BOB2 Wrote:
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> Fixed guideway systems are fixed guideway systems,
> with two rails or one. It is the same problem of
> having to choose between "access" (sufficient
> stops at locations where people desire get on and
> off, at, or near enough to, the locations they
> wish to have access to) and "trip time" (total
> time in and out of vehicle time that is required
> to make the journey from where you are, to the
> station, onto the vehicle, off, and walking to
> where you want to be). A "monorail" does nothing
> to change that equation.
>
> "Modern", "futuristic" monorails are nearly two
> hundred years old as a technology, and yet, we
> mostly have those "quaint" two rail systems.....?
> Why is that? Some would answer that this is an
> example of the vast evil "bi-rail" conspiracy to
> stifle modern innovation, by the evil contractors
> and politicians (aka "evil" gubmint). Others
> might look at facts, like cost benefit,
> operational efficiency, competitive markets for
> equipment, like rational adults.
>
> These days there are even some popular "modern"
> "visionaries" out there, who would have you
> believe that electro-pneumatic tubes will soon
> magically "levitate" and whisk you everywhere you
> want to go, and these will cost "almost" nothing
> to build, operate, or maintain. so if you have
> some investor money just lying around, these
> "futuristic" "visionaries" are looking for
> "investors" for their "visions", too....
>
> For every complex and real modern problem we face,
> there is always seems to be some "new"
> "futuristic" "visionary" simplistic solution being
> promoted, that always seems to promise easy
> solutions to complex problems, if you are just
> willing to "believe" hard enough.... Kind of like
> Tinker Bell...
>
> Where we've actually have the conditions to
> support it, and actually bothered to build good
> quality "fixe guideway" rail transit, providing
> good access, to where we want to go, in reasonably
> frequent service and good travel times, many more
> people actually do use it every day, than ride the
> Disney monorail or Big Thunder Mountain.
>
> Our problem isn't our lacking of the "right"
> ("sexy") technology, it's more about our failure
> to do much of anything anymore as a nation, with
> regards to building and maintaining our needed
> infrastructure, except to whine and complain about
> it (or listening to Ken and John whine and
> complain about it on talk radio), while we sit in
> traffic wasting our time.


3 foot gauge Steam to Downtown LA !

With Lilly bringing up the rear!