Flying Trains?

[Cow Poke]

I thought this was cool....

Flying Trains Could Be Coming Your Way

[rogue06]

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[Cow Poke]

smartybritches

[rogue06]

smartybritches

You should see the moon it flies by!

[One Bad Pig]

I thought this was cool....

Flying Trains Could Be Coming Your Way

Interesting concept. There'd be some inevitable inefficiencies, weight-wise (the wings and pod would need to be reinforced to withstand connecting them together, the connections themselves would add bulk, the pod/rails interface would add significant weight....), which are anathema to airlines.

[Cow Poke]

Interesting concept. There'd be some inevitable inefficiencies, weight-wise (the wings and pod would need to be reinforced to withstand connecting them together, the connections themselves would add bulk, the pod/rails interface would add significant weight....), which are anathema to airlines.

Yeah, the only thing I can think of to offset that is the fact that they would probably manufacture the rail cars out of lightweight carbon fiber composites.... and this kinda looks like a project for SpaceX or one of the other private companies!

The other problem would be logistics -- as it is now, all "rolling stock" is pretty much universally shared by rail companies as to destination, reloading, return route for profitability.... these cars would be quite specific as relates to endpoints.

It will be interesting to see if this develops.

[The Melody Maker]

It looks pretty cool.

But I'm still waiting for my flying car.

[mossrose]

It looks pretty cool.

But I'm still waiting for my flying car.

Tell Melody's dad to get on that!

[TheWall]

I remember hearing a lot about magnet train networks across the planet.

[One Bad Pig]

I remember hearing a lot about magnet train networks across the planet.

Maglev trains would be very fast, and would undoubtedly be more efficient than taking to the air. They're also far from cheap to install.

[firstfloor]

Too Thunderbirdsey, not schnechty.

[One Bad Pig]

Too Thunderbirdsey, not schnechty.

Needs to be a little less Edsel, IMO.

[Cow Poke]

Maglev trains would be very fast, and would undoubtedly be more efficient than taking to the air. They're also far from cheap to install.

I remember some guy going on about how they won't be practical until we figure out cold fusion.

[Leonhard]

I remember some guy going on about how they won't be practical until we figure out cold fusion.

Mag-lev technology has had a lot of teething issues being developed and deployed. Its not as easy a technology to get working as wheels on rails. Its a much more complex upfront investment into materials and people capable of building it, which in my countries that started trying to make this didn't exist at the time they started, so they had develop all that too.

However, mag-lev, even though it has higher upfront costs might have lower total cost of ownership for certain high-speed applications. In Japan for instance it takes a work force of over ten thousand people to maintain the rails that their Bullet Train goes along. Steel against steel wear from the wheel-rail contact at 200mph introduces a lot of maintainance need. However mag-lev doesn't have the same issue.

So I know Japan is working towards replacing several of their Shinkansen lines with mag-lev trains, but it hasn't been easy. They're doing it hoping to save money down the line, but if they fail at that they'll still have a faster and more futuristic train.

Sometimes national pride is worth paying money for.

[Sparko]

I rode the train system over here in Bavaria. Very cheap and efficient. We took a regular train to Munich, went to a subway in the same station, took the subway near the Tollwood fest we were going to, then got on a bus and went the rest of the way. All with one Bavarian Travel pass. It was like 20 Euros for the first person and then 5 Euros for each additional passenger and is good for any public transportation in Bavaria for 24 hours. The trains are pretty durn fast too. And no waiting around like in an airport. You just show up on time, get on the train and go. They stop for about 5 minutes tops so you better be ready to board.