Skelton System Monorail

From FIBIwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Skelton System Monorail

The 'Skelton System' of road-railways was proposed by Clifford Skelton of Alamatti in India. The ‘Guide Ways (India) Limited’ company was formed to develop the system. A raised single rail ran in the centre of a paved road which caused an obstruction to other users [1]. The modified petrol locomotive was fitted with rubber tyres guided by a rail, and wagons carried on the rail with outrigger wheels for stability [2].

The only known example used in India was the Khambhalia-Bhanvad Guide Ways Monorail Tramway which was in use from 1946 to 1952 from Khambhalia, (on the Jamnagar and Dwarka Railway(J&DR)) to Bhanvad, a distance of about 11miles(18km) in the Kathiawar Peninsular of Gujarat The line has its own right of way so the raised rail was not an obstruction [3].

The 'Skelton System' was also known as the 'Uniline' [3]

References

  1. ”The Stronach-Dutton Roadrail system of Traction” by R G Cash. The Narrow Gauge Railway Society Autumn 2015 ISBN978-0-9554326-9-9 Page 41 quoting from ‘The Commercial Motor’ 16th August 1932
  2. Indian Railway Fan Club, IRFCA “History Part 3 – 1946” ; Retrieved 11 May 2017
  3. 3.0 3.1 ”The Stronach-Dutton Roadrail system of Traction” by R G Cash. The Narrow Gauge Railway Society Autumn 2015 ISBN978-0-9554326-9-9 Page 41