Alweg
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, Manufacturing |
| Founded | January 1953 |
| Founder | Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren |
| Defunct | 1964 |
| Headquarters | Fühlingen, near Cologne , West Germany |
| Products | Straddle-beam monorail systems |
Alweg was a German firm focused on developing straddle-beam monorail technology.[1][2]
History
Established in January 1953 by Swedish entrepreneur Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren under the name Alweg-Forschung, GmbH in Fühlingen, near Cologne, West Germany, Alweg originated from the Verkehrsbahn-Studiengesellschaft (Transit Railway Study Group), which had created initial monorail prototypes. The company’s name is derived from Wenner-Gren’s full name.[2]
Alweg was responsible for the development of multiple monorail systems, including the Disneyland Monorail (initially called the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System) introduced in 1959, as well as the Seattle Center Monorail, constructed for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition. Both systems continue to operate today, with Seattle still utilizing the original Alweg trains.[3]
A further installation was constructed in Turin for the Italia '61 exposition; however, it stopped functioning soon after, suffered fire damage, and was dismantled by 1981. The northern terminal was converted into office facilities.
In 1963, Alweg presented a proposal to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for a privately financed monorail system. The company offered to handle design, construction, and operation at its own financial risk, planning to recover expenses through fare collection. This proposal was declined, reportedly due to opposition from automotive and oil industry stakeholders such as Standard Oil of California and General Motors.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Author Ray Bradbury, an advocate for the project, later expressed criticism toward Los Angeles for opting instead to develop a subway system.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad nameCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Throughout the 1960s, Alweg granted licensing rights for its monorail technology to Hitachi, which continues manufacturing systems based on Alweg’s designs, including the 1964 Tokyo Monorail and China’s Chongqing Rail Transit.
After encountering financial difficulties in the early 1960s, Alweg was purchased by industrial conglomerate Krupp and ceased operations by 1964.[1]
See also
External links
- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with short description
- Alweg people movers
- Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1953
- Manufacturing companies based in Cologne
- Defunct companies of Germany
- Monorail companies
- Science and technology in Sweden
- 1953 establishments in West Germany
- Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1964
- 1964 disestablishments in West Germany