Half an idea

[john d Stone]

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

[Benjamin Richards]

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...

[Benjamin Richards]

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)

[Graham Buxton]

This one is designed to be portable:
https://www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk/monorail-project-2.htm


. . . and a linked photo from that page:









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

[Mike Fox]

The Portland Company also experimented with the one track mind concept..

[Jeff Schumaker]

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

[Jeff Schumaker]

Another online article with more photos and illustrations.

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

Jeff

[Philip Marshall]

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

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.

[john d Stone]

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.