The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-05-16
! asEIRAA I'Rl !! / I eABER
London Experiments. With 100 Mile
an Hour Train, Running .....
3gae4 on q Single Rail. -,

tt,r&% ~. OH u single Kali. ~
T. Do. .NN:# r. .. .------.~ -. y ~. lEta.
London, May 15.--Louig Brennan g
new %one-rsil train" lsssthe talk of Lon
tdon today Seientists iare astounded
l 4aand say che aiopo raii train VIII rev,
olutiontaeS transpolta tion. It.. is de-.
ciared to be the greatest invention
| since the Aelectrfc motor A speed of
Had atias an hour can be developed. II.
| IA working model was, exhibited be-
fore the Royal; Society, the greatest
scientific body in GFsat Britain. :;
4 great crowd saYsa miniature
| railway car or LOCOMOTIVES standing en-,
tirely above a sing eSraiT With at5par.
emily nothing TO balance it. 1t ran
about the hall, turned sharp corners
at high speed, crossed. single strand
OF wire cable in lieu, of a bridge and
/ CHM bed heavy inclines all with per.
! feet STABILITY. -, - n. 'r- : =
Sometimes the car was loaded,
! sometimes empty. No attempt was
D made 20 balance the load; The vehicle
/ Itself dtd that Anstantly end automati
ca}ly. 1.-THE load waspfied up all on
one slde, 1t seemed inevitable that the
XehfcleSwould BAG, but the Overloaded
! SIDE automatically rose fin" proportion
to the burden as the empty side was
depressed. 80,
Brennan, tod his audience about his
| long search for an ideal method Of
| fractions and his success, in finding III
He began studying the problem near
! ~ thirty years ago. How to reduce
friction was his chief task. 1t is well
Known. that only about IL per cent,
%pt the power generated by locomo,
lt1Ve is actually used in. drawing a,
! train. .''.'.-. s|'F $500. :; -.
| Brennan began experimenting with
the gyroscope. The principle OF the
! spinning top is the secret of the seem.
flngsmiricie~ Of his new railroad.
* Inc Inventors own description of
the result Of his labors is as follows: =
~. me CHARACTERISTIC feature of the;
system OF transportation is, that each
vehicle is capable Of maintaining It's,
balanGe upon an ordinary rail laid
upon ties on the ground, whether it be
sanalng still or moving in either d.
rect1on at any rate Of speed, notWith-i
standing the center of gravity is sew
! eral leet above the rail and the wind
pressure, shifting load, centrifugal
| actian or any combination of these for.
| ces may tend to upset It. = -: II
automatic stability mechanism of
extreme simplicity, carried by the We:
hicle itself, endows it with this power.
| Inc. mechanism consists essentially IF
Two nyWheeiS rotated directly by cleo.
trlc mQtors In opposite directions at a
h1Bh velocity, mounted so that by their
l8yroStatlc action their Stored-up ener-
BY can be 'utfliZed.' These 1ywhenis
mounted, on high.class bearings are
paced IN a1r-exhausted cases, SO both
air and journal friction is reduced to,
minimum; consequently, the power.
required to keep them in rapid motion
Is extremely small
l. The wheels are placed IN a sine}p
row, beneath the center of the car
and are carried on bogies or com.
pound bogtes, which are not only piy-
g egfyss 70. provide for horizontal curves
| IN the track, but for vertical ones al
Iso' by this means! che : cars can Fun,
| upon curves. even of less radium than
tne lengfh or the vehicle itself, or on
crooked rails, or on rails laid over
uneven ground, without danger of de.
! railment. "
THE motor power may be either
| ste,im, petrol, oil, gas or electricity.
| use petrol and an electric general.
ing set carried by the vehic.e itself
20 supply the current to the motors
| stability mechanism.
| Everything points to great econ.
fomy resulting from making the cars
wider IN proportion to their length
IMAM on ordinary railways. Therefore
II has been decided to make aar, ~exs
per1mental. coach IL feet wide. Brakes
| capable OF being. operated, by pneumat.,
| &c or manual power are provided for
All wheels. : -
1.-THE rail only requires to be Of
the same weight as one of. the rails
/ OF an ordinary line In order to carry
the same. load on the same number
or wheels III each case The ties also
9ny require to be 0ne-half the usual
length. -.
! The bridge would be of the sim.
plest possible construction, a single
wire haWser stretched across O. rayine
Tor river being all that is necessary
TOR temporary work. Strange to say
the lateral sWayfhg Of the hawser does
noes not disturb the balance Of the
| cars, and the. strongest. winds WIFI
!ail to blow them off. In other cases
ior Drldge building a single row of
piles with. the rail on top sttffices or
single, girder carrying the rail- may
be- conveniently used. 80.
THE speed can be from twice to
thrlce that OF ordinary railways, ow..
ing TO the sfno6thness in running and,
the total absence Of lateral osoilla.
ton
Inc government has paid the lar.
ger share of the expense and has vo.
ted $4,000 for the construction OF a
iuilrs1zed car, The war department
VIII construct the necessary rail
upon government land at Chatham
near the inventors home.