How a train stays on the tracks?

[Herzog]

I know we have some train people here, but I just now learned about this:

[YOUTUBE]y7h4OtFDnYE&NR[/YOUTUBE]

Very cool!

 

[Jesser04]

Link please.

 

[benjy]

Huh, I've always been curious about that...

 

[SAMI]

Can't believe I never knew that...

 

[Herzog]

Link please.

The video is embedded in the first post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7h4OtFDnYE

 

[Jesser04]

The video is embedded in the first post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7h4OtFDnYE

Damn iPhone won't let me view an embedded video.

 

[TRNDRVR]

I could "probably" understand some of his theory, but without flanged wheels on a train it's going to derail. :-\

 

[Herzog]

I could "probably" understand some of his theory, but without flanged wheels on a train it's going to derail. :-\

Well I'm sure it's a combo of functions, but I never really thought about how the solid axles make the turns without some kind of bind. Makes sense now.

 

[I Lean]

It's neat in theory, and I'm sure it works sometimes....but you'll still hear lots of squealing on a curve from the flanges rubbin the rails. Greg can probably tell you about wear in those spots too, I'd imagine.

 

[OrvisKrawler]

he's full of it, there is no way the wheel is "coned" enough to make up for the differential effect of the wheel and axle on a train car, there isnt enough side to side flange clearance for it to move enough for one, and two there isnt enough "cone" to the wheels to really make that much difference, gotta remember wheels are steel, its steel on steel and they are turning, so in my mind it would just slide to make up for the differential, but maybe I have no idea what Im talking about... I grew up around trains though

here is a wheel, clearly you can see that there isnt really much "cone"
and its travels in pretty much the exact same spot on the wheel, given the polished steel effect in the center and the build up of crud toward the outside on the lower part of the wheel

 

[Herzog]

Man, tough crowd! Interesting to see. Maybe he was thinking about space trains?

 

[Spork]

Man, tough crowd! Interesting to see. Maybe he was thinking about space trains?

Space trains are the only way to go... :greg:

 

[Darwin]

very cool video! i wonder if he'd be willing to take a train out for a spin without flanged wheels? i wonder also, how much of the flange would be polished like the tapered surface.

 

[OrvisKrawler]

what happens in the event of a derailment on a space train? LMAO

 

[Herzog]

Space trains are the only way to go... :greg:

They stay on track by bending time with their tapered hulls.

 

[SAMI]

Dammit.. I'm gullable once again..

 

[Herzog]

Dammit.. I'm gullable once again..

Me too but only because I know nothing about trains.
Granted, the guy talking in the video is a physicist... It's a little hard to not trust his word and he obviously knows the theory of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

 

[OrvisKrawler]

his theory makes sense, BUT looking at the wheel its just doesnt, I think we need to get Mythbusters on this ASAP haha

 

[SAMI]

I got excited listening to him.. Not like, in my pants excited; but just overall stoked about the concept.

 

[gijohn40]

why has greg not piped in yet? is he out there laying on the ground laughing his guts out? GREG where art thou?