Have fun with your trains
northamericanexpress One of the main reasons that monorail technology has not found widespread appeal in the US is that many individuals still view it as appropriate for amusement parks, zoos and in some cases airports (Newark comes to mind). Unfortunately, we don't have visionaries like the late Walt Disney (firmly believed that monorails were the wave of the future) to guide us at the moment.
One of the main reasons that monorail technology has not found widespread appeal in the US is that many individuals still view it as appropriate for amusement parks, zoos and in some cases airports (Newark comes to mind). Unfortunately, we don't have visionaries like the late Walt Disney (firmly believed that monorails were the wave of the future) to guide us at the moment.
Disney may have wanted us to think it was the wave of the future, but by making the monorail such an ubiquitous part of the theme park, he only reenforced the stereotype that monorails are for amusement only. He probably caused more damage to his own cause than anything else.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
I was so, so disappointed when I rode the Disney monorail in Florida in 1986. After seeing the system at Anaheim on the Disney TV show, "The Wonderful World of Color" (on our black and white TV set, oh the irony) and being so fascinated by the way of the future, I finally got to ride a monorail. It rode like a bus on a rough road! I thought it would glide "as softly as a cloud" as Lyle Lanley said. But no.
54light15 I finally got to ride a monorail. It rode like a bus on a rough road! I thought it would glide "as softly as a cloud" as Lyle Lanley said. But no.
I finally got to ride a monorail. It rode like a bus on a rough road! I thought it would glide "as softly as a cloud" as Lyle Lanley said. But no.
While we view terra fima as being stable, from a heavy duty construction vantage point it is anything but stable, at least until you get down and anchored to bedrock - however far down beneath the surface that may be.
I doubt most monorail systems will anchor their piers to bedrock and as such, the ground is subject to various forms of movment; thus changing the alignment of the piers with their neighbors and affecting the ride characteristics of the line.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I bet 54light15 and blue streak 1 were talking about the railhead, not the trackbed, surface.
blue streak 1, when you say "RR sufacing machine" do you mean "rail grinder"? I too wonder what monorails, hanging or overrunning, steel or concrete, use to keep the rail smooth.
Patrick Boylan
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gardendance blue streak 1, when you say "RR sufacing machine" do you mean "rail grinder"? I too wonder what monorails, hanging or overrunning, steel or concrete, use to keep the rail smooth.
Thanks for clearing up my ambiguous interpretation. I know what a tamper is, that one word has saved me needing 999 more from you, so I don't need a picture.
I now have to think what elevated railways use for their trackbed. I can't think of any off the top of my head that have ballast anymore, but I think some of the ones in Philadelphia did once upon a time.
Actually Amtrak is on a campaign to replace open deck bridges ( cross ties on support beams ) to a ballast deck bridge. You will note most conversions have a higher MAS. Of course some bridges such a portal are open deck but the replacement(s) are planned to be ballasted.
The beam is concrete, and I suspect that it would have similar surface issues with wear as highways, both using rubber tires.
BaltACD While we view terra fima as being stable, from a heavy duty construction vantage point it is anything but stable, at least until you get down and anchored to bedrock - however far down beneath the surface that may be.
In many parts of the country, even the bedrock isn't stable, especially when crossing a fault line.
On a similar vein, I've wondered what was involved in resurfacing a maglev line.
gardendance I now have to think what elevated railways use for their trackbed. I can't think of any off the top of my head that have ballast anymore, but I think some of the ones in Philadelphia did once upon a time.
The Midway L (Orange Line) is on ballasted track for much of its route, even on the elevated sections.
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