Topic: Rails are warming up

[gerhed]

Camera-at-risk vantage point

<a href="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u251/gearheaded_photos/LowTrak.swf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u251/gearheaded_photos/LowTrak.swf</a>

[dusterdude]

cool

[Steve F]

That IS cool!  I'd love to be able to cruise the rails near home, if they'd just keep those damn trains off of them! 

[BobbyR]

That IS cool!  I'd love to be able to cruise the rails near home, if they'd just keep those damn trains off of them! 

If you do some research you may find a spur line somewhere around you. However, there is a  new law under Homeland Security that makes it a serious crime to trespass on RR right of ways.

[BobbyR]

I am surprised how well the outrigger tracks along the rail. I do not see the lateral movement I would expect considering the condition of the track. If the condition of the roadbed is consistant along the section you are using, i would expect you will encounter a train coming at you or from behind. Nice work!

[Bodi]

It's a bicycle... if a train comes along you just pick it up and move off. The rails pictured are covered in rust, no trains there for a while. Avoid shiny top rails and all should be well. Tracks where high speed trains can operate are in much better condition than the pictured ones - welded joints for example rather than the bolted butt joint shown. This is, if active, a spur line where any trains would be crawling along.
I would still want a rear-view mirror (and check it all the time)!
Putting your ear to a track you can hear a train from quite a distance but it takes some practice to guess WHAT distance accurately.
Be careful about electrically connecting the tracks. This is how the railroad signals are operated (both crossing signals and rail traffic signals): railway companies have some sense of humour about people walking (or riding their rail bicycles?) on the tracks but NONE AT ALL about folks messing with the signals.

[UnCrash]

Hey Gerhead,

You should check out this French artist who built a rig to ride the abandoned Monorails...



http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/02/riding_the_monorails.html

[Bob Wessner]

Just curious, why are they abandoned? Seems like new tech. to us Americans.

[BobbyR]

Just curious, why are they abandoned? Seems like new tech. to us Americans.

Yeah I was wondering the same thing Bob. We need them here.

[Bodi]

Because the idea is fundamentally flawed? The French fooled around with assorted monorails from 1950 to 1975 or so, and (despite the vast amount of contrary evidence from Citroen) are excellent engineers. They abandoned the monorail after spending sackfuls of cash trying to make one work.
I think the pictured track is on a test track loop made to test the "Aerotrain" system which tried a number of vehicle types all powered with aero engines - prop and jets. The speed record for monorails is still, I believe, held by a jet propelled Aerotrain at 400+ km/h.
Here's a video of one of the cars at about 400 km/h. You may have to "save target" to see it...
http://aernav.free.fr/Aerotrain/Video/I80HV_Nord.mpg
Note the jet engine intake on top, the exhaust is from the rectangular thing at the back end which is actually a thrust reverser for backing up. I wouldn't want to be on the platform if the driver/pilot needed overshot his stop and wanted to go back a few metres!

[Bob Wessner]

..after spending sackfuls of cash trying to make one work.

Americans are all too familiar with this process.

[BobbyR]

My Company makes the Bullet Trains in Japan, they have stayed with electric traction motors and it seems to be working. The latest models have spoilers which deploy to aid in braking. Weird things begin to happen in the passenger compartment at ultra speeds. A vacuum forms outside the body and makes their ears pop for one. When two of them pass each other in a tunnel it is worse. There is also a muzzle blast effect when they come out of a tunnel.

[gerhed]

Hey Gerhead,

You should check out this French artist who built a rig to ride the abandoned Monorails...



http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/02/riding_the_monorails.html

"Abandoned monorails"--just the sound of the words excites me !

[gerhed]

I am surprised how well the outrigger tracks along the rail. I do not see the lateral movement I would expect considering the condition of the track. If the condition of the roadbed is consistant along the section you are using, i would expect you will encounter a train coming at you or from behind. Nice work!

BobR

Thanks. I have a second tracking device just in front of the bike's rear wheel--it really tightens this baby down.

gerhed

[BobbyR]