[ale] OT: Maglev funding?

[Robert Reese~]

> Robert Reese~ wrote:
>
>>> Again I have to ask - why are you assuming it's not feasible?
>>> The WDW Epcot line is a looped spur that runs about five miles
>>> away from the Transportation and Ticketing Center; it crosses
>>> highways and waterways as it does so.  For longer expanses,
>>> there are issues of power (self-contained like a diesel-
>>> electric, third-rail like WDW or MARTA, or pantograph like TGV)
>>> and there would have to be a rather involved passenger rescue
>>> support infrastructure, but those are reasonably solvable
>>> problems.
>>>
>>>
>> Okay, it is *feasible*; I should have said *not practical*.
>> Again, it is passenger density versus the cost of maintenance.
>>
> So?  What about it is impractical?

See below.
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>> The People Mover is a
>> high-maintenance system.... lots of gears, motors, electrical
>> switches, bearings, and so forth.  And most of those are NOT on
>> the cars but are embedded in the track.  The maintenance folks
>> have to go to those stationary points of failure, though inherent
>> in the system is some redundancy that allows for failure of some
>> components while maintaining the integrity of the system as a
>> whole.
>>
> I guess you've lost me somewhere along the way - I don't know what
> you mean by "people mover" here.

You missed a thread or five. ;c)  What I wrote above pertained only to People 
Movers, not monorails.


> If you're talking about a system like the WDW WedWay PeopleMover -
> that was based on a linear induction motor that didn't have moving
> parts at all.  It's just nontrivial getting power properly
> sequenced all the way up and down the track.

I wasn't aware the Orlando People Mover was different than the Anaheim People 
Mover.  The WDW People Mover with its linear induction motor makes it to be a 
miniature maglev.

Here's an interesting Wikipedia entry that pertains directly to this wholly 
off-topic discussion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_motor


>>>> The other problem is that the maintenance cost on a People
>>>> Mover are quite high... imagine the thousands of bearings,
>>>> electric motors, switches, and so forth that have to be
>>>> maintained just at WDW alone.  Sure, the usefulness there
>>>> warrants the high
>>>> maintenance, but as a replacement for MARTA it just wouldn't
>>>> make sense financially.
>>>>
> Again, I have no idea what system at WDW you're referring to; you
> certainly don't seem to be describing either the monorail or the
> WedWay.

I was unaware that WDW used a different People Mover technology as Disneyland; 
people on this side of the country are significantly more familiar with WDW than 
with Disneyland.  However, having never been to WDW I believed that the two 
systems were analogous.  Obviously I was incorrect.

R~