Editing Monorail (section)

=={{anchor|Straddle beam|Suspended}}Types and technical aspects==
[[File:Schwebebahn ueber Strasse.jpg|thumb|The [[Wuppertal Schwebebahn]], the world's first electric suspended monorail]]
Modern monorails depend on a large solid beam as the vehicles' running surface. There are a number of competing designs divided into two broad classes, ''straddle-beam'' and ''suspended'' monorails. The most common type is the straddle-beam, in which the train straddles a [[steel]] or [[reinforced concrete]] beam {{convert|2|to|3|ft|1}} wide. A [[rubber]]-[[tire]]d carriage contacts the beam on the top and both sides for traction and to stabilize the vehicle. The style was popularized by the [[Germany|German]] company [[ALWEG]]. There is also a historical type of ''[[suspension railway|suspension monorail]]'' developed by German inventors [[Nicolaus Otto]] and [[Eugen Langen]] in the 1880s. It was built in the twin cities of Barmen and Elberfeld in Wuppertal, Germany, opened in 1901, and is still in operation. The [[Chiba Urban Monorail]] is the world's largest suspended network.

===Power===
Almost all modern monorails are powered by [[electric motor]]s fed by dual [[third rail]]s, contact wires or electrified channels attached to or enclosed in their guidance beams, but diesel-powered monorail systems also exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/Metrail1.html |title=Metrail Test Track Photo Essay - page one of three |publisher=Monorails.org |date=2002-10-18 |access-date=2010-09-11}}</ref> Historically some systems, such as the [[Lartigue Monorail]], used steam locomotives.

===Magnetic levitation===
[[File:Transrapid 08.jpg|thumb|[[Transrapid]] maglev on monorail track]]
[[Maglev train|Magnetic levitation train]] (maglev) systems such as the German [[Transrapid]] were built as straddle-type monorails. The [[Shanghai Maglev Train]] runs in commercial operation at {{convert|430|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, and there are also slower maglev monorails intended for urban transport in Japan ([[Linimo]]), Korea ([[Incheon Airport Maglev]]) and China ([[Line S1 (Beijing Subway)|Beijing Subway Line S1]] and the [[Changsha Maglev Express]]). However, it is argued that the larger width of the [[guideway]] for the maglevs makes it not legitimate to be called monorails.<ref>{{cite web|last=Svensson|first=Einar|title=Definition and Description of Monorail|url=http://www.urbanaut.com/Definition%2520and%2520Description%2520of%2520Monorail.pdf|access-date=16 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=definition of monorail|url=http://www.monorails.org/tmspages/WhatIs.html|publisher=monorail society|access-date=16 August 2012}}</ref>

===Switching===<!-- This section is linked from [[Railroad switch]] -->
[[File:Osaka switches tms.jpg|thumb|left|Switches at storage facility of [[Osaka Monorail]]]]
Some early monorails (notably the [[Wuppertal Suspension Railway|suspended monorail]] at [[Wuppertal]], Germany) have a design that makes it difficult to switch from one line to another. Some other monorails avoid switching as much as possible by operating in a continuous loop or between two fixed stations, as in the [[Seattle Center Monorail]].{{citation needed|date = February 2014}}

Current monorails are capable of more efficient switching than in the past. With suspended monorails, switching may be accomplished by moving flanges inside the beamway to shift trains to one line or another.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

[[File:Monorail switch moving (São Paulo Metro).webm|thumb|right|A switch changing the direction of travel at Line 15 in São Paulo.]]
Straddle-beam monorails require that the beam moves for switching, which was an almost prohibitively ponderous procedure. Now the most common way of achieving this is to place a moving apparatus on top of a sturdy platform capable of bearing the weight of vehicles, beams and its own mechanism. Multiple-segmented beams move into place on rollers to smoothly align one beam with another to send the train in its desired direction, with the design originally developed by ALWEG capable of completing a switch in 12 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/switch.html|title=The Switch Myth|access-date=2007-01-15}}</ref> Some of these beam turnouts are quite elaborate, capable of switching between several beams or simulating a [[railroad]] [[Crossover (rail)|double-crossover]]. Vehicle specifications are generally not open to the public, as is standard for rolling stock built for public services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edoc.mrta.co.th/hrd/Attach/1532570707_1.pdf|title=Monorails in Japan, an Overview|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=2023-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425121235/http://edoc.mrta.co.th/hrd/Attach/1532570707_1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

An alternative to using a [[Wye (rail)|wye]] or other form of switch, is to use a [[railway turntable|turntable]], where a car sits upon a section of track that can be reoriented to several different tracks. For example, this can be used to switch a car from being in a storage location, to being on the main line.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.american-rails.com/turntable.html|title=The Railroad Turntable|work=American-Rails.com|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.workwithsounds.eu/sound/railway-turntable/|title=Railway turntable {{!}} Work With Sounds|website=www.workwithsounds.eu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-03|archive-date=2018-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204070416/http://www.workwithsounds.eu/sound/railway-turntable/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The now-closed [[Sydney Monorail]] had a [[Transfer table|traverser]] at the depot, which allowed a train on the main line to be exchanged with another from the depot. There were about six lines in the depot, including one for maintenance.

===Grades===
[[Rubber-tired metro|Rubber-tired]] monorails are typically designed to cope with a 6% [[Grade (slope)|grade]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/monorail_system/advantages/steeper/index.html |title=Steeper Grade, Smaller Curve Radius |publisher=Hitachi Rail |access-date=2010-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719002052/http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/monorail_system/advantages/steeper/index.html |archive-date=2011-07-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rubber-tired light rail or metro lines can cope with similar or greater grades – for example, the [[Lausanne Metro]] has grades of up to 12% and the [[Montreal Metro]] up to 6.5%,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/metro/story.html?id=c84a8361-0981-403c-b6df-8ce82fc71db2 |title=Sticking with rubber |access-date=2011-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517031404/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/metro/story.html?id=c84a8361-0981-403c-b6df-8ce82fc71db2 |archive-date=2012-05-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> while [[Véhicule Automatique Léger|VAL]] systems can handle 7% grades.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708043720/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-08 |work=Railway Age |title=Is there people-mover in your future? |year=1998 }}</ref>