche. And guaranteed engagement. 😁

[@maniak1768]

Wuppertal is such an otherworldly city, a very very odd place to even exist. It's around a 45 minute-drive from my home, yet it feels like a steampunk parallel universe.

[@leaholle6916]

As someone from Wuppertal I can confirm, it never gets old. I enjoy a good suspension railway ride so much. The problem is, that it's super overfilled sometimes. Something I'm very amazed by is that while I don't particularly have a problem with height, i get scared when the ground underneath me gets shaky, like the slight wobble you mentioned. I also don't really like things hanging above me too much. However, the suspension railway never gave me a feeling like that. I always felt super safe around it.

[@robbieandrew4075]

I went on holiday this year to Wuppertal for the Schwebebahn and it was honestly one of the best days of my life. I proposed to my boyfriend of 10 years of that day. What a magical place

[@Platformtickets]

There is another one in Chiba Japan (not too far from Tokyo).... hint hint Geoff - lots and lots and lots to make films about in Japan!

[@lauppfrosch]

We had so much fun on this day! 😎 Thanks a lot!

[@SolarisUrbinoFan]

As far as I know, the swaying used to be much more in the older trains on purpose so the trains could go faster around corners like a tilting train. The new trains are a bit slower I think because of their size there would be a risk if they would sway too much.

[@JimInRoses]

I visited Wuppertal as a birthday treat in 2019 to discover that the Schwebebahn was closed for refurbishment. It was cold comfort that we could watch the things go past on test trips. So for me, it was einmal in Leben durch Wuppertal mit dem Ersatzbusverkehr fahren. The birthplace of Engels was also closed, so my birthday was almost a complete washout. And why did nobody tell Geoff about the elephant?

[@Eddyspeeder]

One of my best childhood memories was when we rode this train. I must have been only about 5 or 6 years old because everything else is a blur, except for this lightbulb memory where I vividly remember the experience of being on that train, it already getting dark outside, and I pressing myself up against the window to peek down. I was too fascinated to be scared. I really look forward to going back there some time!

[@Grid56]

I love this system. I wish I'd had chance to see it when i was in Europe. I like how you can see out the front and being suspended yuo get a good view down onto the city.

[@veganmonter]

I had to take a month long course in Germany, and my choice was Berlin or Düsseldorf. Although I love Berlin, I did Düsseldorf so I could make an excuse to "ride a unique train in Wuppertal" (and visit Neanderthal) because I am such a nerd. Why, yes, my wife does love me for who I am, why do you ask?

[@MrJimheeren]

Good for you. I once drag my friends with me to Wuppertal especially for this train. They hated me. But I didn’t care

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Interesting fact about the Neanderthal - Thal is German for valley but the river in the Neanderthal is the Dussel, tyhe valley is named after Joachim Newmann who, in the fashion of the 17th century, translated his surname into Greek: Ne-ander (compare Gottlieb aka Theophilus aka Amadeus). It was entirely fortuitous that the fossil of a new human species wuld be discovered there 200 years later.

[@paulsengupta971]

@@MrJimheeren Funny thing, once, when I was in Dusseldorf, I dragged a friend of mine, who had lived and worked in Dusseldorf for many years, to Wuppertal as he'd never been on this before. 🙂

[@gormoboskos]

I too love you random geography-happy youtuber!

[@cr5418]

We were there a couple of weeks ago! I'm a Brit living in Germany and have wanted to visit the Schwebebahn since I saw Tim's video. My husband likes seeing different football stadiums so it was perfect for us - we rode the Schwebebahn, my husband went to the football there which has an amazing stadium and then I took my daughter to the zoo!! It was a great experience.

[@grahamcroucher5251]

I love the dingley dangley Railway. Great for bird watching over the river!

[@Fan652w]

I was very surprised that your friends Chris and Nicole did not have the 49-Euros a month Deutschland Ticket. More importantly,. you should have stressed that as is the case throughout Germany, all forms of local public transport within an urban region will use the same ticketing system. in Wuppertal's case the Schwebebahn uses the Rhine-Ruhr Verkehrsverbund ticketing which covers buses, trams, S-bahn and RB trains and the Solingen trolleybuses which connect with the Schwebebahn at the Vohwinkel terminus.

[@roderickjoyce6716]

I weep. Once upon a time in Tyne & Wear we had an English version of a Verkehrsverbund. Then along came Mrs Thatcher who thought buses were for losers, and privatised them, breaking the integration with the Metro and local mainline trains. There is some through ticketing, but it's more expensive and less flexible than the old system.

[@PG-nf9wx]

just wanted to mention this. how can public transport nerds in Germany not have one

[@Fan652w]

@@PG-nf9wx I entirely agree. Had I been Chris or Nicole, I would have been waving my Deutschland Ticket right in front of Geoff's camera!

[@danieleyre8913]

Geoff talked about something like this for London. You couldn’t build the superstructure needed across the Thames. However it could be practical up the Lea river Valley or above the old grand union canal.

[@JamesFluker]

I did the same thing last year! It's a magnificent piece of engineering and a testament to a different period of time - perhaps to a future that never came to pass. But it's an incredibly effective piece of rapid transit and serves its purpose in the narrow Wupper valley perfectly.

[@raphaelbrasse1996]

I love that you have made a video about this! As a dutchman, I am such a fan of the system that I have a permanent tattoo of the GTW72 on my arm.

[@Dragneel20]

You should come to Germany way more often, we have so many interesting railways and more, e.g. the automated Dortmund H-Bahn and Düsseldorf SkyTrain, Brockenbahn steam train, Stuttgart "Zacke" (cog railway), the Hamburg and Berlin U-Bahn to name a few.

[@TalesOfWar]

I like the name Danglebahn lol. It's very in keeping with the precise and literal meaning many German words tend to have lol.

[@JohnLeeming23]

I suspect that if it were a German word it would be Dangelbahn.

[@nnadir__]

The in-line wheel arrangement does cause swaying, but on the other hand, look at that turning radius!

[@enisra_bowman]

Sidenote: Those white lines are tactile tiles for the visualy impared to feel where they need to go or stop and found basicly everywhere near anykind of trainrelated infrastructure

[@tubataxidriver1959]

I like the advertising hoardings on the underneath of the carriages.

[@phoe8523]

This is also one of the few actual Mono-Rails in the world, operating in regular public transport and not just as an attraction or simple people-mover. Also, the safety-record is quite impressive, considering the age of the system itself.

[@MarceloBenoit-trenes]

I think that it is the only useful monorail in the world.

[@edwinfeindt8055]

A funny video of the Wuppertaler Hängebahn. Wonderful! We have been there several times and drove with it. We never felt unsecure. It's an amazing event.

[@gordonbrown7063]

Great video Geoff. I visited the depot back in 2005, we were given a short film show about the line's history and its recovery after WW2 followed by a tour around the maintenance depot including some vintage dangle bahns! Really friendly people. Keep up the good work.

[@StephaneFontaine81]

Also worth to mention : Wuppertal is a made-up city, which did become a city because of the Schwebebahn. Before, you had separate towns and linking them with this wonder of engineering did trigger the merge of these towns in the city. They took a few years to decide which town would have its train station renamed "Wuppertal Hbf", because the town in the middle, the biggest town and the most influent town were not the same...

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

1:24 With the appearance of the Shwebebahn pasta you've just upped the "if you love me as a train fan, you'll get me some of that for Christmas" desirability and difficulty stakes to the stratosphere.

[@1234j]

Schwebebahn pasta? We could have Circle Line spaghetti hoops. Ohhh yesss.🎉😂

[@MervynPartin]

Well done, Geoff. This has been the BEST coverage of this system that I have ever seen, not even knowing that it had a section over the street or the terminal arrangements. Chris and Nicole were great. Thank you also for introducing me to the word "Danglebahn" which I now can't get out of my head.

[@timwayne2256]

Dangle Bahn... That's going to be my word of 2023. 😊

[@Maxime_K-G]

You really hear the British health and safety mentality in everything you say. 😂 I visited there exactly one year and one day ago when I was going from Brussels to Vienna by train. It was only 20 minutes outside of Cologne so I just had to come. It definitely exceeded expectations for me. Very fun and I also met some lovely people from all over the world while riding it.

[@tubefan93]

As you were in the area, I hope you visited the highest railway bridge of germany as well. The "Müngstener Brücke", which is located at the border of the two neighboring towns of Remscheid and Solingen.

[@graemecatty9921]

QQ: Is Solingen the steel making city?

[@catrachocolo]

​@@graemecatty9921Yes 😊

[@Steeler-wg5zo]

@@graemecatty9921 Sheffield is the 'English Solingen' or vice versa ...both well known for excellent cutlery products.

[@76_SPZL]

You can see very old footage of people riding this on KZbin. It's incredible just how old and still operational the service is.

[@JasperJanssen]

I rode it back in the 80s, when I was small. And I came back a year or two ago. (Although to be fair, I regularly ride the Utrecht to Amsterdam line which started in the 1860s.)

[@SiVlog1989]

I remember in Tim's video, he briefly talked about the Kaiserwagen, I hope I spelled it right. This was a special train built specifically for Kaiser Wilhelm II for the opening of the line in 1901. It has (correct to the timing of his upload) been preserved and can be hired out for a fee. Imagine something like that on the Tube, having a special train people can hire and ride on the active network

[@letsplaypetrus4802]

You spelled it correctly

[@k.r.baylor8825]

In Helsinki, Finland, there is a special tram that runs on the city network that is simply a "pub tram." Seating 24, one can get drinks on the SparaKoff and give oneself a cheap tour of the city. Here is the Wiki on this fabulous concept, which should be replicated on every subway and tram network in the world: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A5raKoff

[@SiVlog1989]

@@letsplaypetrus4802 danke schön :)

[@SouvikMukherjeeACFCOD]

You should also cover the 49 Euro Deutschland Ticket. Great concept!

[@rjtravels68]

You know you're going to have a good rest of your day when you see that Geoff uploads.

[@MartinBrenner]

Haven't been riding in the new trains yet, definitely need to get to Wuppertal again and it is included in the Deutschlandticket.

[@richiangriff]

I came across the Schwebebahn on a Facebook Interrailing group and hopped over to KZbin to check it out. I picked this video and couldn't have asked for a better introduction, loved your enthusiasm, wonderfully matched by the bewilderment of your female friend. I will be visiting. Thank you 👍

[@richardneale246]

I visited Wuppertal in the late 1960's and rode on the Schwebebahn. The trains were dark red and looked more like converted trams.

[@davidpiper3652]

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn has a twin in Japan, the Shonan Monorail Enoshima Line, you should go to Japan and ride it.

[@u1zha]

Not really a twin, except in symbolic/PR sense. It isn't dangling, the rail there is an actual guideway preventing dangling, as far as I can tell.

[@lars7935]

@@u1zhaIt is a pretty bumpy ride though since it has some rather steep sections and goes fast for a monorail.

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

Excellent that you have finally been able to visit and make a video after Tom Scott and Tim!

[@martinrobinson9061]

Well done Geoff. Your video’s are very joyful and relaxing. Thank you.

[@anthonydefreitas6006]

Everyone is hanging around to find out , what is the least used station on the Wuppertal railway ?

[@RubbishGimpy]

And is there a bin bag blowing in the breeze.

[@nebulaaah]

Geoff, your joy is infectious. I'm always left grinning whilst watching your videos. I need to visit Wuppertal now!

[@johnstanton6383]

I've watched a huge number of your videos and this one definitely ranks as one of your best. I travelled on this earlier this year and the timely and we'll-composed shots of the moving trains are right on point. Excellent!

[@bobtudbury8505]

been here many times since the 6o's / never get tired of it

[@staplafara]

"Pendeln" might be the term you where looking for. There is a sign right at the door, that say´s: Vorsicht (Caution) Wagen pendelt (Wagon swings). I hope you enjoyed the ride.

[@rafsonrafson]

Geoff, if you're ever in Japan, make sure to visit Chiba (just a short train ride from Tokyo) and ride on their suspended monorail system, which is the longest in the world (according to Wikipedia). You'll be delighted!

[@tramcrazy]

I went past this on the ICE in the summer, it is so cool to see a video on it!! Amazing!!

[@NeoDerGrose]

The old stock had an open driver cap, just like many old trams. You could stand next to the driver an look out front. Have you ridden the more modern suspended monorails in Düsseldorf and Dortmund? They aren't as long and have even smaller trains, but they are fully automated (not even any staff on board). This means you can sit or stand up front, just like at the DLR, but without the track under you. Especially the one at Dortmund University is really fun to ride. Btw. you have to come to Tyrol one time. We have some nice rail stuff here. We have beautiful mountain railways, we ate building the worlds longest rail tunnel (take that Switzerland) and we probably have Europe's smallest and highest subway and I'm pretty sure we have Europe's highest bus stop.

[@steveboardman5778]

I first went on the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal in 1974 on the school trip. I was 13. Our teacher told us we could travel one stop. We got the German slightly wrong and bought tickets to the end of the line. Amazing technology for its time.

[@kenmorris100]

Geoff thanks for this video which brought back a memory of many years ago when I was in Wuppertal with my family and had a short ride on the old rolling stock before it was modernised. I have travelled on transit systems around the world and there is nowhere that can beat this experience.

[@psprog]

Yeah I went there for the suspension railway when I was in Dusseldorf a few years ago. Amazing stuff, was super surprised to find out when it was originally built!

[@mbarker]

I was on a factory tour in Denmark and saw a sign above a room that said "Pauserum" for "Break room". Made me laugh.

[@normancrosbie2949]

Great to see the Schwebebahn again, I last rode it in the early 80's when stationed in W.Germany with the BAOR , loved it then still love it today. 👍

[@havingalook2]

Oh how that would be fun!!! What a lovely couple to show you the way - wonderful. Loved this video.

[@erxcrf49]

Such a brilliant watch, this, for a Geoff fan from Germany. Fantastic video!

[@iloveimageprocessing]

Wuppertal has been on my bucket list for many years.

[@pb4rton]

It may have lift access, but I don't think I would like get a wheelchair over the gap with it wobbling like that! Thanks Geoff for this video!

[@neilcobb1731]

Great to see you go on the Schwebehahn Geoff! Went on it myself back in May, and will be going back on in June 2024 when I go back to Germany.

[@doughunt9621]

I was first aware of the Schwebebahn as it was pictured on a (PG Tips) tea card in the early 60s. I always wanted to visit it and did so a few years ago, and again only 2 days ago as we were visiting the Christmas Markets in Dusseldorf. I would love to ride it several times in one visit, but my wife and daughter were not terribly impressed.

[@japanesetrainandtravel6168]

Come to Japan to ride the Shonan Monorail or the Chiba Monorail (both suspended monorails) - for a much more stable ride

[@liamtahaney713]

I love Wuppertal. It’s quite a charming medium sized city

[@j.s.7335]

This was fascinating. I never had seen inside a train, and I never considered the swaying. I felt like I got the full experience. Thanks, Geoff.

[@PavanaBird]

I've been waiting for this video to happen for years. Love this for me

[@deansiracusa3966]

I was in Germany on business earlier this year and had to spend a day riding the Schwebebahn! So much fun!

[@r.m.9450]

Born there in 1950, I rode the Schwebebahn on many occasions with the family on shopping trips. i was always amazed when i rode it, it brings back a lot of memories ". Thanks "

[@Abel_DG]

To everyone planning to ride the schwebebahn: i'd advise getting on at a terminus station, so you can get a seat at the rear window. Wuppertal Oberbarmen is more quiet in my experience.

[@icecranberry2148]

Oh, you're in Germany! I also want to visit Wuppertal for that exact reason. I love how fascinated you were by the white line. Sometimes trains go just through the stations (don't stop at yours, tbf, that happens in the UK too) so it's best to stay behind at all times. Although the last time I heard an annoucement to please mind the gap was in London in October when a guy sounded frustrated "You, yes you, you know who you are, please stay behind the line." (To a woman not far from me)

[@BernardGarceau]

lovely stuff Geoff! Bucket list travel journey for sure!!

[@keithp53]

When my adult German conversation class played a game called "The Museum Of Curiosity", which some Geoff Marshall channel viewers may know comes around every so often on BBC Radio 4, I nominated this, die Wuppertaler Schwebebahn, to go into that magnificent never-ending collection. I had to explain what it was as the... strangest... public transport solution you've ever seen to fellow class members!

[@varalobaone4339]

Having been to Dusseldorf many times on business, and not been to Wuppertal, a few years ago I decided to ride on this train on my way to Frankfurt. Considering its age, it is a fantastic feat of engineering at its time, (still relevant today) and a wonderful experience, I did exactly the same and rode the whole length, high above the ground, rivers and roads, it certainly was one of those life experiences, and would advise anyone interested to make the same journey.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Oh Geoff, I am so jealous! I have known about this since the early 1970s, as one of our family friends was born in Wuppertal and rode it since he was a kid. I have always wanted to ride this and this video was amazing. Love the sounds. Thanks.

[@driver288]

Smart move to go to Wuppertal. It’s a truly remarkable train they have there. Unique and really really old. Also they have a heritage train. I’m only half way so maybe we come to that. But the history of it is fascinating. And it’s still very useful and well liked

[@MegaBreadvan]

Excellent video. Brings back memories for me as I rode on it with a German friend back in 1994. I now live near Paris, so know the RER well too.

[@chazzyb8660]

Some years ago now, when sitting through a wonderful presentation on the early planning of Milton Keynes (then to be named Pooleyville, after our county architect) it was said that the team went on a 'fact finding mission' around the transport systems of Europe. The 'dangle-train' was the system they were going to use to get people around town with. What a great loss that the car and roundabout won out instead. Still, given the road layout, perhaps it could still happen?

[@anokata-kd8oc]

I missed you.. I'm living here as well. The swinging of the Schwebebahn is something you get used to, at least after one month.