MagLev is just so cool...

MagLev is just so cool... (Full Version)

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Hippiekinkster -> MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 7:00:49 PM)
And the Rethugs have blown 14 years of development and implementation time. How on Earth can anyone vote for those redneck morons? /digression [:)] Anyway, this system sounds very cool. Allowing for increased costs today, figure maybe 25 million/mile. Shrub has pissed away a half-TRILLION bucks on his insane wet dream. That's 20,000 miles of track for a maglev system. Every major lower 48 city in the country could be tied together. If Canada got in the act, there could be a line from Vancouver to Anchorage (probably way too expensive, unless the guideway paralleled the railway). I want to ride one of these. I know someone who has ridden the TransRapid (German) system in Shanghai. Astounding, he says. I have ridden the TGV from Waterloo Station (London) to Gare du Nord (Paris). 225 kph, I seem to recall. We were going around some small town in France, the track was elevated and banked, and for about a minute there was absolutely no sensation of movement. None. No sound, no vibration, nothing. MagLev is even smoother and quieter. http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/amtteam.htm http://www.transrapid.de/cgi-tdb/en/basics.prg

GreedyTop -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 7:03:20 PM)
oooh....cooool!

kittinSol -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 8:25:09 PM)
I've done the Eurostar more times than I remember; I used to travel by train all the time. Until... Why aren't there more trains in America? It's the perfect country for it. Tons of space for railtracks, and I'm sure the infrastructure's all there. Why [X(] ?

Hippiekinkster -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 9:25:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol I've done the Eurostar more times than I remember; I used to travel by train all the time. Until... Why aren't there more trains in America? It's the perfect country for it. Tons of space for railtracks, and I'm sure the infrastructure's all there. Why [X(] ? You know, kitten, I wish I could provide some sort of answer for you, but, in truth, I do not know. It's a confluence of a lot of little things which add up to de facto public policy, I think. Makes me wish I had taken some classes in Urban Planning. It's a perceptive question you ask. If I might theorize: Land has been (relatively) inexpensive in the US, allowing builders to obtain tracts of land and develop them inexpensively, far from the city centers. The combination of the Eisenhauer Interstate System, and the Federal fuel subsidies, combined to make truck commerce less expensive than rail. GAS AND DIESEL ARE CHEAP IN THE US. The combined vested interests of the Auto makers, the steel makers, and the oil companies created a situation where the combined lobbying efforts overrode rational public policy (famous quote:"What's good for GM is good for the country"). Americans adopted a more nomadic lifestyle. Today, like 20 years ago, it was a rule of thumb that the typical Ami family would remain in their house only 7 years. That requires mobility. Autos became "status symbols". Expensive cars were/are equated with social standing and wealth; muscle cars were associated with virility, a "devil may care" attitude, freedom, and so on. Case in point: my brother has a Carrera. He doesn't give a fuck, really, about the symbols of wealth anymore. But he still has the car at age 60. Why? Another case in point: I have two cars. I have an 88 Volvo 240 DL. Needs cleaning, buffing, waxing, the whole nine yards. I can see people turn up their noses at me when I drive it. When I drive my Mercedes convertible, it's a completely different story. Same clothes. Same radio station. Everything's the same except for the car. But I get my ass kissed. (Subs do this shit, too. It's fucking hilarious. They think they have me pegged in my Volvo.) Why? In the US, as much as anywhere else, the car is the man. If one rides public transport, one is a nothing, a cipher, a loser. That's the attitude. It's a really fucked-up country, and it's impossible to get people to look at themselves in the mirror. Especially those who are already "saved". Enough for now. You know why, we all know why. Cars = identity in the US.

kittinSol -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 9:38:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster You know why, we all know why. Cars = identity in the US. You haven't seen Mediterraneans with their automobiles???!!! They're even more outrageous. I know what you're seeing about the importance of the car as an individual mean of transport and the status symbol that's attached to the little box on wheels, but people still have to travel great distances within the US, and they take the plane rather than the train. It surprises me that railway infrastructure was abandonned in favour of aviation - more expensive, more polluting, more of a shag. You take a train from one city to another: you leave at the center of town, and at the center of town you arrive. It's pretty handy. Why isn't it more popular? Look at the Eurostar! Under the Channel and hey presto! In France or England, or Belgium, in an hour and a half! And it's not like there's lots of space to build tracks over there; it's a lot "tighter". I suspect lack of political will is behind the sparseness of the railway system here. I mean... it doesn't make any sense otherwise; even within small urban areas, trains are fantastic for commuting, and for transporting people from A to B safely, without so much damage to the environment and... blah, blah, blablblablaaaa. I love trains. Plus, they're great for shagging.

Smith117 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/4/2008 10:37:25 PM)
Why is it when I see that picture on that link, I can't shake the mental image of the "monorail" song from the Simpson's episode?

luckydog1 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 12:12:48 AM)
When I lived on the East Coast, I took the train from Virginia up to DC or onto NYC several times, it was great. One of the reasons Americans like Air travell is that it takes 5 days to get from Coast to Coast on Amtrack, whereas, by plane it takes 5-6 hours. Ive done it, from La to New Orleans, then up to Virginia. I have ridden the train from Denver to San Fransisco also, incredible trip. Car travel is something completely different, the journey is the destination. If Chicks didn't dig cars they would not be as popular.

Politesub53 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:02:54 AM)
Hippie the first link you gave shows a cost of $50 million per mile for construction. I think the final costs would be way higher, as is normally the case with most construction projects. It certainly is a fast system and they had a short maglev track running in the UK at Birmingham airport, as far back as 1984, although this didnt prove reliable in the long term. Estimates are that maglev trains could run at 300/mph. Which is astounding. Most transport projects in the UK get bogged down in red tape and public hearings, making the final costs prohibitive.

Hippiekinkster -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 11:40:52 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Politesub53 Hippie the first link you gave shows a cost of $50 million per mile for construction. I think the final costs would be way higher, as is normally the case with most construction projects. It certainly is a fast system and they had a short maglev track running in the UK at Birmingham airport, as far back as 1984, although this didnt prove reliable in the long term. Estimates are that maglev trains could run at 300/mph. Which is astounding. Most transport projects in the UK get bogged down in red tape and public hearings, making the final costs prohibitive. From the first link: "American Maglev is estimated to cost $15-20 million/mile." I adjusted that upward for my SWAG calculation. The Transrapid train in Shanghai has exceeded 300 mph. I once calculated the total travel time from my house in Marietta, GA to downtown Chicago by air, including going to the airport, wait time, gate-to-gate time, and the time for the CTA "El" to get me to downtown Chicago. Don't remember the total time offhand, but I calculated MagLev from the planned station in Marietta to Chicago-downtown would be the same. For shorter hops (say, LA to SF) or DC to Boston or ATL) it would take less time.

thompsonx -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 1:01:34 PM)
FR: Imagine the speeds that might be obtained if the thing ran in a tube that was capable of being depressurized? thompson

luckydog1 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 1:52:57 PM)
Why would anyone build a special High Speed express train from Marieta GA to Chicago? If it stops in all the towns between the 2 places, it would never get up to 300MPH, and would take a couple of days. If it only made 2 stops in Memphis & ST Louis, it would be pretty fast, but then most people in its service area, would have to travel for several hours, just to get to the train, and total travel time would not be any faster. It sounds like a liberal dream, Having a Mag lev train from your front door to wherever you like to go. But not really very realistic. There aboslutly should be a high speed train that connects the cities up the West Coast, and the NE corridor. Other than that, Air travell or car makes more sense.

kittinSol -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 1:57:09 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: luckydog1 If Chicks didn't dig cars they would not be as popular. Maybe I'm the exception that confirms the rule, but I don't particularly dig cars. Sure, some cars are cool, but come on now... those elephantine monstrosities with wheels taller than yours truly aren't digworthy at all. Give me a nice big fat train that shoots through tunnels anyday [8D] (cue: Hitchcock).

luckydog1 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:14:01 PM)
Very few people drive monster trucks around, with 4 foot tires. I am assuming that you are petite, not a super midget (less than 32 inches tall). If I am mistaken and you are 2 foot something, my apologies. If you live way put in the woods a monster truck is pretty cool to have, to get places that police cars can't, and lots of chicks there would dig it. The ability to get in a car with your sweetie, and drive out to a secluded place is wonderfull. The ability to load up ones gear (of whatever sort) and go, is fantastic and gives people a huge amount of social, work related, and creative freedom. To drive with freinds from accross our continent (with the freedom to take any side detours or stops, not just where the train says and for how long), is one of the great blessings of our modern lives. We do have to get them off of gasoline, but I think we should be working towards a goal of trying to get everyone on the planet a non polluting car, rather than trying to get people to not drive.

SL4V3M4YB3 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:27:48 PM)
Funny how people moan about magnetic fields from buried cables giving children leukaemia but they are happy to travel on a train with powerful magnetic fields emanating from under them. Maglev will never work for the simple fact too much energy is wasted making an entire length of track a magnetic field. Why do people think it more efficient? The heat generated in an electric motor from errm coiled wire in one small location or errm loads of coiled wire along an entire length of track? The cows will thank you for the first outdoor heating network you provide them. Sure no energy is wasted on frictional resistance but does that really balance the fact you’ve turned an entire length of track into a George Forman Grilling Machine?[8\|]

kittinSol -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:30:01 PM)
Luckydog, cars have their utility, and I never took away that they have a major fun factor. I'm not a midget at all; but as a eurodeb, I do find the size of American cars offputting. I'm not talking monster trucks here, I'm talking run-of-the-mill day-to-day vehicles. They're fucking enormous.

kittinSol -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:31:15 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3 you’ve turned an entire length of track into a George Forman Grilling Machine?[8\|] You're toast.

Hippiekinkster -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:40:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: luckydog1 Why would anyone build a special High Speed express train from Marieta GA to Chicago? If it stops in all the towns between the 2 places, it would never get up to 300MPH, and would take a couple of days. If it only made 2 stops in Memphis & ST Louis, it would be pretty fast, but then most people in its service area, would have to travel for several hours, just to get to the train, and total travel time would not be any faster. It sounds like a liberal dream, Having a Mag lev train from your front door to wherever you like to go. But not really very realistic. There aboslutly should be a high speed train that connects the cities up the West Coast, and the NE corridor. Other than that, Air travell or car makes more sense. Nobody would build it from Marietta. The study for a TransRapid system from Hartsfield to Chattanooga has been completed. Here's a route map: http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_Atlanta-Chattanooga.jpg How long do you think it takes to board a train?

Hippiekinkster -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:45:38 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3 Funny how people moan about magnetic fields from buried cables giving children leukaemia but they are happy to travel on a train with powerful magnetic fields emanating from under them. Maglev will never work for the simple fact too much energy is wasted making an entire length of track a magnetic field. Why do people think it more efficient? The heat generated in an electric motor from errm coiled wire in one small location or errm loads of coiled wire along an entire length of track? The cows will thank you for the first outdoor heating network you provide them. Sure no energy is wasted on frictional resistance but does that really balance the fact you’ve turned an entire length of track into a George Forman Grilling Machine?[8\|] So you, in your capacity as a transportation systems engineer, have studied MagLev extensively and concluded it will never work and that too much energy would be wasted anyway? Hahahahaha It's so hilarious when people opine authoritatively on matters of which they know less than nothing. In this case, I'm not going to even bother putting up a link to TransRapid. Waste of time.

SL4V3M4YB3 -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:48:07 PM)
Funny when people judge others when they have no knowledge of what they do for a living.[:D]

Hippiekinkster -> RE: MagLev is just so cool... (3/5/2008 2:54:50 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3 Funny when people judge others when they have no knowledge of what they do for a living.[:D] So, at the tender age of 29, you have become the foremost authority on MagLev? And have concluded that it will never work? That's going to come as a big surprise to the mass transit authorities in Shanghai, where a system already goes from the city to the airport. Go tell them it doesn't work. Hahahahaha You sure you want to go up against me?

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