ML500

The ML500 (Magnetic Levitation) is an unmanned experimental maglev car. Built in 1977, the vehicle was used by JNR solely for experimental purposes.
==History==
The ML500 was used in 1977 for experiments only. In 1979, the train was converted to become the ML500R (Refrigerator) to experiment with a cooling device for the liquid helium for cooling the magnets. It was reconverted back into the ML500 in 1979. On 21 December 1979, the ML500 clocked a world speed record of 517 km/h (321 mph), which was very impressive for an unmanned vehicle; this record would stand until it was broken by the MLX01 trainset in December 1997. After testing, the car was stored and was placed as an exhibit at the Osaka Transportation Museum in 1981 until its closure in 2014. The car was then moved to the Railway Technical Research Institute Center, where it resides today.
==Specifications==
The car is 13.5 meters long, 3.4 meters wide and 2.9 meters high. The car was unmanned and rode on an inverted T-shaped guideway.
==Gallery==
File:ML500 2005.jpg
==References==
*Wikipedia.org
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:Experimental locomotives
Category:Unique locomotives
Category:Maglev trainsets
Category:Built in 1977