W.W.&F. Discussion Forum

WW&F Railway Museum Discussion => Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery => Topic started by: john d Stone on March 02, 2023, 10:50:57 AM

Title: Half an idea
Post by: john d Stone on March 02, 2023, 10:50:57 AM
I came across this video when I'd already used up half the day. Seems like a quick solution to further extension of the WW&F using half as much rail.
I hope you don't consider me as unbalanced for proposing such an idea.

https://youtu.be/eNnKiMPmApg
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Benjamin Richards on March 02, 2023, 11:14:40 AM
The most absurd thing is how this actually sprang from the drawing board and became a bona fide railway.

As if all that girder work was somehow cheaper than a second rail...
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Benjamin Richards on March 02, 2023, 11:16:06 AM
It gets better, actually:

"...the Lartigue system as built was not truly a monorail, since it was necessary to add two further rails, one on each side, lower down the A frames." (emphasis mine)
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Graham Buxton on March 02, 2023, 11:19:32 AM
This one is designed to be portable:
https://www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk/monorail-project-2.htm (https://www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk/monorail-project-2.htm)


. . . and a linked photo from that page:


(https://www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk/images/monorail/monorail20.jpg)






And how about a locomotive running on (1) steel rail with (1) 'outrigger' wheel running on the ground?
See: https://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,448215,448222#msg-448222 (https://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,448215,448222#msg-448222)
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Mike Fox on March 03, 2023, 05:49:43 AM
The Portland Company also experimented with the one track mind concept..

(https://i.postimg.cc/j535BzcX/0302232104.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/s2c14FZb/0302232103.jpg)

(https://i.postimg.cc/502yPPBy/0302232103a.jpg)
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Jeff Schumaker on March 03, 2023, 10:14:14 AM
The Boynton Bicycle Railway. I have an old Scientific American article about it somewhere.

An online article can be found here.  https://www.6sqft.com/in-the-1890s-new-yorkers-took-a-bicycle-railroad-to-brooklyns-beaches/

Jeff
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Jeff Schumaker on March 03, 2023, 10:20:48 AM
Another online article with more photos and illustrations.

https://screanews.us/ScreaNews/ScreaNews1003/MonorailEastPatchogue.htm

Jeff
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: Philip Marshall on March 03, 2023, 07:54:14 PM
Here is some more information on the Boynton Bicycle railroad line on Long Island (including drawings of proposed freight cars), from Art Huneke's LIRR archive:

http://arrts-arrchives.com/LIBRR.html (http://arrts-arrchives.com/LIBRR.html)

To be clear, there were two different Boynton Bicycle railroads. The Coney Island line of 1890 was the original and used steam. This was followed by the electrified East Patchogue-Hagerman-Bellport line described above, built in 1894.
Title: Re: Half an idea
Post by: john d Stone on March 08, 2023, 03:54:28 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithville,_Burlington_County,_New_Jersey#Bicycle_railroad

A "Bicycle Railroad" was built in Burlington County, NJ to connect Mount Holly with Smithville, home of the Star Bicycle Works. The line was about 2 miles long, constructed initially to be used as a commuter line for workers living in the metropolis of Mt Holly. It was a very popular attraction for a little while, but the luster quickly faded. Apparently, not everyone was on track.
This line was always human powered, although summers in South Jersey can be rather steamy.