Abstract:
A mass transit system includes a plurality of pedestal-mounted rings which provide a support through which a vehicle travels. The pedestals are spaced apart on the ground, but no rail or connecting structure on or above ground is required. An underground conduit carries electrical and communications cable that connects the pedestals together. The rings include a plurality of rollers to drive, guide and stabilize the vehicle at lower speeds. For higher speeds flywheels are mounted on the pedestals. The flywheels are preferably driven by an electrical motor, which engages a friction or clutch plate on the vehicle separate from the rings. The friction plate or linear clutch is mounted separate from the rings on the vehicle and is lowered to engage and disengage the flywheel. The flywheel is also mounted on a shock absorber to smooth the travel of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuing application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/950,949, filed Sep. 27, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,343 and further claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C. 111(b) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/506,896, filed Sep. 29, 2003, both hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of transportation systems and, more particularly, to a mass-transit system including a plurality of pedestal mounted rings to guide and propel an elongated vehicle carrying passengers, cargo, and the like. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Transportation of people and cargo has become increasingly important in our modem lives. In the United States, modes of travel between cities offer few options, typically by air, bus, personal automobile, and to a limited extent by conventional rail. Other countries in the world, most notably Japan and France, have developed high speed rail systems between major destinations, but these systems rely for the most part on conventional rail infrastructure with some technological improvements in the rails and the locomotives. 
     A major drawback in such conventional rail systems lies in the exorbitant costs of building, maintaining, and operating such systems. The initial cost of building a high-speed, conventional rail system can run into literally billions of U.S. dollars, depending on the size of the rail system, the geographical obstacles that have to be overcome, and many other factors. In fact, there is a real need for mass transit between cities, where the initial cost is the overriding barrier to the installation of such a system. 
     Another drawback to conventional rail systems is the problem of the environmental impact of such systems. Typically, rail systems include a right of way which must be cleared and on which the rails and various support systems are installed. Also, the locomotives are most often diesel powered, which contributes to air born pollution. For electric systems, the amount of electrical power that is consumed must be provided by power generation systems, which throughout the world are principally hydrocarbon fueled, again contributing to the pollution loading of the world&#39;s environment. The environmental impact of such systems also includes the man-made barriers of the rails and the right of ways. 
     Another important innovation in recent times was the magnetic levitation (MagLev) system. While such systems have improved the speed of travel, such systems also rely on continuous rail, whether on the ground or suspended in the air. 
     Thus, there remains a need for a transportation system for which rails are not required. Such a system should be relatively inexpensive to build and operate, and should not create the man-made barriers so common in conventional rail systems. The present invention is directed to such a system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention solves these and other needs in the art by providing a plurality of pedestal mounted rings through which a vehicle travels. The pedestals are spaced apart on the ground, but no rail or connecting structure on or above ground is required. Power is made available from a source which may be an underground conduit carrying electrical and communications cable that connects the pedestals together. 
     The rings include a plurality of rollers to guide and stabilize the vehicle. The rollers in the rings engage the rails and also provide motive force to move the vehicle at lower speed levels. The rollers are driven by electrical motors for lower speed transportation systems. Also, mounted on each pedestal is a flywheel, preferably driven by an electrical motor, which engages a friction plate on the vehicle. The friction plate or linear clutch is lowered to engage and disengage the flywheel on the pedestal. The flywheel is also mounted on a shock absorber to smooth the travel of the vehicle. 
     For lower speed transportation systems, the friction plate serves as a friction clutch and is used for vehicle braking purposes. For higher speed transportation systems, the flywheel transfers motive force to the friction plate to propel the vehicle through the supports of the system, while the action of the rollers and rails is used primarily for steering or guidance purposes. 
     The rings are large enough to enclose the diameter of the vehicle about 20 feet in diameter in the preferred embodiment. The pedestal is preferably about 16 feet high, or more, to provide adequate clearance for any automobile or other wheeled vehicle traveling on a roadway underneath the line of travel of the vehicle of the present invention. The pedestal is mounted to a robust base structure, which may extend, for example, 30 feet below the surface of the ground, in order to provide sufficient margin for the strength of the support system. 
     The present invention also includes an energy saving feature which provides support rails along the vehicle to engage the rollers on the rings. The vehicle rails are preferably hollow rectangular conduits which carry liquid nitrogen or other suitably cold fluids. The nitrogen is carried on board the vehicle and vented or circulated to the vehicle rails. The nitrogen rapidly cools the rails, and thereby creates an ice layer on the rails by condensing atmospheric moisture on the rail. The ice layer substantially reduces the drag that the vehicle experiences as it travels by limiting the ability of the rail and rollers to bond together. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention win be apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description along with the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an overall perspective view of the transportation system of this invention. 
         FIG. 2   a  is a side elevation view of the vehicle of this invention, and  FIG. 2   b  is a side elevation view of the vehicle deployed in a set of rings. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of one end of a vehicle, illustrating an air resistance braking system which assists in stopping a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4 and 4   a  are a front elevation views of a ring of this invention, including pedestal base, and vehicle guide rollers. 
         FIGS. 4   b  and  4   c  are isometric views of other alternate rings according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  are top and side view of a side rail joint, respectively. 
         FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  are side and end views of a vehicle guide roller, respectively. 
         FIG. 7  is a side detail view illustrating certain features of a vehicle of this invention. 
         FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  are side elevation views of the vehicle illustrating clutch engagement and disengagement of the flywheel, in accordance with this invention. 
         FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are front and side view of a flywheel assembly of this invention. 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric view of rings arranged in vertical multiples according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an isometric view of rings arranged in horizontal tandem according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a plan view of an arrangement for moving a vehicle according to the present invention to a different path of travel. 
         FIG. 13  is a top view of a modification of a vehicle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a side elevation view of the modified vehicle of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is a front view of a portion of the vehicle of  FIGS. 13 and 14 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  depicts an overall schematic of a transportation system  10  constructed in accordance with this invention. The system  10  comprises an elongated car or vehicle  12  and a plurality of supports  14 . The car or vehicle  12  may have suitable number of appropriately located windows  12   a  and doors  12   b , and a cockpit  12   c  for an operator. If the vehicle is to be fully automated, the cockpit  12   c  may serve as an observation area for safety or emergency control purposes. The vehicle body  12  is presently contemplated to be a unitary structure or it may be an articulated body, if desired. 
     The supports  14  are arranged to define a route of travel along a desired course at an elevated height for transport of passengers and cargo. In a contemplated embodiment, the vehicle  12  is about 500 feet long, and the supports are about 200 feet apart, so that there are typically at least two, and optionally three or more, supports  14  in contact with a vehicle  12  at any time. The spacing of the supports  14  and the length of the vehicle  12  are interrelated and may be adjusted based on travel speed load, capacity and other requirements. To the extent that support of the moving vehicle is to be increased, the spacing between the supports  14  can be adjusted so that the vehicle  12  is supported at all times by at least tree sets of supports  14  and intermittently by four or more supports  14 . It is presently contemplated that the spacing of supports  14  should not exceed fifty percent of the length of the vehicle  12 , and in practice it may be less. 
     The support  14  includes a ring  16 , preferably formed of a hard and strong metal, such as steel. The supports  14  are not shown in certain figures in the drawings so that other structures such as rings  16  may be more clearly seen. As contemplated by the present invention, the term ring is intended to encompass a variety of shapes in vertical cross-section in addition to those of generally circular or elliptical shape. A ring according to the present invention is a support body mounted at an elevated or overhead position with one or more portals or passages through which the body  40  of the vehicle  12  passes. The vehicle  12 , as will be set forth below, receives motive force from structure in the rings  16  as it passes through the series of rings  16 . 
     The ring  16  has one or more portals or passages  17  formed in it. The portals or passages  17  may be circular ( FIGS. 4 and 4   a ), elliptical, generally rectangular ( FIG. 4B ) or other shape in vertical cross section. In some instances, the rings  16  need not include top portions, but may be generally U-shaped with a bottom portion and upwardly extending arms and rollers  18  to retains power and guide the vehicle  12 . The arms could be either vertically oriented or inwardly or outwardly inclined. The shape of the portals  17  is established in conformity to the general outer shape of the body  40  of the vehicle  12  used in the system  10 . As will be set forth, the rings  16  may have portals  17  in horizontal tandems ( FIG. 4   c ) for parallel, same direction travel of vehicle  12  during peak travel time, or two-way travel along the route of travel during routine travel times, or for storage of vehicles  12   FIG. 11 ) when not in use. Further, the rings  16  can be arranged in vertical multiples ( FIG. 10 ) for parallel, same direction travel two-way travel or for storage of vehicles  12  when not in use. 
     The vehicles  12  may be of different shapes based on travel sped load requirements, the course of travel and other factors, with the form of the rings  16  and portals  17  conforming to the shape and function of the vehicle  12 . In urban applications, double or parallel travel ( FIG. 4   c ) in congested areas is likely, therefore the vehicle  12  is narrower in width than a high-speed intercity version. The narrower body version allows the vehicle  12  to negotiate a smaller radius curve than would a high-speed version having a greater width. For urban and other high traffic volume applications, the rings  16  may be double portals  17 , or more, and the shape of the portals  17  altered to a more rectangular shape due to lower speed and higher passenger or cargo capacity. A plurality or rollers  18  are mounted on the inside surface of the ring  16  in the portals  17 . The rollers  18  serve to support and guide the vehicle  12  through the ring  16 . For vehicles  12  traveling at lower travel speeds, at least some of the rollers  18  are driven by motors to move the vehicle  12  along its travel path through the rings  16 . If desired, all of the rollers  18  may be motor driven for this purpose. Mounted on the vehicle  12  at suitable points about its periphery to engage the rollers  18  are a like number of rails  20 . 
     The rails  20  which are in contact with rollers  18  and driven by a suitable power source thus receive motive force to move the vehicle  12  at lower ranges of speed through the transportation system  10 . The rails  20  may be longitudinally continuous along the body of the vehicle  12 , or they may be either articulated or provided in segments, if desired. 
     Mounted at one or more positions about the periphery of the vehicle  12  and separate from the weight-carrying rails  20  are one or more longitudinally extending motive force transfer plates  21 . The plates  21  serve as part of a friction clutch or linear clutch. At lease one such plate  21  is provided, although it should be understood that there may be two or more such motive force transfer plates on the vehicle  12  based on load and travel speed requirements, if desired. 
     The friction clutch or clutches  21  may be longitudinally continuous or segmented along the length of the vehicle  12 . The rollers  18  and the rails  20  are shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b ,  6   a , and  6   b . The rails  20  and rollers  18  not driven by motors are passive elements, producing no motive force to move the vehicle  12 . Rather, as noted, for lower speed operation one or more of the rails  20  receive motive force from drive mechanisms or motors for some or all of the rollers  1 S mounted with the support  14 . 
     Thus, the present invention permits the shape of the vehicle  12  to be of a design to accommodate a variety of capacity ranges and travel routes. Much like railroads, overhead systems according to the present invention may have areas of single ( FIGS. 4 ,  4   a  and  4   b ), double ( FIG. 4   c ) and even triple  FIG. 11 ) travel paths. The main function of the rings  16  is to act as a support structure for the rollers  18 . The rollers  18  are designed to match with the alignment of the rails  20  on the car  12 . Again, as noted the final shape of the rings  16  is a function of the shape of the car  12 . 
     A secondary function of the rings  16  is a safety feature. Since each ring  16  completely encircles the body  40  of the car  12  along a circumferential portion of its length, the car  12  is guided to move through the series of rings  16  in its direction of travel. Unlike railroads where possible disastrous consequences may occur if there is a derailment, the tubular overhead guide design of the present invention means that in the unlikely event of a roller failure, the clutch plates  21  and rails  20  on the car  12  then come in contact with the reinforced body of the rings  16  and the car  12  would then slide to a stop. The fact that the rings  16  enclose the car  12  in a 360° manner while the car  12  is supported by at least three rings  16  means that the car  12  may proceed to the next ring along the travel path under its own momentum in the event of power loss or roller failure. Another benefit of the circumferentially enclosing ring  16  as opposed to an open top is that this enclosing structure provides greater structural strength to the ring  16 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 4   a , an example ring  16  and related components are illustrated. Mounted on the inside of the ring  16  are the rollers  18 , with at least one roller  18  mounted on the top and at least one roller  18  mounted on each side. There are preferably two such rollers  18  on the bottom, to provide greater vertical support of the vehicle  12  and to provide greater lateral stability. The number of rollers  18  provided in the ring  16  below the vehicle  12  may be increased, if desired, for load and weight distribution purposes. 
     The ring  16  is mounted in a support member  22 , which may preferably be reinforced concrete. The support member  22  may of course be made of steel or of other suitable structural material if desired. The support member  22  is mounted on top of a pedestal  24 , which may for example be about sixteen feet high, three feet wide, and three feet thick. The pedestal  24  may be of concrete, steel or other suitable structural materials. Those of skilled in the art will recognize that the height of the pedestal may vary with the topography of the land over which the system  10  is installed in order to make the travel path of the vehicle  12  substantially level, so that movement of the car  12  is as even and smooth as possible. The pedestal  24  is mounted to and formed contiguously with a base  26 , which preferably extends about thirty feet into the ground, and is ten feet wide, and three feet tick. The base  26  as shown is intended as illustrative only, and will vary depending on the subterranean structure of the subsoil climate and weather factors and other such considerations. 
     Unlike traditional railways that carry their power generating capacity with them in the form of a locomotive (the French TGV system having about 12,000 hp) that generates power and transmits it to stationary rails, the present invention has a power source (motors) on the rings  16  that impart motive force to the moving vehicle  12 . 
     An advantage of this is that power demand for moving the vehicle  12  is matched to localized need. In other words additional power is supplied for rings located in areas along the route of travel where acceleration of the vehicle  12  is required and less power is provided where the need is for power in maintaining momentum of the vehicle  12 . 
     Direct drive of the moving vehicle  12  is, as noted furnished by stationary electric motors for the rollers  18  at lower speeds such as in urban areas. This allows systems to have increased size of motors and a greater number of motors for areas of acceleration or hill climbing. Further, with the present invention, once design speed has been achieved for a given section of route by the vehicle  12 , as the vehicle  12  enters the next ring  16  along the route of travel it encounters the rollers  18  of that next ring  16  at a time when those rollers have been brought up to a speed by their drive motors slightly higher than the design speed of the vehicle  12  for that section of the route. The motors are preset as to speed and timing and the vehicle operator serves mainly in a safety capacity role. If in low speed urban systems where frequent stops and starts can be expected, it will be possible in some cases to slightly elevate the line of travel going into and out of the stations. This serves two purposes. The first is to aid in acceleration as the vehicle  12  leaves a station, i.e., it begins to move from a ring  16  at a slightly elevated position. The second is to assist at the next station in braking as the vehicle  12  approaches a station or stop to a slightly elevated ring  16 , i.e., the vehicle  12  is essentially climbing and thus decelerating as it comes to a stop at that station. This technique captures the kinetic energy of the vehicle  12  and stores it in the vehicle  12  as potential energy and its use may be made available as needed on a case-by-case basis. 
     The present invention also allows the rollers  18  to transfer the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle  12  as it is entering a station back into the system in the braking mode. The kinetic energy may be converted to another form as it is received then used to drive the motors and regenerate power and find it back to move the vehicle as it departs. This is an optional feature which may or may not be used, based on cost effectiveness conservations. It is also contemplated that power sources such as linear induction motors can also be used to drive the vehicle  12  and provide braking, if desired. 
     For provision of power for higher speed systems, usually above 55 mph, other sources are presently contemplated to provide motive forces to the vehicle  12 . Returning now to  FIG. 1 , the pedestals  24  as spaced apart along the path of travel of the vehicle  12 . On each pedestal  24  is mounted a support platform  28 , each of which retains a flywheel assembly  30 , shown and described below with regard to  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b.    
     The flywheel assemblies are used to provide motive power to the vehicle  12 , preferably for higher speeds. Each flywheel assembly  30  includes a flywheel  72  ( FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b ), driven by an electric motor  80 , which is supplied with electrical power from an electrical power supply bus  32 ,  FIG. 1 ) typically under ground. A conductor  34  taps off the bus  32  to provide power to the motor  80 . The bus  32  includes redundant power mains, and is supplied from redundant sources for safety and reliability purposes. Thus, in operation, the vehicle  12  is driven by a minimum of two and preferably at least three flywheels  72  as the vehicle  12  moves along its path of travel through a succession of supports  14  and rings  16  in the system  10 . 
     On the bottom of the vehicle  12  are one or more transfer plates or linear friction clutch plates  21 , shown and described below with regard to  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b . As the vehicle  12  moves along at higher speeds, the flywheel  72  frictionally engages the linear clutch plate  21 , moving the vehicle in the direction of movement of the flywheel  72 . The linear clutch plate  21  forms with the flywheel  72  a linear friction clutch which can be used for a number of purposes according to the present invention. The clutch plate  21  and flywheel  72  may be used to provide momentum to move the vehicle  12  through the system  10  with the flywheel  72  rotating in a direction corresponding to desired movement of the vehicle  12 . The direction of rotation of the flywheel  72  may be reversed and through contact with the plate  21  provide bring to the vehicle  12 . The plates  21  may also be located at positions corresponding to rest or support pads on the structure of rings  16  for braking purposes or to support the vehicle  12  at a stationary or storage position. The vehicle  12  is bi-directional in its movement, governed by the direction of rotation of the flywheel  72 . There are no active drive components on the vehicle  12 ; its direction of travel is governed on these external components. To assist in slowing the vehicle, a cowling  15  actuated by air cylinders  19  is provided as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The friction clutch plate or plates  21  are typically located beneath the body  40  of the vehicle  12  for higher speed operations. If desired, the clutch plates  21  may be located on the sides or top of the vehicle  12  to be engaged by correspondingly positioned flywheels  72 . If the flywheel assembly  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b , has a set of oppositely driven flywheels  72 , two clutch plates  21  of like construction to that shown in  FIG. 7  are mounted with the vehicle  12  at locations corresponding to the place and spacing of the flywheels  72 . The clutch plate or plates  21  provide friction engagement with the flywheel  72  of the flywheel assembly  30 . To engage the flywheel  72  with the clutch plate  21 , an air bag or other suitable reciprocating movement mechanism  74  is inflated, forcing the clutch plate  21  downward until it contacts the flywheel  72 . A spring  76  or other energy and impact absorbing mechanism is provided to reduce possible shock transmitted from the flywheel assembly  30  to the vehicle  12 . The clutch plate  21  may also be used at appropriately low speeds of the vehicle  12  as motion retarder and as a form of emergency brake by being brought into contact with oppositely rotating flywheels  72  or the rails  20 . 
     Further details of the flywheel assembly  30  are shown in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b . The flywheel  72  is driven by the electric motor  80  through a shaft  86 . The electric motor  80  is driven by power through a suitable connection to the conductor  34  ( FIG. 1 ). The electric motor  80  is mounted at a suitable position such as a platform  81  mounted with the pedestal  24 . The flywheel  72  is also supported on a set of shock absorbers  84 . The shaft  86  which drives a pinion  88  may if desired be provided with a rotary coupling  82 , as shown. The pinion  88  driven by motor  80  in turn engages a pinion gear  90 , such that the flywheels  72  provide rotary motion in either direction as indicated by movement arrows. Thus, in order to drive the vehicle in one direction, the air bag  74  associated with the desired drive rail  70  is inflated, and to drive the vehicle in the opposite direction, the air bag  74  of the other drive rail  70  is inflated, thereby engaging the opposite spinning flywheel  72 . 
     For high-speed systems such as those shown, power demands are greater as the vehicle  12  accelerates. Once a desired speed for the vehicle  12  is achieved power consumption stabilizes as a function of speed (maintaining desired speed plus overcoming aerodynamic drag and rolling friction). In order to minimize the size and cost of the motors for high-speed versions of the present invention, the energy-storing flywheel  72  is incorporated into the rings  16 . This allows a smaller motor (separate from the rollers motor) to use the time between the passage of the vehicle  12  to bring the flywheel  72  up to a desired speed prior to the arrival of the next vehicle  12 . This is a cost saving design feature as it allows sufficient power to be brought to bear and avoids the high costs of high-speed locomotives. 
     However it should be understood that alternative drive mechanisms for the vehicles  12  might be used. They include, for example, magnetic propulsion, or onboard power generation for developing thrust, such as jet-propelled, or propeller driven motive force generators. 
       FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  depict additional features and details of the vehicle  12 . The vehicle includes a cent cylindrical fuselage or body  40 , the length of which must be at least the distance between three sequentially located or disposed rings  16 . The vehicle  12  also includes a tapered cabin  42  on each end, which may serve as a cockpit, if desired. Mounted within the vehicle is a diesel or other power driven generator  44  to supply electrical power to the vehicle&#39;s service, hotel and passenger convenience loads, such as lights, heating and air conditioning, galley services, ventilation, and the like. The diesel generator  44  is supplied with energy from a suitable source, such as fuel from an on-board fuel tank  46  in the conventional manner. For greater strength and structural integrity, the body  40  of vehicle  12  may be designed to be in a state of compression, such as through the use of tensioning cables. 
     The vehicle  12  also houses one or more nitrogen tanks  48 . The tanks  48  provide nitrogen to the inside of the rails  20  to develop a thin ice layer on the rails to reduce drag and rolling friction, as herein described. This feature of the invention is shown in more detail in  FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b    6   a , and  6   b .  FIG. 5   a  shows a top view and  FIG. 5   b  shows a side view, and together these figures depict details of a rail  20 . Each rail  20  includes at least one joint  50  which provides for flexing of the rail and the vehicle  12 , and accounts for thermal expansion and retraction. The joint  50  includes an overlap area  52  having curved ends to accommodate back and forth flexing of the joint. 
     The rail  20  preferably defines a curved contact surface  54  which provides stable retention of the vehicle  12  with the five rails  20 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The surface  54  contacts a complementary curved surface  56  of the roller  18 , and a surface layer of cold condensation or ice is formed between them by the nitrogen system, provided by a nitrogen tube  58 . An insulation sleeve  60  along each rail  20  conserves thermal energy. As shown in  FIG. 6   b , as the vehicle travels in the direction shown by a directional arrow, a suitably thin layer of condensate is produced as the leading contact point between the rail  20  and the roller  18 , creating a low friction lift between them and reducing drag. This feature substantially reduces the energy required for operation of the system  10 . 
       FIGS. 7 ,  8   a , and  8   b  show further details of the undercarriage of the system  10 . The storage tank  48  supplies chilled or liquid nitrogen or some other suitably cold fluid through a delivery line  62  into the tube  58 , which is deployed within and along the length of the rail  20 . The nitrogen in delivery line  62  may be recycled through a continuous loop, or delivery line  62  may be configured so that the cold fluid vents out through an outlet vent valve or outlet  64 . The linear clutch plate  21  is flexibly mounted to the vehicle  40  with a set of air bags or other shock absorbers  66 , which absorb shock and provide a smooth ride of the vehicle. For more extreme motions of the clutch plates  21  against the flywheel  72 , a set of rubber stoppers or bodies  68  act as bumpers to absorb the impact. 
     The system  10  according to the present invention may be provided at suitable locations along its route with a vertical lift system S as shown in  FIG. 10 . The vertical lift system S would operate in similar engineering principles to lift bridges or floodgates, and allows passage of another vehicle through the lift systems while others have been moved out of the path of travel into a vertically disposed rack  90  to an out of service position. The vehicles  12  in the rack  90  are retained there for a variety of reasons, such as: allowing passage of another vehicle; storage of vehicles for later use of at times of higher traffic volume; repair, cleaning; maintenance; service and the like. The vertical lift system S could also function as a boarding/loading station on point of departure. Passengers could enter a vehicle  12  on the rack which would then be moved into the travel path at time of departure. 
     The system  10  according to the present invention may also be provided with a lateral or horizontal transfer/storage system L ( FIG. 11 ) at suitable locations along its route. The lateral system L has a suitable number of rings  16  which are laterally movable in a direction perpendicular to the path of travel within a pedestal supported larger rig housing  94 . As with the vertical system S, the lateral system L permits vehicles to be moved away from the main path of travel for storage, retention and other reasons mentioned above in connection with the vertical system S. It should be understood that a system combining both vertical and horizontal transfer might also be used. 
     Further, the system  10  of the present invention is provided with a rotary station or table R ( FIG. 12 ), operating on principles like those of a railroad round house. Pedestal mounted supports  100  and  102  are movable in circular, arcuate paths  101  and  103  respectively about a centrally located, rotatable support  104 . The supports  100 ,  102  and  104  are otherwise of like structure and operation to the supports  14  with rings  16  of the types shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  4   a  or  4   b . The supports  100 ,  102  and  104  are moved into an aligned position to receive a vehicle  12  entering the table R in a first direction, as shown in  FIG. 12 . After the vehicle  12  moves to a position supported by the supports  100 ,  102  and  104 , the supports  100  and  102  are moved along their arcuate paths about the rotatable support  104  until the vehicle  12  is aligned with a different set of rings as shown at  116  or  118  along a new direction of travel. 
     Energy is lost to two main factors in any rail system. The first is rolling friction caused by interactions between the rail and the wheel, while the other is aerodynamic drag. Rolling function is virtually constant and varies little with changes in speed or weight of the train. Unlike rolling friction, aerodynamic drag varies greatly with speed and increases as the square of speed. Thus, a doubling of speed leads to a quadrupling of aerodynamic drag. In general, aerodynamic drag energy losses begin to exceed that of rolling friction in the speed range of 55 mph to 70 mph. As bas been noted, to the shape of the car  12  may be varied based on the intended design speed. 
     For trains, energy consumed in overcoming rolling friction shows little increase as speed increases. For high-speed, such as greater fan 150 mph, aerodynamic related issues are a far greater concern in terms of energy losses. For this reason, as shown in  FIGS. 13 ,  14  and  15 , rails  20  may be configured to extend forward past the ends of the vehicle body  40  to form a rearwardly tapering lead surface in an air drag reducing configuration  121  and airfoil members  122  attached to the vehicle  40  for air drag reduction and steering purposes, and countering gravity deflection. 
     The reason the rails  120  in  FIG. 13  extend fore and aft of the body  12  is to lower the weight that becomes cantilevered thus decreasing the amount of deflection. The extended rails  120  come in contact with the next sot of rollers  18  and the weight of the body  12  begins to transfer to the next set of rollers  18 . The opposite occurs at the rear of the car body  12  as it leaves the rollers  18 . The instantaneous weight on the rollers  18  decreases gradually as the car leaves the rollers  18  thus preventing a snapping action. The rails  120  are also tapered to counteract what remains of the deflection effect thus providing a smooth transition. The airfoil  122  is movable and may be pivoted as indicated in  FIG. 15  about an axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle  12 . The airfoil  122  is thus rotatably mounted on a structure that extends from the nose of the tapered cabin  42  of vehicle  12  to a point  124  where the rails  120  come together. The airfoil  122  is capable of some rotational movement that, at speed will produce lift perpendicular to the airfoil surface. This small amount of lift at higher speeds, will tend to move the rails  120  in the direction of the induced lift. This also counteracts the deflection effect and can be used to assist in a turn to provide gradual turning to the vehicle  12 . 
     Also, the cooling of the rails below the local dew point and then below the freezing point of water will induce atmospheric moisture to condense on the rails and form a barrier to the formation of molecular bonding between the steel of the wheels and the steel rail. Since the cost of cooling is relatively inexpensive to do with liquid nitrogen (although other methods could be used) this method is proposed. 
     For higher speed operation when the motive force is supplied by the frictional transference of energy from the flywheel assembly  30  reduction of energy lost to rolling friction can greatly lower energy consumed. As the moisture condenses on the rails it typically freezes, then turns to liquid as the rail nears the roller and pressure rises. This should produce a boundary layer of water under higher pressure between two surfaces, thus the hydroplaning effect. This can also be thought of as a form of viscous hydroplaning. This can be enhanced by the addition of a fine mist of water vapor moving with the rails and containing surface tension increasing chemical additives in the vapor. The overall purpose is to reduce the ability of the rail and roller to form molecular and/or metallic bonds thus reducing the energy needed to then break these bonds. 
     Rail cooling techniques, if used at alt will find their best applications for operations at higher speed. In addition to energy savings the effect should also produce lower noise levels emanating from the rail/roller interface. Also it will have a lubricating effect when it is necessary to force the car into a turn. 
     The principles, preferred embodiment, and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. This invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed, since these are regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Moreover, variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.