Maglev

[Born Acorn]

Monorail/ Maglev

Will these be off the ground, like in Germany or the other european country?

elevated track and stations sound cool.

[antpocas]

Umm... Maglev HAS to be levitated, or it won't be Maglev. Maglev is short for magnetic levitation, and is based on the principles of magnets. Maglev takes their repelling power and uses it to levitate and travel at very high speeds.

[Prof. Frink]

I think what Born Acorn meant was "Will the track be raised, or will thay be at ground level?"

Maglev takes their repelling power

The TransRapid actually uses the attractive force, not repulsive.

[Born Acorn]

I kniow what Maglev means and yes I mean will the tracki be levitated, I mean surely, have you seen the prototype one somewhere in europe, because imagine a level crossing, cars would levitate over it!

[Bart]

I think what Born Acorn meant was "Will the track be raised, or will thay be at ground level?"

Maglev takes their repelling power

The TransRapid actually uses the attractive force, not repulsive.

Doesn't it use both? After all, it has to levitate?

[Born Acorn]

I thought that, one magent on while the other on means a repelling and attracting force at the same time.

[Prof. Frink]

Electronically controlled support magnets located on both sides along the entire length of the vehicle pull the vehicle up to the ferromagnetic stator packs mounted to the underside of the guideway.

[krtaylor]

There are at least three different ways of doing a maglev.

1. Have magnets on the bottom of the train that repel from magnets on the track underneath (and on the sides all around to keep the train on the track.

2. Have magnets on the top of a flange at the bottom of the train, that pulls the train up to a row of magnets overhanging the edge of the track on both sides. I think that's what Prof. Frink is talking about.

3. Have permanent magnets on the bottom of the train, and continuous coils of wire on the track. When the train is stopped, it is resting on the track - actually, you can refit this to normal track. When the train starts moving, it is propelled by current in the coils of wire, and the faster it goes, the more power is in the wires, causing more repulsion to the magnets on the bottom of the train. At 15mph or so it starts to lift off the track, and the faster it goes the farther up it goes until it is I think 6 inches or so. Kind of like Doc Brown's time-traveling train at the end of the 3rd Back to the Future movie.

[Born Acorn]

after watching the 16 minute documenary on the transrapid, I am wowed

[Stylesjl]

Because imagine a level crossing, cars would levitate over it!

if the cars had electro magnets

[krtaylor]

I don't think maglev trains can have level crossings, nor can monorails. At least as far as I know, no system does.

[Born Acorn]

the whole point is the track is the electromagnet, and the train an ordinary magnetised thing. Like some parts in a car.