Ewing System
The Ewing System is a balancing monorail system developed in the late 19th century by British inventor W. J. Ewing. It is not to be confused with the much later system patented by Robert W. Ewing.[1][dead link]
In the Ewing System the main wheels of the train run on a single steel rail. The system had been proposed in 1868 by William Thorold, a civil engineer from Norwich, Norfolk.[1]
The major benefit of trains is that they run on steel tracks. Steel rail can carry more load with less rolling friction than any other mode of ground transport. However there are several disadvantages of laying conventional railway tracks consisting of two rails: Both rails have to rise and fall and bank together. Laying two rails requires a lot of space and maintenance. The turning radius of the train is restricted by the difference in length or distance traveled between the inside and outside rails due to
W.J. Ewing implemented a monorail system, with only one rail and double flanged rail wheels, that had been proposed by William Thorold in a lecture to the
The Ewing system was used in Patiala State Monorail Trainways. The Patiala monorail is preserved in National Rail Museum at New Delhi. It is still in running condition.[3] It was also used on Kundala Valley Railway from 1902 to 1908.
References
- ^ a b Norfolk Chronicle, 12 September 1868
- ^ Dickens, Don (1998). "The Patiala State Monorail Tramway". IRFCA. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ "Patiala State Monorail Trainway". National Rail Museum, New Delhi. 2003. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-26.