Slashdot Mirror
First Maglev Installation Going Up
berniecase writes "After hearing about the 500kph Maglev in Japan on Slashdot, I caught wind of this installation which is going up in Norfolk, Virginia. It's the first Maglev installation in the US. Here's another photo, too."
uh, 500 kph is NOT 40 mph.
There is a BIG difference between this MagLev train and the Japanese one - this one uses conventional copper wound magnets, NOT superconductors like the Japanese version. While there is great expense in keeping superconducting magnets cold, they are certainly more efficient conductors of electricity and can create much stronger magnets. The Japanese train is about 60MPH faster than this one.
The answers are in the article ;-)
First of all, it's a prototype. Secondly, it would hardly make sense to install a 200mph train as a university 2/3 mile shuttle.
According to a linked article at the bottom, the backers of this project consider maglevs cheaper and simpler to build and operate than conventional trains.
They believe that there is a market for what they called low-speed maglevs in universities, airports, and other places that require short distance people-moving. The Florida facility is working on increasing the speed.
This seems like sensible engineering; start small and build on one's experience, improving the technology incrementally.
For a more ambitious project, check out the California Maglev Project.
it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
If we tried to carry out massive projects like those today, we'd never be able to get beyond the environmental impact statements, safety requirements, public hearings, and the other wonderful regulations that have been put into place.
I don't think this will be a problem.
1. It's a TRAIN. With huge amounts of INERTIA.
If you could get a large object on it, the train would hit it so hard it would go flying off without much impact on the velocity of the train. (before you scoff @ the obvious bits read on)
2. Those magnets weigh TONS (when combined) They're very powerful. It's not an 'on/off' guidance system like conventional rails. Those fields must go waay out.
3. My guess is it would be pretty hard to get it to 'derail'. The train is 'locked' to the track. (can't come off without massive structural failure). If there were structural problems with the train/track I'm sure it would shut down almost immediatly. There is a proposed maglev that does just this in the event of a problem. In the event of a problem the train would stop levitating and just slide to a stop along the track. A pretty full proof emergency braking system.
it would probabbly mean that it is not (actually we are already pretty sure about this, arn't we?) super-conductor mag-lev, but instead just really, really power-hungry conventionaly electro-magnetic levitation.
This would not, should not, and probabbly could not ever be made into a real commercial train; the margin of safty is simply so much less than superconducting maglev
My life in the land of the rising sun.
You might want to have a look at the German maglev "Transrapid" which is running in circles since 20 years now and will finally be build in China.
It does 310 mph / 500km/h.
http://www.transrapid.de/en/index.html
k2r
A waste - an utterly complete waste.
Think about it - it is a train that only goes 40 mph, only travels a small distance (as one poster here said, he could walk it in 5 minutes), and sucks electricity like a pig. Where are the advantages?
Sure, it looks and sounds cool, but until electricity if free (or near free), it is a near worthless application of the technology (that of magnetic levitation and propulsion - I realise that there ARE some practical uses of the tech, but not "people mover" - yet). What are the advantages of this train over, say, a standard small light-rail train? Or something smaller like a BART system?
If smoothness of ride is wanted, why not use "sprung" linear ball bearing tracks, and a smooth bottom train, coupled with propelling "booster" wheels (like that used to get roller coasters away from the stations) along the track every so often, activated as the train approached, deactivated after it had gone by (heck, make it cheaper - drop the ball bearing track and use good sprung bogeys, with a bottom friction plate on the train).
What further galls me is the idea that this is planned to be extended, for larger area use. The cost for this (and light rail) is very high, but there are other alternatives. Phoenix, AZ recently passed its own "light rail initiative", called Transit 2000 - the original website is gone, but "they" chose to go with a standard light rail system. There was a competing system, which was passed over (more on that in a bit). Funny thing about the Phoenix system - I haven't heard much of anything on it since the initiative passed the voters (ie, the tax got passed) - likely it is being funneled and used to line pockets. Plus, I haven't got the slightest idea how they plan to put it in the area proposed - if you live in Phoenix, and look at the map of the route, you know that there is NO WAY IT WILL FIT, at least not without serious restructuring of a major freeway.
Anyhow, as far as the other system is concerned? The other system was Doug Malewicki's SkyTran. The concept seems sound, he has presented his plan in a clear fashion on his website. I still hope one day he will get the funding to make this invention a reality (hell, if he could just sell his Robosaurus he could probably get a prototype going)...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Just because someone in Japan has run a 300mph maglev, doesn't mean another person in the USA can build a 300mph maglev without doing a 40mph one first. Its gonna have to be (re)invented here before we go and spend government money deploying it in anything more than small scale.
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.