Inuyama Monorail - a Photo Essay
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This is what you might call a 'minimalist' track maintenance vehicle! The only simpler one I know of is 'the Cadillac' of Seattle Center Monorail, which is essentially a walker for monorail beam.

Another great example of how monorail track is GREEN, GREEN, GREEN! You don't need to pave over paradise to put in monorail. Now let's have a look at the other monorails of Inuyama. Yes, there are actually three! Note the suspended monorail track above the Alweg beam. (photo by David Kamada)

Japan Monkey Park has a two-station suspended elephant monorail.

Yes, those are elephant bogies, and believe it or not, the ears flap as the one car buckets cruise along the guideway. (photo by David Kamada)

Another fun monorail at Japan Monkey Park is the passenger-powered monorail. I've seen many of these in Japan. Wouldn't a smaller version of this be fun for your backyard?

We leave you with one last view from Inuyama Castle, looking down on Kibo River. Sadly, we have learned that Meitetsu closed the Inuyama Monorail forever on December 28, 2008 (according to a December 2007 Meitetsu report). The decision is based on the low ridership on the line and the aged condition of the line. We hope that at least one of the historic trains will be preserved, hopefully for inclusion in a rail museum somewhere, as the Inuyama Monorail has played a major part in the development of monorails in Japan.

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