The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-26

He told his audience very briefly to-
night something about his long aearch
for an ideal method of traction. He
began studying the problem in Aus
tralia nearly thirty years ago. How
to reduce friction was the chief task.
1t is well known that only about l2
per cent. of the power generated by
locomotive is actually used in drawing
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
road-bed and rails with an ordinary
track will 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 perfectly balanced upon
single rail. Given that. the possible
ties of great speed with economy OF
power would be increased many fold.
Until to-night's demonstration was
made, the practical attainment of that
ideal would have seemed outside the
range of scientific obtainment to even
the eminent men who were included In
the Royal Society's audience. Very
early in his Investigations Mr. Brennan
began experimenting with the gyro-
scope-in other words. he began to
study the ordinary spinning top with
which every schoolbox is familiar.
The principle of the Sst>nlng top is
the secret of the seeming miracle
which he showed.
The inventors own description of the
result of his labors is simple enough TO
any ones comprehension. He said
THE characteristic feature OF this
system of transport is that each We
hicle is capable of maintaining IT'S
balance upon an ordinary rail laid
upon sleepers on the ground, whether
II is standing still or moving in either
direction at any rate of speed. not
withstanding that the centre of gra-
| witty is several feet above the rail and
/ that wind pressure, shifting of load,
centrifugal action or any combination
of these forces may tend to upset it.
Automatic stability mechanism OF
extreme simplicity carried by the We
hlcle itself endows It with this power
| The mechanism consists essentially OF
two ily-wheels rotated directly by cleo
trio motors In opposite directions at a
very high velocity and mounted so that
their gyrostatic action and stored up
energy can be utilized. These iy-
wheels are mounted on Sigh class bear
| inSs and are placed in exhausted cases,
so that both air and journal frictiDn
! is reduced to n minimum. and conse-
! quently the power required to keep
them in rapid motion is very small.
The stored-up energy In the fly
| wheels when revolving at full speed,
| Is so great and the friction so small
that II the driving current is cut off
| altogether they will run at sufficient
velocity to impart stability to the We
| hicle for several hours. while it will
take from two to three days before
| they come to rest. The stability me-
chanism occupies but little space and
is conveniently placed in the cab at
one end of the vehicle. It's weight is
also small, about 5 per cent. of the
| total load being considered an ample
| allowance for the first vehicle.
| THE road wheels are placed in a
| single row beneath the centre of the
! vehicles, instead of in two rows near
| the sides, as usual. and are carried on
! bogles or compound bogles which are
| not only pivoted to provide for horl-
zontal curves on the track, but for YER
teal ones also. BY this means the We
| hicles can run upon curves of even less
radius than the length of the vehicle
itself. or on crooked rails or rails laid
over uneven ground, without danger OF
derailment.
"The motive power may be either
steam, petrol, oil. gas or electricity. as
considered most suitable for local con-
d!tions. In the first instance, however
1t has been decided to use q petrol cleo
trio generating set. carried by the We
hicle itself, for the supply of current
to the road wheel motors and to the
stability mechanism. Such vehicle