Maglev

Maglev are trains that run by magnetic levitation and travel at speeds of 600mph. They were first built and designed by German firms, used in China [wikipedia]

Intro article: “Magnetrain: A 600-mph Railroad Suspended by Magnets”

Subject of John Lienhard’s Engines of Our Ingenuity program, episode no. 1745 [transcript] [audio]

Maglev and new rail transport systems in the news

The stimulus package could finally bring maglev to Pittsburgh? The proposal is for a 250mph train traveling from Pittsburgh International Airport to downtown Pittsburgh, and then east to Monroeville and Greensburg. (Reported by MSNBC via ThePittsburghChannel.Com, March 2009)

ThyssenKrupp AG (Germany) still working on tory.asp?file=/2009/2/28/focus/3367295&sec=focus">underground maglev for the 2010 World Expo, Shanghai, China.

North Carolina working on tory/1423971.html">high speed rail (Mar 2009), but not maglev?

Richann Bender of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission has been promoting maglev for years -- an interesting article in the Las Vegas Sun shows her holding an illustration from 1983 that promoted the maglev idea ("One-woman bureaucracy keeps maglev hopes alive," March 3 2009).

More maglev in the news...

Maglev Gifts

One way to get maglev out there and promote this futuristic technology is with gifts. There’s a great, inexpensive Maglev toy for kids called the Magnet Levitation Set, hands-on and fun. There’s also a book on maglev for elementary school children, Superfast Trains by Mark Dubowski.

A great inexpensive gift idea for adults is “High Tech Monorails,” a 2-DVD set: “Experience this mesmerizing and efficient technology in some of the most exotic locations around the globe where monorails have found new life.”