Japan's Maglev Train Sets Speed Record

[chperplt]

TOKYO (Dec. 2) - A magnetically levitated Japanese train raced to a new record Tuesday, topping its own record set just last month.

The experimental maglev set the world's top speed for a train, clocking 361 mph in a test run in Yamanashi Prefecture (state), west of Tokyo, Central Japan Railway Co., which is carrying out the experiments, said in a statement.

Maglev trains differ from conventional trains in that magnets lift them slightly off the track, eliminating speed-reducing friction and reducing noise.

The maglev is part of a government-financed project to develop faster trains for a country that is already home to some of the world's speediest. Central Japan Railway Co., part of the former state-run railway, is jointly developing the maglev with Japan's Railway Technology Research Institute.

Germany has developed a maglev train, and the United States also is planning one.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

the end is near

 

[banned username 2]

Oh crap, you just HAD to do this, didn't you!

I can hear SkyBoss's feet as he is running here right now!

 

[CF34-3B1]

Wonder what would happen if Osama and his pals snuck up onto the track late one night and put a few cinder blocks on the thing. Bet Amtrack would start to demand concessions.

 

[88_MALIBU]

Its scary how capable these other countries are coming nowadays. My toyota has outrun my dads Ford...

 

[Flying Illini]

what happens if some of those magnets have their polarity reversed?

 

[dmspilot00]

Funny, in my junior year of high school my chemistry professor (a true chemist, side job working at Fermi Lab) showed us a small demonstration of these magnets used. He levitated a magnet above another, and it sat there rotating about 1/8 of an inch suspended in air. He mentioned at the time "this someday will be used for rail travel, for high speed trains." We all were kinda like "yeah, in 2050, sure." But this is 6 years later, and there we have it.

Maglev trains have existed since the mid 1980s. Actually, Japan built the first one in 1960 to test the theory.

 

[snoopy_1]

Must be a blast to be the engineer of that train.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Must be a blast to be the engineer of that train.

I gusess we'll all found out in a few years...

 

[banned username 2]

SkyBoss claims it won't have an engineer, all computer controlled... I guess we should all be practicing to say "Would you like fries with that?"