Maglev train at ODU takes first, slow slides

NORFOLK -- With a few computer keystrokes, the nation's first magnetic levitation train lifts and slowly moves down a short stretch of track at Old Dominion University.

These early test runs at about 4 mph along the length of the adjacent tennis courts are a far cry from what the train's inventor hopes to have in service by the end of September. Still, it's a start.

Click here! The blue and white bullet-nosed train levitates. It moves. It stops. It reverses direction. But it still bumps and rattles a bit.

Tony Morris, president and CEO of American Maglev Technology Inc., and his team of engineers are racing the clock to fix the kinks and fully test the vehicle before its scheduled debut Sept. 30.

Morris had hoped to start shuttling students across campus at 40 mph by the end of this month, but there have been some setbacks.

``We're not done yet,'' Morris said Thursday during a round of testing. ``Birthing technology is really messy.''

The track has been bolted down atop half the 3,200-foot guideway. Power is connected to about one-third of the line. The three stations are in the early stages of construction.

Yet, the train's levitation and propulsion -- the part that's never been done before in this country -- are working. Electromagnets lift the car about a half-inch above the rail, and a linear induction motor propels it along.

Beginning next week, these elements will be tested in earnest. ODU seniors and graduate students have been hired to run the train each evening for hours at a time.

Morris expects to add 80 to 100 feet of track daily, allowing the train to go farther and faster with each day's running.

Meanwhile, work continues on making the ride smoother and quieter. The doors on the car need to be tightened, as well as a few inside panels. Side panels covering the inner workings were recently installed but still need to be insulated.

The biggest key to reducing noise is to make sure every inch of the track is absolutely level.

``It's a tuning process,'' Morris said. ``The better you tune the instrument, the better the music will be.''

Before the first passenger is permitted on board, Morris must certify that the maglev is safe to ride. He said more than 150 tests and inspections will be performed by his company over the next several weeks.

Because no one in the nation has ever built a maglev, no state or federal agency is charged with oversight.

The National People Mover code, the same code that applies to light rail and airport people movers, requires that American Maglev validate the system's safety and performance.

The Virginia Transportation Research Council, a joint venture between the Virginia Department of Transportation and the University of Virginia, has been working with American Maglev and ODU to establish the minimum requirements for testing.

``There has been some uncertainty, on something as new and novel as this, what kind of operational testing should be insisted on,'' said Wayne Ferguson, the council's associate director. ``We would not be willing to go along with any kind of recommendation that this maglev train be put in service until a minimum set of operational tests and standards are met.''

``Our commitment to safety is everything,'' he said. ``Our company is at the beginning of its life. Our company and our name is on the line.

High-speed rail as an alternative mode of transportation in the U.S. is long overdue. We are reaching the point of diminishing returns as we expand our 4-lane interstates to 6 or (gasp!!!) 8 lanes. And even costly airport expansions make little sense when (prior to 9/11) the air corridors themselves are over-congested.

High-speed rail and maglev offer the perfect alternative to augment & supplement our highway and air transportation infrastructure. For regional trips between 150 and 350 miles, it is faster than automobile and not that much slower than air. Yet offers the potential to alleviate both congested highways and air corridors!

In light of current economic conditions, construction of this vital transportation infrastructure should be accelerated.

"The biggest key to reducing noise is to make sure every inch of the track is absolutely level."

That's gonna make climbing hills a little difficult, isn't it? Seems like what they MEAN to say is that the track has to be absolutely EVEN.

Are they using U-shaped rails as guides?

Michael

That's gonna make climbing hills a little difficult, isn't it? Seems like what they MEAN to say is that the track has to be absolutely EVEN.

I think you're right.

Are they using U-shaped rails as guides?

No, Michael. There's a good actual pic here. It looks as if the vehicle "wrapsaround" a beam.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the earth,

First `maglev' train arrives in China

China took delivery yesterday of the world's first passenger train that uses magnets to propel it at up to 430 km/h, with the German makers hoping it will convince Beijing to spend billions of dollars on more. The maglev train will run on the first commercial rail link using magnetic levitation, a 66-km stretch between Shanghai and its new airport.

Tickets go on sale March 2003.

There must not have been much US technology to steal on this one.

Cheers.

There must not have been much US technology to steal on this one.

The China project is utilizing the same German technology from Transrapid International that Pittsburgh and Baltimore/Washington are currently competeing for funding in the U.S. (U.S. funding for maglev isn't a lock -- Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Baltimore vying)
Note: Don't pay attention to the Las Vegas "possibility" in the previous article link. It's a red herring inserted by Big Oil interests in hopes of delaying implementation in the U.S.

I guess I was dreaming when I rode on a maglev elevated test line in 1975. It was at Rohr Industries in Chula Vista, CA. Yes, it was a prototype, but it did run between two "stations" on an elevated line. Rohr eventually dropped the project due to cash flow problems elsewhere in their business, but it was maglev, and it was in the US.

Rohr eventually dropped the project due to cash flow problems elsewhere in their business, but it was maglev, and it was in the US.

Actually, Rohr's ROMAG technology was purchased by Boeing and quickly shelved. (Source)
Guess they didn't want competition against their sales of jet airliners.

You know what?

Have you ever driven Las Vegas to Los Angeles?

That drive is the pits.

I would love to see a Mag/Lev train do 450 KM/H on that run.

Hang the price. If we can fund the big dig we can do anything.

Cheers.

Q:- "Are they using U-shaped rails as guides?"
A:- No, Michael. There's a good actual pic here. It looks as if the vehicle "wraps around" a beam."

Ah. Instead of a u-shaped rail, they're using a u-shaped guide on the vehicle. Knew there had to be a "U" there somewhere.

Michael

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