The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-09
RAILROAD WITH ONE RAIL
GRAVITATI0N OVERCOME BY THB
GYROSc0PE.
Principle OF the Spinning Top AppBe4
Through wheels Running IN vaeuo
Loads balanced Acknowledgment
Of Great Width to Cross Rough Ground
IN Rivers on q Hawser -tEotei Rooms
May TraSe, at IAO AIlIes On HOur. Says
Inventor Louis Brennan Of Iondon.


and Rivers on q Hawser Hotel Rooms
May Travel at IAO Miles IN Hour. Gays
Inventor Louis Brennan Of Iondon.
Special Gable Dtapateh 20 TBE SUN.
LoNpoN. May s.-Fhe announcement Of
another great triumph Of science, OF perhaps
epoch making importance, was made this
evening before a brilliant assembly gathered
under the auspices Of the Royal Society.
For more than two hours the leaders Of the,
English scientific world listened to the ex-
poSition Of q we'll known principle Of me.
chanics for the first time practically applied
and watched n marvellous demonstration
which seemed to Get the laws Of eravftation
at defiance. At the close they a~ceIaimediss
discoverer or inventor as worthy 10 rank high
upon the roilof honor which bears the names
Of Newton and Watts and Stephsnsons
What they saw was this: A miniature
railway car or locomotive, standing entirely
above a single raj with apparently nothing
to balance 1t, ran about the hall, turned shaYp
corners at high speed. crossed a single
strand Of wire cable In lieu Of a bridge aud
climbed heavy inolines-all with perfect
stability. 1t was sometimes loaded. some
times empty. There was no attempt TO
balance the load; the vehicle itself did that
instantly and automatically. Every atteFApt
TO unbalance II resulted in a paradox. IF
the load were piled all upon one side IL
seemed inevitable that the vehicle would
sag, II indeed it did not topple over. But
no, the overloaded side automatically roee
in proportion to the burden and the empty
side was depressed. To the uninitiated the
thing was uncanny, an Alice In Wonderland
reality.
The creator Of this new system Of loconfe~
ton lie Louis Brennan. @. B., the well known
inventor Of the Brennan torpedo. This
invention. by the way, which IL controlled
by the British War Departments, IL the oniy
device which has been successfully kept q
Government secret for any length Of time.
He told his audience very briefly tonight
something about his long search for an
ideal method of traction. He began study.
ing the problem, in Australia nearly thirty
years ago. How to reduce friction was
the chief task. 1t Is well known that only
about ~ per cent. Of the power generated
by q locomotive IL actually used la drawing
q train. The friction to be overcome is
partly In the machinery and partly IN the
oscillation Of the vehicles and the grinding
Of the wheels against the rails on either
side. The most perfect roadbed and rails
with Al ordinary track viii not reduce this
beyond a certain point.
Mr.. Brennan speedily realized. as every
railway man and mechanic has done. that
the ideal condition would be a train per-
fectly balanced pom a single rail. Given
that, the possibilities Of great speed with
economy Of power would be increased
many fold. Until to-night's demonstra-
ton was made the practical attainment
of that ideal would nave seemed outside
the range OF. scientific obtainment to even
the eminent men who were included in the
Royal Sooiety's audience. Very early In
his investigations Mr.. Brennan began
experimenting with the g~yroscope-in other
words, he began TO study the ordinary
spinning top with which every schoolboy
Is familiar. The principle OF the spinning
top is the secret Of the seeming miracle
which he showed this evening,
The inventors own description of the
result Of his labors Is eimple enough to n
one's comprehension. He said:
The characteristic feature of this system
OF transport Ia that each vehicle is capable
OF maintaining its. balance upon an ordinary
rail laid upon sleepers on the ground
whether it lie standing stin or moving In
either direction at any rate Of speed, not
~withstanding that the centre of gravity
is eeveral feet above the rail and that wind
pressure, shifting OF load, centrifugal
action OF any combination Of these forces
may tend 10 upset it.
Automatic stability mechanism OF ex-
treme simplicity carried by the vehicie
itself endows IL with this power. The
mechanism consists essentially Of two
hywheels rotated directly by electric motors
In opposite directions at a very high yeioc-
ity and mounted 30 that their gyro6tatio
action and stored up energy can be utilized
These ~fywhecls are mounted on high olass
bearings and are placed in exhausted oaaes,
so that both air m journal friction 10
reduced TO a minimum, and consequently
the power required to keep them In rapid
motion Is very small.
The stored up energy in the hywhsela.
when revolving at full speed. 10 80 great
and the friction 90 small that II the driving
current is out of altogether they win run
at SUFFICIENT velocity 10 impart stability 20
the vehicle for several hours. while 1t win
take from two to three days before they
come TO rest. The stability mechanism
occupies but little space and 10 conveniently
placed in the cab at one end Of the vehicle.
Its weight is also small, about s per oenA
Of the total load being considered en- ampie
allowance for the fret vehicle.
The road wheels are placed in a single
row beneath the centre OF the vehicles. in
stead Of In two rows near the sides. as usual
and are carried on bogies or compound
bogies which are not only pivoted 70 pro-.
vide for horizontal curves on the track.
for vertical ones also. By thia-
the vehicles can run upon curves
Of even less radius than the length OF the
vehicle itself, or On crooked raila or rails
laid over uneven ground without danger
Of derallment.
The motive power may be either stearn.
: etrol, oil, gas or electricity, as considered
suitable for local conditions, In the
first Instance, however, Il has been decided
to Use a petrol eleotno, generating Get,
--4-I -, ~ ..-Linf. g4-aIl - $500.