Brennan project: monorail in the early twentieth century

The Brennan monorail system was developed by an Irish-born Australian engineer, Louis Brennan. A 22-ton car could carry up to 10 tons of cargo at a speed of 22 miles per hour. The vehicle was balanced using two gyroscopes rotating in opposite directions relative to each other at a speed of 3,000 revolutions per minute.

As it passed along the track, the train quickly turned at a fairly steep angle, rising and descending in hilly terrain. The project was inspired by a toy that the inventor bought for his son. The model was patented in 1903, and four years later demonstrated to the Royal society. In 1909, members of the press were able to verify that the system was working. The next successful demonstration took place in London in 1910 – the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith even took a ride on the train.

However, further development of the project was suspended. Although the press and senior management supported Brennan's idea, there were still concerns about the safety of the monorail. The development of such systems in the following years was not successful until the second half of the XX century. In the 80's, monorail systems were built in major cities in China, Japan, and Germany. And Louis Brennan will be remembered as one of the pioneers in this part of the transport industry.