Suspension railway at Wuppertal

[Carlston]

Is this worth travelling from Scotland to see and travel on?
Any suggestions about the best time to go.

 

[306024]

Ah The Danglebahn.

Yes it's quirky and worth a ride but from memory it only takes around half an hour from one end to the other, so I'd look to combine it with other attractions in the area.

Cologne and Düsseldorf are both worth a visit, both a short hop away. If you've more time a trip down the Rhine Valley south from Cologne to Mainz takes some beating. No particular best time to go, obviously more daylight in summer.

 

[TCDD]

The 'buffet tram' between Duesseldorf and Krefeld is also in the area. It's known as the 'Rheinbahn Bistro' and is a tram (well there are several of them) equipped with little cafe area, where a member of staff serves hot drinks, beer, and sausages - on real crockery! It's quite an experience. According to the timetable it still runs, every 40 minutes or so, but not at weekends or holiday times. I wouldn't plan your visit around it - I went in August and it wasn't running, but if the service is running, it is worth a trip.

 

[gordonthemoron]

The Schwebebahn is great, however there's nothing much else to recommend about Wuppertal, and they've demolished the Hbf

I found a couple of 'nice' pubs near the terminus in Vohwinkel and that's about it

 

[blackfive460]

I'd definitely consider the Schwebebahn but agree that Wuppertal isn't exactly what you'd call a tourist destination.
Best to do the line from Wuppertal-Oberbarmen to avoid the mess around Wuppertal Hbf and you can get to or from Oberbarmen via Solingen and Remscheid taking in the Müngstener Brücke; the highest railway bridge in Germany, on the way.

The Rheinbahn Bistro service ended in 2014 when the Bistro operator's contract expired. Since then, no-one has shown much interest so it seems unlikely to run again. News story (in German).

 

[Carlston]

Thanks for all the replies - all very helpful.

 

[30907]

I'd definitely consider the Schwebebahn but agree that Wuppertal isn't exactly what you'd call a tourist destination.
Best to do the line from Wuppertal-Oberbarmen to avoid the mess around Wuppertal Hbf and you can get to or from Oberbarmen via Solingen and Remscheid taking in the Müngstener Brücke; the highest railway bridge in Germany, on the way.

And you can get back to Solingen Mitte (not Hbf) by trolleybus from the other end at Vohwinkel which should make a nice circuit though I missed the opportunity some years ago.

 

[FrankZappa]

And you can get back to Solingen Mitte (not Hbf) by trolleybus from the other end at Vohwinkel which should make a nice circuit though I missed the opportunity some years ago.

I may add that the actual experience of riding the trolleybus is not as pleasant as you might expect it. I enjoyed seeing the bus from the outside, but the actual ride was pretty much like a usual bus ride (not much smoother, as one might expect).

The suspension railway was however definitely worth a ride .

And changing in Vohwinkel is not the worst idea of all: As gordonthemoron mentioned there are some nice pubs. For example the Alter Kaiser, which has a nice selection of regional beers (Kölsch and Alt in the same pub is quite unusual and you probably won't find a pub in Cologne or Dusseldorf with both) and also some railway memorabilia (mainly rare train destination plates) as decoration:

.

 

[WestCoast]

Yes, the Schwebebahn is a truly interesting experience, my favourite section is the eastern part from the Hbf/Central Station out towards Vohwinkel where the line leaves the route above the River Wupper and travels above a road. A friend of mine who travelled with me on it is somewhat terrified to travel on it again as it does 'swing' slightly when at stations. The ride at speed is also slightly more exhilarating than you might expect

You can also visit a more modern suspension line at Düsseldorf Airport the (SkyTrain) - it runs from the long-distance railway station to the terminals. It's not a free service, but it's covered in all the regional day passes you can buy (as is the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal).

I'd also agree about Wuppertal itself. While it's not particularly unpleasant by any means, like many cities in the Ruhr part of Germany there's not much to see as a tourist. However, it's well connected to cities that have more to offer in that regard such as Düsseldorf, Cologne etc.

 

[duesselmartin]

The 'buffet tram' between Duesseldorf and Krefeld is also in the area.

Sadly the Rheinbahn Bistro service is suspended until further notice.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Vohwinkel is west of Wuppertal Hbf, the bit over the road is certainly the most interesting section

 

[eisenach]

The zoo's quite good !

 

[Calthrop]

I love Bryan Morgan's thoughts on the Schwebebahn, in his The End of the Line: "that fantastic suspended railway which straddles the Wupper because that was the only place left to build a railway in the conurbation. It was a nice idea to solve the problem thus (if rather a nasty nice idea), and the result provides a unique travel experience, as near to flying as to railway travel since there is nothing below you: it is the sort of railway on which you would expect an elephant to fall out of the window, as one did in 1950."

 

[181]

In case it's of interest, elsewhere in the Ruhrgebiet a 'real' non-preserved working steam locomotive (albeit fireless) can still be found at work at a chemical works in Herne near Bochum, or at least it could a few months ago:

http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/fireless02.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p2OnVSETwU

(although note that the latter indicates that a diesel is now sometimes used).

 

[Groningen]

From Sunday 5 new trains will enter service on the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPirjeSWdTI

 

[duesselmartin]

When in the area, also visit the Müngstener Bridge. Take the S7 from Wuppertal, Cross the bridge and walk into the valley from Solingen Schaberg station.

 

[30907]

When in the area, also visit the Müngstener Bridge. Take the S7 from Wuppertal, Cross the bridge and walk into the valley from Solingen Schaberg station.

And there's a bus terminus at Muengstener Brueckenpark to save the climb back up!