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| For the 50th anniversary of the ALWEG Seattle Monorail RUSS NOE, who works for Seattle Monorail Services, today's operator of the trains, has recreated and installed copies of the ALWEG name plates that originally graced the trains' end units. A big thank-you to Russ Noe for this wonderful work and for providing this photo! ---- Zum 50. Jubiläum der ALWEG Seattle Monorail hat RUSS NOE, der für den heutigen Betreiber der Züge - Seattle Monorail Services - arbeitet, Kopien der ALWEG-Schilder angefertigt und angebracht, wie sie ursprünglich an den Steuerwagen plaziert waren. Ein großes Dankeschön an Russ Noe für diese wunderbare Arbeit und für dieses Foto! - Photo all rights/alle Rechte Russ Noe. |
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ALWEG SEATTLE
Seattle Alweg Monorail
Seattle Alweg Einschienenbahn
1962 - 2012
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| In memory of my father, Rolf Krischer, Alweg mechanical engineer (above photo shows him working on one of the Seattle Alweg trains in the "Maintenance", below the World's Fair Alweg monorail station in Seattle in 1962). - In Erinnerung an meinen Vater, Rolf Krischer, Alweg Konstruktionsingenieur (im Bild oben arbeitet er an einem der Seattle Alweg-Züge in der "Maintenance", unter dem Weltausstellungsbahnhof in Seattle im Jahre 1962). - Photo Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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| During the construction phase of the World's Fair this button was worn by Alweg mechanical engineer Rolf Krischer. - Anstecker, den Alweg Konstruktionsingenieur Rolf Krischer während der Weltausstellungs-Bauphase trug. - Sammlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer - Photo + Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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The Seattle Alweg Monorail
Originally built for the
1962 Seattle World's Fair "Century 21"
April 21 - October 21
( today still going strong as the Seattle Center Monorail )
On March 24, 2012, there will be special celebrations organized by Seattle Monorail Services, operator of the historic Seattle Alweg monorail trains!
Die Seattle Alweg-Bahn
Ursprünglich gebaut für die
Seattle Weltausstellung 1962 "Century 21"
21. April - 21. Oktober
( heute noch immer erfolgreich in Betrieb als die
Seattle Center Monorail )
Am 24. März 2012 wird es eine besondere Feier dieses Jubiläums geben, organisiert von Seattle Monorail Services, dem Betreiber der beiden historischen Seattle Alweg Monorail Züge !
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| The Seattle ALWEG monorail trains were built for Alweg by Linke-Hofmann-Busch in Germany. The units were transported by the German Federal Railway from LHB's plant in Salzgitter to the Northsea port of Bremen. For the transport special railway cars had been designed and built by Alweg and LHB (the cars had already been used to transport Alweg's Torino train in 1961). These special duty cars were equipped with spoked wheels. So the modern Alweg monorail trains destined for the "Century 21" World's Fair in Seattle began their long journey on ancient looking spoked railway wheels ... - Die Seattle ALWEG Einschienenbahn-Züge wurden für die Firma Alweg von Linke-Hofmann-Busch in Deutschland gebaut. Die Zugeinheiten wurden per Deutsche Bundesbahn von LHB in Salzgitter nach Bremen zur Schiffsverladung transportiert. Für diesen Transport waren von Alweg und LHB spezielle Transportwaggons gebaut worden (die man auch benutzt hatte, um 1961 den Alweg-Zug für Turin zu transportieren). Diese Transportwagen waren mit Speichenrädern ausgestattet. Die modernen Alweg-Züge begannen also ihre lange Reise zur Seattle Weltausstellung "Century 21" auf Eisenbahnwagen mit antiquiert aussehenden Speichenrädern ... Photo Sammlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer |
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| The official 1962 ALWEG commemorative coin. On the back it says: ALWEG THE FIRST RAPID TRANSIT MONORAIL IN AMERICA - Die offizielle ALWEG-Münze von 1962, auf deren Rückseite steht: ALWEG THE FIRST RAPID TRANSIT MONORAIL IN AMERICA - Sammlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer - Photo Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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A BIG THANK YOU
TO TODAY's OPERATOR
of THE ALWEG SEATTLE MONORAIL
"SEATTLE MONORAIL SERVICES" !!!
The author of this website, Reinhard Krischer (Cologne, Germany) wishes to express his gratitude to the management and staff of Seattle Monorail Services for their amazing and very dedicated work to ensure that the historic Red and Blue Seattle Alweg trains could reach this anniversary in excellently refurbished condition. In the not too distant future transportation experts - who up to now still scoff at Alweg's monorail concept - will have to concede that the Seattle Alweg trains were and are precursors of more and more Alweg-type monorails being already operated or constructed in various parts of the world, particularly in emerging countries, where the Alweg concept has been understood and put to sound transportation use.
As the author of this website I also want to express my deep gratitude for the very generous invitation by Seattle Monorail Services to attend the anniversary celebrations! With a tear in either eye I am sadly unable to follow this invitation. I will be there in spirit with my very personal Seattle monorail memories, with memories of my father, Alweg's Seattle mechanical engineer (unforgotten are for example the numerous times when he took me along to "the Maintenance" underneath the Seattle Center Station and explained the trains' technology to me), and with many memories of my family's years in the Pacific Northwest and of the friends we found there!
Those memories of course also include visits to the Seattle World's Fair "Century 21". There I got first glimpses of the seemingly still far off age of computers. As it turned out Seattle became one of the pionieering computer age cities. When I started my Alweg research it was greatly aided by computer age wonders such as personal computers and the internet. And the Seattle Alweg Monorail in the year 2000 was still there and whisked through the newly opened EMP Building into Century 21. It had arrived! Through my research and even through the Seattle Green Line campaign I got to know via internet very interesting and helpful people, some have even become friends, worldwide. So it is most fitting that this very special 50th anniversary takes place in Seattle!
Reinhard Krischer
Cologne, Germany - March 5, 2012
Article about ENO YLINIEMI,
Chief Systems Engineer of Seattle Monorail Services,from May 11, 2012, on DL-Online (Detroit Lakes) by Pippi Mayfield:"A Seattle landmark: Frazee grad helps save the monorail"http://www.dl-online.com/event/article/id/67531/
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| Seattle Alweg 50th Anniversary in Cologne-Fuehlingen: on March 24, 2012, the author of this website visited the area of the former Alweg test site in the north of Cologne in Fuehlingen and took along the Alweg 1962 commemorative coin, in the background one can see the spire of the Fuehlingen parish church that can be seen in many original Alweg photos. - Alweg Seattle 50. Jubiläum in Köln-Fühlingen am 24. März 2012: Der Autor dieser Webseite machte einen Spaziergang am Fühlinger See, dort wo einst das Versuchsgelände der Firma Alweg im Norden Kölns gewesen war. Er nahm eine der offiziellen Alweg Seattle Gedenkmünzen von 1962 mit und fotografierte sie vor dem Hintergrund des Turms der Pfarrkirche von Fühlingen, der auf vielen original Alweg-Fotos auch zu sehen ist. - Photo + Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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EIN GROSSES DANKESCHÖN
AN DEN HEUTIGEN BETREIBER
DER ALWEG SEATTLE EINSCHIENENBAHN
"SEATTLE MONORAIL SERVICES" !!!
Der Autor dieser Webseite, Reinhard Krischer (Köln, Bundesrepublik Deutschland), möchte dem Management und den Mitarbeitern der Seattle Monorail Services seinen Dank ausprechen für deren erstaunliche und sehr engagierte Arbeit, mit der sie sicherstellten, daß die beiden historischen Seattle Alweg Züge, der Rote und der Blaue, dieses Jubiläum in ausgezeichnetem wiederaufgearbeitetem Zustand erreichen konnten. In der nicht allzu fernen Zukunft werden Verkehrsindustrie-Experten - die bis heute immer noch spöttelnd auf das Alweg-Einschienenbahn-Konzept herabblicken - zugeben müssen, daß die Seattle-Alweg-Züge die Vorläufer für mehr und mehr Einschienenbahnen vom Typ Alweg waren und sind, die bereits in verschiedenen Teilen der Welt, vor allem in Schwellenländern, in Betrieb oder in Bau sind, weil man dort das Alweg-Konzept begriffen hat und es vernünftige Verkehrsanwendung findet.
Als Autor dieser Webseite möchte ich mich auch sehr herzlich für die äußerst großzügige Einladung von Seattle Monorail Services zur Teilnahme an den Jubiläums-Feierlichkeiten in Seattle bedanken! Es treibt Tränen in meine Augen, sagen zu müssen, daß es mir leider nicht möglich ist, dieser zu folgen. Aber im Geiste werde ich mit meinen sehr persönlichen Seattle-Erinnerungen dabei sein, mit Erinnerungen an meinen Vater, Alwegs Seattle Konstruktionsingenieur ((unvergessen sind zum Beispiel die Besuche der "Maintenance" ("Werkstatt") unterhalb des Seattle Center Alweg-Bahnhofs, wohin mein Vater mich häufig mitnahm und mir die Zugtechnik erklärte)), und mit vielen Erinnerungen an die Jahre, in denen unsere Familie im Pacific Northwest lebte, und an die Freunde, die wir dort fanden!
Zu diesen Erinnerungen gehören natürlich auch Besuche der Seattle Weltausstellung "Century 21". Dort erhielt ich erste Einblicke in das seinerzeit noch weit entfernt wirkende Zeitalter der Computer. Wie sich wenig später herausstellte, wurde Seattle eine der Pionierstädte des Computer-Zeitalters. Als ich mit meinen Alweg-Recherchen begann, wurden diese maßgeblich erleichtert durch die Wunder des Computer-Zeitalters, die Personal Computer und das Internet. Und die Seattle Alweg Monorail war im Jahr 2000 noch immer in Betrieb und rauschte durch das neueröffnete EMP-Gebäude in das 21. Jahrhundert, ins Century 21. Sie war angekommen! Durch meine Recherche-Arbeit und auch durch die Seattle Green Line Kampagne lernte ich via Internet viele interessante und hilfreiche Leute kennen, einige sind sogar Freunde geworden, weltweit. So ist es sehr passend, daß dieses besondere 50. Jubiläum in Seattle stattfindet!
Reinhard Krischer
Köln, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - 5. März 2012
Artikel über ENO YLINIEMI,
Chief Systems Engineer of Seattle Monorail Services,vom 11. Mai 2012 auf DL-Online (Detroit Lakes) von Pippi Mayfield:"A Seattle landmark: Frazee grad helps save the monorail"http://www.dl-online.com/event/article/id/67531/
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| Commemorative plaque honoring the role the Alweg monorail played for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair at the Alweg fairgrounds station (Seattle Center Station today) in Seattle. - Tafel zur Würdigung der Rolle, die die Alweg-Bahn bei der Seattle Weltausstellung 1962 spielte (am Weltausstellungsbahnhof der Alweg-Strecke, heute Seattle Center Station). - Photo taken by my old Seattle friend Jack F. for this website/Foto wurde für diese Webseite von meinem alten Freund Jack F. aus Seattle aufgenommen. - Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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| For the 50th anniversary of the ALWEG Seattle Monorail the Seattle Center Foundation has reconstructed the original ALWEG neon sign above the entrance of the Seattle Center Station (in 1962 the World's Fair station). A big thank-you to Russ Noe of SMS for providing this photo! Photo all rights Matt Barthelow. ---- Zum 50. Jubiläum der ALWEG Seattle Monorail hat die Seattle Center Foundation das ursprüngliche ALWEG Neonschild über dem Eingang zur Seattle Center Station installiert, wie es 1962 auch zu sehen war, als dies der Alweg-Bahnhof auf dem Weltausstellungsgelände war. Ein großes Dankeschön an Russ Noe von SMS für dieses Foto! - Foto alle Rechte Matt Barthelow. |
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A special kind of tribute
to the Seattle Monorail Services team and the Alweg trains
by Seattle Times artist Gabriel Campanario,
the "Seattle Sketcher" of the Times
------------
Eine besondere Art von Huldigung an
das Seattle Monorail Services Team und die Alweg-Züge
von Seattle Times Zeichner Gabriel Campanario,
dem "Seattle Sketcher" der Times
"They keep the old monorail rolling"
March 9, 2012 / 9. März 2012
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| Cover of the March 1962 Seattle phone book. CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BELL's "CENTURY 21 CALLING" MOVIE FROM 1962. - Vorderseite des Seattle-Telefonbuchs vom März 1962. KLICKEN SIE AUF DAS BILD, UM DEN FILM "CENTURY 21 CALLING" DER PACIFIC NORTHWEST BELL TELEFONGESELLSCHAFT VON 1962 ZU SEHEN. - Sammlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer |
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THE NEXT FIFTY SEATTLE 2012
Official 50th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair
Offizielle Webseite für die Feiern zum 50. Jubiläum der Seattle Weltausstellung von 1962
WEBSITE
Video
The former Seattle World's Fair complex is today The Seattle Center
Das einstige Seattle Weltausstellungsgelände heißt heute
The Seattle Center
Seattle Center Foundation
Website
Video
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| The cover of Alweg's official brochure for its 1962 Seattle World's Fair monorail. - Die Titelseite der offiziellen Broschüre der Firma Alweg über ihre Einschienenbahn für die Weltausstellung 1962 in Seattle. - Collection/Sammlung Reinhard Krischer |
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The Seattle Museum of History & Industry
also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the
"Century 21" World's Fair of 1962.
Auch das Seattle Museum of History & Industry
feiert das 50. Jubiläum der
"Century 21" Weltausstellung von 1962.
HistoryLink.org - the Free Online Encyclopedia
of Washington State History
LINK
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| The cover of Reinhard Krischer's book about the history of the Alweg Company and the Alweg monorail, published in Germany in 2003, also shows the Seattle Alweg monorail with the Space Needle, the most famous landmark of the 1962 world's fair, in the background. - Der Umschlag des Buchs von Reinhard Krischer über die Geschichte der Firma Alweg und die Alweg-Bahn, das im Jahr 2003 im transpress-Verlag, Stuttgart, erschien, zeigt ebenfalls die Seattle Alweg-Bahn mit dem Aussichtsturm "Space Needle" (dem berühmtesten Wahrzeichen der Weltausstellung 1962) im Hintergrund. |
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| Alweg's Seattle Blue Train (2009), - the monorail principle. - Alweg Seattle Blauer Zug (2009) - das Einschienenbahn-Prinzip. - Photo Jack F. - Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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SPACE NEEDLE
PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER
( in 1962 = World's Fair Science Pavilion )
LINK
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| Alweg Seattle Monorail Red Train (2009) and Paul Allen's EMP, designed by Frank Gehry. - Alweg Seattle Roter Zug (2009) und Paul Allens EMP, entworfen von Frank Gehry. - Photo Jack F. - Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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Gespräch mit Bill Gates, geführt mit Martin Scholz, vom 29. Januar 2012 (z.B. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger und Frankfurter Rundschau).
The Carbon Company
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| Seattle World's Fair books 1963 and 2011 (Titles, etc. see below) - Bücher über die Weltausstellung Seattle aus den Jahren 1963 und 2011 (Titel, etc. siehe unten) - Photo Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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"CENTURY 21 - The Story of the Seattle World's Fair, 1962"
by Murray Morgan, with Special Photography by Steven C. Wilson
Published by Acme Press, Incorporated, Seattle
Distributed by University of Washington Press, Seattle
Published March, 1963
"THE FUTURE REMEMBERED - The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and its Legacy"
by Paula Becker, Alan J. Stein & The HistoryLink Staff
Copyright 2011, Seattle Center Foundation
Published by Seattle Center Foundation in association with HistoryInk/HistoryLink.org
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More than just a Footnote!
Thoughts about and responses to the official book for the 50th Seattle World's Fair anniversary ...
by Reinhard Krischer
March 2012
The official book for the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair "The Future Remembered - The 1962 World's Fair and its Legacy" by Paula Becker, Alan J. Stein and the HistoryLink Staff is much more than just a nostalgic look back at an international exposition.
It explains the motives that led to the planning and the organisation of this world's fair in a city that till then was despite its geographic and economic importance not very prominent, neither nationally nor internationally. The book then describes the construction phase of the exposition grounds and its various highlights and of course the exciting months of the actual world's fair itsself.
But it also deals in depth with the positive changes that the exposition brought for the city and the transformation of the exposition grounds from a world's fair site to an important civic center that touches all aspects of the life and development of the city and its future.
For students of world's fairs this book can become a standard textbook explaining the positive effects of such "mega-expositions" that today are principally looked at from an economic point of view. It also shows that world's fair sites and their landmark structures are not automatically expensive temporary extravaganzas, built to be torn down after a few months.
When now in the context of the various world's fair anniversary events the authors present their book to the public in the greater Seattle area there are always interesting and multifacetted responses by their audiences. One constant reaction centers on the 1962 Seattle Alweg monorail: people keep expressing the wish that the monorail should have been extended.
The question why the Seattle monorail was never extended - despite plans and positive public opinion to do so - is an intricate part of the overall history of the Alweg monorail concept because it is a situation that in its time Alweg and till today the monorail concept in general experienced and experiences worldwide. In Seattle this situation is particularly mystifying because while e.g. the information technology revolution began its endless and innovative progress around the globe urban transportation industry developments stagnated. So much so that in a city that had demonstrated what modern rapid transit transportation could be like, decades later burdened itsself with a conventional streetcar system. Even though its taxpaying citizens - as reactions during this anniversary year show once again - would gladly have seen their monorail extended, instead of having to wait for decades for a very oldfashioned, expensive and time consuming solution.
The response of the audiences at the book presentation events (thank you, Paula Becker, for describing this to me) is more than just a footnote to the overall world's fair story admirably and comprehensively presented in this book. It is a detail that should make city planners and city politicians think critically about their policies and the way they still "enforce" them. "Century 21" should not only stand for technical progress, but also for a change in the way city politics utilize and administrate that progress. By describing the formation and the work of the Seattle Center Foundation that today administrates the former world's fair site in Seattle the book offers an optimistic look at what "Century 21" can mean. Today's city politicians and administrators everywhere would be well advised to study this positive world's fair legacy. This official anniversary book could be a guide book and motivation for town and city hall administrators trying to find their way into Century 21 ...
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| Photo + Copyright Russ Noe |
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| Photo + Copyright Russ Noe |
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For the 50th anniversary of the ALWEG Seattle Monorail RUSS NOE, who works for Seattle Monorail Services, today's operator of the trains, has recreated and installed copies of the ALWEG name plates that originally graced the trains' end units. A big thank-you to Russ Noe for this wonderful work and for providing the above photos of the Blue and Red trains!
Zum 50. Jubiläum der ALWEG Seattle Monorail hat RUSS NOE, der für den heutigen Betreiber der Züge - Seattle Monorail Services - arbeitet, Kopien der ALWEG-Schilder angefertigt und angebracht, wie sie ursprünglich an den Steuerwagen plaziert waren. Ein großes Dankeschön an Russ Noe für diese wunderbare Arbeit und für die Fotos oben vom Blauen und Roten Zug! - Both photos all rights/beide Fotos alle Rechte Russ Noe.
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| ALWEG SEATTLE 2012 - The reconstructed sign above the Seattle Center Station. - Das wieder neu installierte Schild über dem Seattle Center Bahnhof. - Photo + Photo Copyright Megan Ching, Seattle Monorail Services |
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Was the Alweg Company a Swedish company?
No!
No, the Alweg Company was a German company with an American subsidiary. Axel L. Wenner-Gren, a Swedish business tycoon with global business interests, was the initiator and financier of the Alweg project in Cologne-Fühlingen in West Germany. The Alweg Company, founded and based in Cologne, was however a German company managed and staffed by German engineers. The influence of Wenner-Gren's Swedish consultants was minimal.
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War die Firma Alweg ein schwedisches Unternehmen?
Nein !
Nein, die Firma Alweg war ein deutsches Unternehmen mit einer amerikanischen Tochtergesellschaft. Axel L. Wenner-Gren, der global operierende schwedische Geschäftsmann, war Initiator und Finanzier des Alweg-Projekts in Köln-Fühlingen in Westdeutschland. Die Firma Alweg, in Köln gegründet und beheimatet, war jedoch eine deutsche Gesellschaft, deren Leitung und Personal aus deutschen Ingenieuren und Mitarbeitern bestand. Der Einfluß von Wenner-Grens schwedischen Beratern war minimal.
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| Alweg Seattle 2009 - Photo by Jack F. - Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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Everything about world's fairs
Alles über Weltausstellungen
ExpoMuseum
The World's Fair Museum Since 1998
LINK
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| Alweg Seattle 2009 - Photo by Jack F. - Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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A note about media coverage of the anniversary
re.: February 2012 issue of "SeattleMet" magazine
The February 2012 issue of the Seattle magazine "SeattleMet" is a special issue for the 50th Seattle World's Fair anniversary and it includes on page 60 a short note about the campaign for the Green Line (a monorail rapid transit line project for Seattle that initially had the support of Seattle voters, but that was in the end rejected). This note in this "SeattleMet" anniversary issue contains a quote by the author of this website (it is the following single sentence: " 'Maybe they grew up with parents who disliked this monorail intrusion upon Fifth Avenue back in 1962,' says German Alweg expert Reinhard Krischer, whose mechanical engineer father was one of three to build Seattle's monorail." ) The note ends with the sentence: "University of Washington historian John Findlay calls the train a 'spectacular failure' instead of the revolutionary rapid transit system it was meant to be: 'That was a dream,' he says. 'It's kind of a toy.' "
At the end of 2011 I had been contacted by "SeattleMet" magazine and had been asked in the context of a planned anniversary article about the Seattle monorail for an opinion about the question why monorails have not become a popular mode of transport. I sent the following reply to "SeattleMet":
"That’s really a very complex question: why haven’t monorails become a popular mode of transportation?
One day, I’m sure, there will be demand for a genuinely scientific thesis to answer this!
Currently the majority of established “transportation experts” still view monorails as exotic and untried technology, useful for theme park transportation, but not for city rapid transit services.
Why this opinion stays so stubbornly in the public mind no doubt has several causes. The first one must have something to do with the distrust, even fear, of anything new that might threaten traditional practices, even beliefs. The realm of technology is no exception (just look at the fears generated by the first railroad, the first automobile, the first plane … )!
Secondly the established transportation industry is doing very well with its conventional two-rail products. When modern monorails like the Seattle Alweg type (the concept is almost as old as the two-rail idea) were developed in the 1950s genuine experts will at once have noted, that such a system – if accepted and on its way to mass production (making it financially competitive with standard two-rail products) – has some very big advantages compared to two-rail solutions. So no established two-rail industry was interested in investing money in a technology that might develop into competition for its own lucrative line of products.
One exception was/is the Hitachi Company of Japan (that bought Alweg licenses during the 1960s) that recognized the monorail advantages for use in tight metropolitan areas where expensive and lengthy subway construction was impractical or even impossible (best example is the Haneda line connecting downtown Tokyo with Haneda airport). Hitachi – a big manufacturer of conventional railroad equipment – developed the Alweg system to today’s state of the art technology standards. Bombardier (Canada/Germany) and Scomi (Malaysia) have today understood this lesson too. The fact that a company like Bombardier today offers an Alweg-type monorail system indicates that monorails are now on the way to becoming popular modes of transportation.
The Alweg engineers during the 1950s already pointed out that their monorail system was ideal for countries that we today call emerging countries. Alweg’s first city rapid transit system was to be built for Sao Paulo. For unknown reasons the project was cancelled at the last moment. Interestingly enough, Bombardier and Scomi are today building extensive monorail lines in Sao Paulo! Describing the advantages in the same way Alweg did in the 1950s!
Technological innovation and progress evidently either happen overnight or at snail’s pace, but rarely in moderate time spans. Which might be another explanation why monorail hasn’t become popular yet. – strange thing is that the public likes monorail, but the “experts” don’t like it for above reasons.
But the times they are a’changin’ …
Seattle and its affair with monorail remains a mystery! – But a closer look shows that here too the public likes the monorail, but “established circles” do not (also for above reasons). Ex Washington State Governor Rosellini was once quoted as saying that he greatly regrets not having pushed monorail for Seattle back in the 1960s after the World’s Fair. The recent Green Line fiasco still needs to be explained thoroughly. Who knows, what really went on during those years of the Green Line campaign. It’s sad that evidently none of those Seattle business and information technology wizards who put Seattle on the map globally have recognized the overall advantages (particularly from an ecological and modern sustainability point of view) of the Alweg system that operates in their city successfully since 1962 and demonstrates what monorail can do (particularly also for emerging countries; countries they aid in various admirable ways through their foundations). Maybe they grew up with parents who disliked this monorail intrusion upon Fifth Avenue back in 1962.
And there is of course this strange American inability to understand that public transport is a part of a normal civilized society. The American fear of subsidies for public rail transport is irrational. There is after all no fear of subsidies (taxes) for roads and highways or airlines! This state of mind also contributed to the eventual demise of the Green Line (but in Seattle it at least took several elections and a very strange Green Line financing plan to stop the Green Line).
Sadly it looks as if none of the hyperactive monorail supporters pushing the Green Line idea have taken the time to document a comparison between the Green Line and the two-rail alternative that was built in its place.
Who knows, - if influential streetcar fans in Seattle had been monorail fans, Seattle might now have a world famous monorail rapid transit system and would today be a transportation avant garde city. But that honor will now go to Sao Paulo and Mumbai (where Scomi is building a monorail rapid transit line) …
These are just a few thoughts for answers to the question, why monorails have not yet become a popular mode of transportation."
Had I known beforehand that I would be quoted out of context in this way and had I known that the "article" ends with the in my opinion unqualified quote by an "expert", - I would not have responded to the initial request by "SeattleMet" ...
This same anniversary issue of the "SeattleMet" magazine includes a beautiful one-page advertisement (page 57) by SEATTLE CENTER MONORAIL for the 50th anniversary celebration of the monorail on March 24, 2012.
It would be interesting to know if University of Washington historian John Findlay is aware of the fact that in the cities of Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Riyadh, Daegu and Manaus Alweg type monorail rapid transit lines are being built!? According to Mr. Findlay these cities have decided to utilize "a kind of toy" for city rapid transit ...
What a strange way to honor the Seattle Alweg monorail! Particularly in view of the fact that in the entire "SeattleMet" anniversary issue (they call it "Official Commemorative Issue") the monorail figures prominently in text and in illustrations. So why is it necessary to have it degraded to "a kind of toy" for its 50th anniversary? - On page 13 there's an airline ad advertising non-stop daily Seattle to Dubai flights as of March 1rst. Dubai, home of the latest Hitachi Alweg type monorail connecting the city with the Palm ...
Back in 1963 our family was - thanks to Alweg - still living in wonderful Seattle and in September of that year I entered Queen Anne Highschool. The school's newspaper was called the "Kuay Weekly" and two budding students of journalism interviewed me to write a short article about new Queen Anne Highschool students from Germany. That seemed like a nice idea, but the resulting article was a bit of a disappointment because it included mixed up facts and false quotations. That was my introduction to American journalism. Almost 50 years later things seem not to have changed much.
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| One of the four limited edition covers of the February issue of "SeattleMet" magazine for the World's Fair anniversary. Courtesy of SeattleMet magazine. Click image to reach the "SeattleMet" website. |
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| The 1962 Seattle Space Needle and Alweg Monorail with Seattle's Queen Anne Hill in the background. On top of Queen Anne Hill the silhouette of the massive building of the former Queen Anne Highschool. - Der Seattle Aussichtsturm Space Needle und die Seattle Alweg Einschienenbahn im Jahre 1962 mit Seattles Queen Anne Hill im Hintergrund, auf dessen höchster Stelle das massige Gebäude der ehemaligen Queen Anne Highschool zu sehen ist. - Photo Collection Reinhard Krischer - Imaging Reinhard Krischer (this 1962 photo was a widely distributed publicity image). |
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And then there's the "Official Collector's Edition" of the Seattle Magazine "Celebrating the World's Fair that Shaped Seattle - The Big 50", February 2012.
On page 73 a one-page photo of the Alweg monorail with the Space Needle in the background. The caption reads "The Swedish-designed, German-built Alweg Monorail ... "
What sort of sources do these journalists use?
Why is the German-built Alweg monorail Swedish-designed?
The chief Alweg engineers who designed the Seattle trains and supervised their construction in Germany and who supervised the beamway construction in Seattle and who supervised the operation of the trains during the World's Fair and for a time after that were German Alweg engineers (from the German Alweg Company), working for the Alweg Rapid Transit Company that was part of the Wegematic Corporation, based in New York City, that was one of the many companies belonging to Axel L. Wenner-Gren of Sweden.
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Photos from the SEATTLE TIMES archives
Fotos aus dem Archiv der SEATTLE TIMES
March 24, 2012 - 24. März 2012
SEATTLE TIMES article about the anniversary
SEATTLE TIMES Artikel zum Jubiläum
Regarding above article the author of this website sent the following email to the article's author at the Seattle Times:
Sir,
when did President Kennedy ride the Seattle Monorail (as your article implies) ???
The chief structural engineer of Alweg was a German engineer, one of four German Alweg experts from Cologne, Germany, who were responsible for the Alweg Seattle project. All four gentlemen lived in Seattle while the monorail installation was built in Seattle and for the duration of the World's Fair and for a good while after that. The Alweg Company Seattle office was closed in the Spring of 1966.
Concerning the Urbanaut monorail system, please see this (and the sources given):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolmi_Galaxy_Rail
Sincerely yours,
Reinhard Krischer
Cologne, Germany
www.alweg.com
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| Early ALWEG promotional flyer for the Alweg monorail for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair monorail project. - Einer der ersten ALWEG Flyer für die Alweg-Einschienenbahn für die Seattle Weltausstellung von 1962. - Sammlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer |
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| ALWEG Seattle Monorail 2012 - The Blue Train with its new name plate. - Der Blaue Zug mit dem neuen Schriftzug. - A big thank-you to Megan Ching for providing this photo! - Ein großes Dankeschön an Megan Ching für dieses Foto! - Photo + Copyright Megan Ching, Seattle Monorail Services |
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ALWEG type monorail systems are currently operating and/or being built as city rapid transit lines in the following countries:
Brazil
People's Republic of China
Dubai
Japan
India
Iran
Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
USA
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Einschienenbahnen vom Typ ALWEG werden derzeit in den folgenden Ländern als Stadtbahnen betrieben und/oder gebaut:
Brasilien
Volksrepublik China
Dubai
Japan
Indien
Iran
Republik Korea
Malaysia
Saudi-Arabien
Singapur
USA
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©
Text und Illustrationen (falls nicht anders vermerkt)
Text and Illustrations (unless otherwise noted)
von / by Reinhard Krischer
COPYRIGHT
Reinhard Krischer
Jegliche Verwendung von Material dieser Website nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung.
Any type of use of the material contained in this website
by written permission only.
EMAIL
Für die Inhalte der Websites/Webseiten, zu denen Links von The Alweg Archives aus führen, wird keine Verantwortung übernommen.
No responsibility taken for the contents of websites/webpages reached via links from The Alweg Archives.
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| Alweg Seattle 1962 Souvenir Sammmlung/Collection Reinhard Krischer |
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| Souvenirs of the 50th Anniversary Day celebrations for the Alweg Seattle Monorail in March 2012. - Souvenirs vom Tag des 50. Jubiläums der Alweg Seattle Monorail im März 2012. - (A big thank-you to Mary Lindholm for providing these!) - Image Copyright Reinhard Krischer |
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