View over Kaiserstrasse

View over Kaiserstrasse

16.11.2006, 11:25:25, Schwebebahn/Kaiserstr, Wuppertal-Vohwinkel

( the überstrassenbahn in Wuppertal west goes over the street from end station Vohwinkel to Sonnborn... then over the river Wupper to Oberbarmen the other end station of thie 13km stretch)

for many visitors to Wuppertal ... expecially in Stadtteil Vohwinkel is the overhead train a surprise ... as well as novelty ... but, indeed, it's one of the cleverest solutions to the traffic problems of this city ...

I can remember one time ... as I was guiding a bus with young artists from Poland, who were guests for an international culture festival, to their living quarters The bus driver, shocked by the sudden sight of the overhead train coming rapidly towards him, his bus hanging over the street... he shrunk in his seat, in mild, and at the moment not so amused, panic ... as he saw the "schwebebahn rapidly approaching ... from above ... he had the fear his bus was too high or the train was too low. During his trip from Poland to Wuppertal he, and his old bus, had encountered many things that caused stress ( this was during the time of the still Ost/West Mauer) but seeing suddenly the least expected.. to be confronted with a train hanging from a rail coming straight towards him and his full bus. We all survived in waves of laugher.