{{Short description|Transportation company (1953–1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{infobox company | name = ALWEG | logo = File:Alweg logo.png | logo_size = | caption = | type = | genre = | fate = | predecessor = | successor = Krupp | foundation = 1953 | founder = | defunct = 1964 | location_city = | location_country = | location = Fühlingen, Germany | locations = | area_served = | key_people = | industry = Passenger transportation | products = | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | aum = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = | footnotes = | intl = }}
'''Alweg''' was a German transportation company known for its development of straddle-beam monorail technology.<ref name="hitachi2">{{cite web |last=Kirscher |first=Reinhard |title=Hitachi-Alweg |url=http://alweg.de/hitachialweg.html |access-date=14 October 2017 |publisher=The ALWEG Archives}}</ref><ref name="koln2">{{cite web |last=Kirscher |first=Reinhard |title=Alweg Cologne |url=http://alweg.de/alwegcologne.html |access-date=14 October 2017 |publisher=The ALWEG Archives}}</ref>
==History== thumb|Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System, pictured in 1963 Alweg was established in January 1953 by Swedish industrialist Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren as '''Alweg-Forschung, GmbH''' ({{Literal translation|Alweg Research Corporation}}), based in Fühlingen, a suburb of Cologne in West Germany. The company originated from the '''Verkehrsbahn-Studiengesellschaft''' ({{Literal translation|Transit Railway Study Group}}), which had presented early monorail designs and prototypes the previous year. The name "Alweg" is derived from Wenner-Gren’s full name.<ref name="koln2" /> [[File:Seattle Center Monorail (2891579876).jpg|thumb|Seattle Center Monorail, pictured in 2008, still uses its original Alweg-built trains]] Alweg developed several monorail systems during its operational years. Its most notable projects include the Disneyland Monorail (originally branded the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System), which opened in 1959, and the Seattle Center Monorail, constructed for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition.<ref name="nyt20062">{{cite news |last=Yardley |first=William |date=September 25, 2006 |title=In Seattle, a Dream From the Past Has a Hazy Future |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/us/25monorail.html |access-date=2009-12-13 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Both systems remain in operation, with Seattle's still using original Alweg-built trains.thumb|Turin MonorailAnother Alweg monorail system was constructed in Turin for the Italia '61 exposition. The line ceased operation shortly after the exposition ended and was later damaged by fire in the late 1970s, reportedly due to vandalism. It was dismantled in 1981, and its northern station was repurposed as an office building.
In 1963, Alweg submitted a proposal to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for a privately funded monorail system in the county. The plan included design, construction, and operation of the system at Alweg's financial risk, with construction costs to be recouped through fare revenue. The proposal was ultimately rejected. Some sources attribute the decision to opposition from automotive and petroleum industry interests, including Standard Oil of California and General Motors.<ref>{{cite book |author=American Society of Civil Engineers |title=Los Angeles Section: 100 Years of Civil Engineering Excellence 1913–2013 |publisher=AuthorHouse |year=2014 |pages=170–171}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Kim Pedersen |title=LA's Worst Transit Decision |url=http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/LA1963.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702180848/http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/LA1963.html |archive-date=July 2, 2019 |access-date= |website=The Monorail Society}}</ref> Author Ray Bradbury, a supporter of the proposal, later criticized the city's decision to develop a subway system instead.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sam Gennawey |date=May 23, 2013 |title=Why the Monorail Failed in Los Angeles |url=https://www.micechat.com/29530-why-the-monorail-failed-in-los-angeles/ |publisher=MiceChat}}</ref><ref>Ray Bradbury. ''Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars'' (2005), essay: "L.A., We ''Are'' the World! A New Millennium Revelation" (1989)</ref>
In the 1960s, Alweg licensed its monorail technology to Hitachi, which continues to manufacture monorail systems based on the design.<ref name="hitachi2" /> Notable examples include the Tokyo Monorail, opened in 1964, and the Chongqing Rail Transit system in China.
Alweg's operations were taken over by the industrial conglomerate Krupp following financial difficulties in the early 1960s. The company ceased operations by 1964.<ref name="hitachi2" />
==See also== {{Portal|Trains}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/LA1963.html Los Angeles monorail proposal (The Monorail Society)]
ALWEG Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1953 Category:Manufacturing companies based in Cologne Category:Defunct companies of Germany Category:Monorail companies Category:Science and technology in Sweden Category:1953 establishments in West Germany Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1964 Category:1964 disestablishments in West Germany