COMMENTS FROM THE PAST

I came across this note in the body of an atricle on MagLev trains and thought you might enjoy it. After you read it you are free to draw your own conclusions about the reason why America is falling behind in technology and it's application in this country!

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Craig

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COMMENT FROM POPULAR SCIENCE MAGAZINE
page 135
DATED MAY 1989

MAGLEV, NOT WAR?

A concept for levitating passenger trains with superconducting magnets earned a patent for James Powell and Gordon Danby at New York’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in the late 1960s. Henry Kolm and Richard Thornton at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrated a working 1/125th scale maglev vehicle, called magneplane, based on the concept, in the early 1970s (Dec. ’73). Budget constraints in the mid 70s ended federal funding of maglev research however. Now Kolm and others want to leapfrog Japanese and German maglev by reviving Magneplane technology: These maglev vehicles, using superconducting magnets for repulsion and propulsion, would whisk passengers between U.S. cities along elevated aluminum troughs – lighter and less expensive than German and Japanese test-track guideways. Magneplanes – 100 passenger vehicles departing every few minutes – would “fly” 12 inches above the guideway. Maximum speed for best efficiency would be 224 mph, say Kolm.

He’s getting help, buttons labeled “Maglevs, Not War” appeared on a few lapels in Washington, D.C., last year (“88). The reason: to show support for bills introduced by New York State Senator Daniel Moynihan that would aid in the development of magnetic-levitation vehicles. Moynihan’s bill asked NASA and the Department of Transportation to demonstrate the feasibility of maglev technology.

Maglev transportation is inevitable, Moynihan believes, “If we fail to move aggressively forward in this field, we will lose an opportunity to commercialize superconductivity and lead a revolution that our scientists have set in motion. We might leave it to the Europeans and Japanese. That would be a national tragedy,” he says.

Moynihan was also trying to eliminate legal impediments that might hinder building maglev lines along the median strips of interstate highways. A study on piggybacking maglev onto the interstate highway system, headed by Powell and Danby, was slated to be submitted to Moynihan in 1989, then to President Bush.

SURFACE INTERCONNECTION

Surface connections for the MagLev can be identified by user participation and stops between the already identified stops. These stops can/may be coordinated with Valley Metro Buses and taxi service.

Fares can/may be collected by electronic "Ticket", as are Tolls on Toll Roads across the Country.

In each case the connection point can/may be monitored for rider safety during connection with Buses or Taxis or a Park and Ride facility. Park and Ride facilities can/may be pay only and secured by electronic means or by a service person. Admitance to the Park and Ride could be easily controlled by the Electronic "Ticket".

In each case a money option can/may be worked into the operation.

VALLEY OF THE SUN RAPID TRANSIT

Valley of the Sun Rapid Transit

The Valley of the Sun Scammers are at it again, with the advent of the “Light Rail” system, they have managed to put the Tax payers money in their own pockets for a system that has already requested more than a Billion dollars more than was previously predicted for the complete system.

Not only is the “Light rail” system not a rapid transit system but it starts in Mesa and proceeds to the Old “Cristown” Mall by rails placed in the middle of surface streets. Not only do the rails take roadway away from vehicular traffic, but it requires the “Light rail” riders to cross active streets to board the “Light Rail” cars and to disembark into street traffic. It effectively goes from nowhere to nowhere in a very expensive manner, making money for a small group of people and saddling the Tax payer with the costs of building and running it and costing hundreds of people their property and businesses and jobs.

The “Light Rail” system is an old system that was slowly phased out as unprofitable during the last half of the Twentieth Century. Those systems that survived the Twentieth Century either went up, as elevated trains, or went down, as subways. The newer systems that have been built toward the last two decades of the Century were Monorail systems built in Seattle, Disneyland, Japan, and China, to name a few places.

With the desire to decrease traffic on the surface streets of Phoenix and the rest of the Valley of the Sun the Planners had a chance to lead the country into this the twenty-first Century by building a rapid transit system that ran from Williams Gateway Airport across the Valley to Buckeye, transiting through ASU Main campus, Sky Harbor Airport, Down town Phoenix at the Sports Complexes and Hotels and on to ASU West and then to the Cardinals Football Field then onto the Phoenix International Raceway and finally to the Hotels in Buckeye. This transit system could have been built with support stations in the turn lanes of the streets and through empty land from one end to the other with a minimal displacement of people and businesses. This could have happened if a monorail system had been chosen, better yet a Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) system. No Ugly power lines hanging over the streets, no room hogging train cars on the city streets and graceful overhead rails designed to not be eyesores. Rider for the system could be lifted by escalators from the side walks on either side of the street to get on the Monorail and would exit the same way.

This system would have moved people from the major airports to the hotels and the sports venues quickly and safely. Students at any of the four ASU campuses could have easily attended classes at several different campuses as required. Then when Phoenix realized that it would be impossible to expand Sky Harbor any further the system could have been expanded south to the new site of the Airport, which could then combine both of the International Airports, Phoenix and Tucson. At this time the old airports could be used for commercial purposes and for Airport parking and then use the Monorail to ride to the new airport. The Sports Venues and the Hotels could even have entrances from the Monorail directly at the monorail elevation allowing patrons to enter directly into the facilities without having to battle the foot traffic at ground level.