Smithville 1894  Railroad bicycle
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Railroad bicycle Smithville, from the USA, 1894

Cycling on a monorail.

In 1894, Arthur Hotchkiss takes out a patent on a kind of monorail, a wooden gate with a bicycle hanging from it – using which you can cycle from Smithville, New Jersey to Mount Holly. The area between the two villages is rather marshy, which makes walking and cycling difficult. The bicycle itself is below the wheels, and all the user has to do is pedal. A major setback is that there is only one rail. When trying to pass an oncoming vehicle, you have to get out of the way by moving to a siding.