Slot Car Technology for Maglev Trains

Eugene Reese , United States

For years I have been following Maglev innovations to the point where inventors have included private vehicles running in tandem with zero headspace between cars rather than heavy trains with miles between the trains. Thus a lot of wasted track is used by heavy trains. Search monorail maglev or, more recently, Halbach magnet array to see samples.

The problem is to find a way to turn one vehicle out of a string of vehicles traveling at 300 miles per hour without disturbing the other vehicles or requiring more head space before the turnout.

Using magnetic displacement is too dangerous. Using a mechanical switch like the railroads is too slow. How about putting a pin under the front of the car to guide it by lowering the pin to a lower track groove to turn out. Problem, my toy slot cars would fishtail and spin out.

How about two pins, one in front and one in back, thus no fishtail, But even more dangerous since if the front pin turned and the rear pin went straight the car would be cut in half.

I shelved the idea for a couple of years until I was working on a feed problem in my machine shop for in industrial process. Then Eureka, pin in front and pin in back to be replaced with a keel - As the front of the keel goes, the rear must follow!

Now use linear synchronous motors and also magnetically center the keel so there is no physical contact with the monorai to make the guidance frictionless. Imagine, take your special vehicle from LA to NY with a lunch break in St Louis! Lets finish this.

I have created several inventions for industry and myself.

I patented the described innovation.

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