The GTW 72 (GTW = "''Gelenktriebwagen''" or ''articulated railcar'') is a

suspended monorail A suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail in which the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above streets, waterways, or existing railway track. History Experimental d ...

train type operated by Wuppertaler Stadtwerke on the

Wuppertal Schwebebahn The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn ("Wuppertal Suspension Railway") is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. Its original name was ("Eugen Langen Monorail Overhead Conveyor System"). It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars ...

from 1972 until 2018.

Technical specifications

Each set consists of three sections. The trains have welded aluminium car bodies, and are powered by four chopper-controlled motors, which power the two wheels of each bogie. Wuppertal Schwebebahn 15 Innen

Interior

Seating accommodation consists of transverse seating.

History

The GTW 72 was designed by German architect Klaus Flesche. A total of 28 sets were built by

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

between 1972 and 1975. One unit derailed in the 1999 Wuppertal Suspension Railway accident. Regular operations ended in November 2018 with the suspension of Schwebebahn services following problems with the power supply. The last set was removed from the tracks on July 11, 2019. After their withdrawal from service, 21 units were sold, and three were donated under the condition that they stay within Wuppertal. Set 15 remains with Wuppertaler Stadtwerke. Set 6 was scrapped in early 2019.

Preserved examples

*Set 2: preserved on the premises of Lang AG in

Lindlar Lindlar ( ) is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about 30 km east of Cologne. Geography Lindlar is located between latitudes 50°58' and 51°5' N. and longitudes 7°15' and 7°28' E ...

*Set 8: preserved at ''Kinder-Tisch Vohwinkel e.V.'' in Wuppertal *Set 15: in storage by Wuppertaler Stadtwerke *Set 27: sold in November 2019; to be preserved in

Plettenberg Plettenberg (; Westphalian: ''Plettmert'') is a town in the Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Plettenberg is located to the west of the Sauerland hills. The highest elevation of the town area is in the ''Ebbegebir ...

References

External links

Wuppertaler Stadtwerke official website
{{in lang, de Wuppertal Schwebebahn Electric multiple units of Germany