Forsyth's Compendium of Curious Contraptions<p><strong>A recommendation</strong></p><p>I’ve been trying to find out more about a proposal to build a Schwebebahn in Berlin, using the same system as Wuppertal. While working on this, I encountered <a href="https://epilog.de" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">epilog.de</a> – Zeitreisen zur Kultur + Technik (Time Travel through Culture and Technology). If you like this site, and read German, you’ll love Epilog. It’s a publisher’s website, laid out like a newspaper, and it covers all sorts of old technology using period illustrations and the occasional photograph (so, you’ll still get a lot of joy even if you don’t read German). From this site I have already learned that <a href="https://epilog.de/gleiteisenbahn-auf-der-pariser-weltausstellung.zentralblatt-der-bauverwaltung.1889" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the German for Chemin de Fer Glissant is Gleiteisenbahn</a>, that there was <a href="https://epilog.de/die-atmosphaerische-eisenbahn-bei-st-germain.new-york-times.1852" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an atmospheric railway near Paris</a>, and <a href="https://epilog.de/luft-eisenbahn-zu-lyon.das-buch-fuer-alle.1873" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an exhibition in Lyon in 1872 featured a cable-hauled saddlebag monorail</a>. Oh yes, and exactly what I was looking for – <a href="https://epilog.de/eine-schwebebahn-fuer-berlin.bilderreise.1909" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">information on the proposed Schwebebahn in Berlin</a>, including photos of the piece of track erected to show people what it would look like.</p><p>I mentioned they’re a publisher, and they have an e-book all about the Berlin Schwebebahn, and lots on other topics. One “dead tree” book I am particularly interested in is <a href="https://epilog.de/neue-bahnen-denken.9783758371844" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Neue Bahnen denken – Alternative Schienenverkehrskonzepte im 19. Jahrhundert</a> (Thinking of new ways – alternative rail transport concepts of the 19th century). Their print-on-demand service does ship to Scotland, so no need to bother my friends in Germany. But first, I have a small e-book to read…</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/atmospheric-railways/" target="_blank">#atmosphericRailways</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/berlin/" target="_blank">#Berlin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/books/" target="_blank">#books</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/chemin-de-fer-glissant/" target="_blank">#cheminDeFerGlissant</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/germany/" target="_blank">#germany</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/monorail/" target="_blank">#monorail</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/schwebebahn/" target="_blank">#schwebebahn</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://feorag.wordpress.com/tag/website/" target="_blank">#website</a></p>