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Wuppertal (dpa / lnw) - After 120 years and four million kilometers, the “Kaiserwagen” of the famous Wuppertal suspension railway needs new wheels.
During investigations, cracks in the steel of the old spoked wheels were discovered, a spokesman for the Wuppertal public utility announced on Monday.
Since the wheels have to be re-manufactured, the Kaiserwagen will only be able to “float” through Wuppertal again in summer 2022.
On October 24, 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II took a test drive in the particularly magnificent carriage on what was then a completely new suspension railway.
The listed car is still used for tourist trips and weddings.
The new solid wheels of the new generation of suspension railways had in some cases already exhibited such damage after four months or 20,000 kilometers that they had to be replaced.
That is why Wuppertal's most important public transport is currently idle on weekdays.
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The option is now being examined of returning to the old wheel tires for the new generation of cars, where only the tread needs to be replaced regularly, as on the Kaiserwagen.
The 13-kilometer suspension railway is not only a symbol of Wuppertal and a tourist attraction, but also the backbone of local transport in the densely built-up industrial city.
Normally more than 80,000 people use the suspension railway every day.