Monorails of Yore

Maggie Koerth-Baker digs into the history of monorails, and finds examples in the United States as early as 1876.

1 minute read

May 19, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

A steam monorail first appeared at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran approximately 170 yards, and had a double-decker passenger configuration. Koerth-Baker points to a website with all the details, including cross-sections of how the train worked.

Ten years after the Centennial Exposition, another unique monorail appearing in Boston with a unique rounded shape and top speeds of 20 miles per hour.

Koerth-Baker links to other resources for early monorail information.

FULL STORY: America's first monorail: Even older than I thought

Thursday, May 19, 2011 in Boing Boing

Technology Transportation United States Monorail

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