Japan's Maglev hits World Record

[Taro Toporific]

Japanese train sets new speed record
GoAsiaPacific.com, Asia - Nov 18
Japan's Maglev has set a new speed record for magnetically levitated trains, reaching 560 kilometres per hour during unmanned testing. ...

[Watcher]

Have they ever figured out what happens if there is a diseruption in the magnetic field or an earthquake? I remember riding an early prototype back at Expo '86 but that thing only moved a few km/h floating smoothly above the rails. Still, I'd hate to imagine a crash at over 500 km/h.

[Captain Japan]

Have they ever figured out what happens if there is a diseruption in the magnetic field or an earthquake? I remember riding an early prototype back at Expo '86 but that thing only moved a few km/h floating smoothly above the rails. Still, I'd hate to imagine a crash at over 500 km/h.

A break in the magnetic field wouldn't be that big of a deal, I don't imagine. When the train leaves the station it is on wheels. It is only after it gets going a decent amount of speed that it begins "levitating." I imagine there has to be some kind of emergency procedure that would bring it back down to those wheels if the field is disrupted. A significant earthquake though is a good point. I don't know. But what protection does the Shinkansen have?

I was a guinea pig during a test two years ago. The tests are not as interesting as they might sound. A lot of the testing is done in a tunnel so the sensation of speed is lost for majority of the time. Standing on the bluff above the station and watching the train fly past might be better than riding.

[Taro Toporific]

I was a guinea pig during a test two years ago. The tests are not as interesting as they might sound.

Were you wearing your tinfoil hat and fundoshi during the test?
Imagine the force of superconducting magnets to lift a train.
Then imagine that your red blood cells are contain iron.
Now imagine your blood in your brain pooling toward the train's superconducting magnets for an hour or two during a trip.

Nahhh, you don't wanna imagine that.

[Captain Japan]

I was a guinea pig during a test two years ago. The tests are not as interesting as they might sound.

Were you wearing your tinfoil hat and fundoshi during the test?
Imagine the force of superconducting magnets to lift a train.
Then imagine that your red blood cells are contain iron.
Now imagine your blood in your brain pooling toward the train's superconducting magnets for an hour or two during a trip.

Nahhh, you don't wanna imagine that.

It's about 20 minutes for each test. You imagine I'm toast for riding without protection? But in truth it can't be much worse than riding the Yamanote a few times.

[Taro Toporific]

...I'd hate to imagine a crash at over 500 km/h.

Japan's Maglev Train Sets Speed RecordNewsday - Dec 2
... The experimental maglev set the world's top speed for a train, clocking 361 mph [580.97174 kph] in a test run in Yamanashi Prefecture (state), west of Tokyo, Central Japan ...

[kurohinge1]

. . . I'd hate to imagine a crash at over 500 km/h.

[SIZE="3"]Japanese maglev run successful a day after German crash][/SIZE]

TOKYO An experimental maglev train project in Japan won't be affected by the accident in Germany that killed 23 people, a company official said Saturday.

The Central Japan Railway completed a maglev test run Saturday with about 100 passengers just west of Tokyo, according to railway official Katsushi Kawaguchi.

He said there will be no changes to the company's test plans following Friday's accident in Germany. The company is planning a special event on Nov. 22-24, inviting 1,800 people to ride the train at its test center.

Japan has experimented with the high-speed maglev line for years, but commercial use has yet to be approved. One of the trains has clocked a record top speed of 581 kilometers (361 miles) per hour.

The government "is closely watching what German investigators conclude about the cause of the crash," said Transport Ministry official Michio Igarashi.

Initial indications have been that human error, not the sophisticated technology, was to blame for Friday's accident in Germany, in which a maglev train smashed into a maintenance car, killing 23 people . . . [url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/23/asia/AS_GEN_Japan_Germany_Maglev.php]more

"human error, not the sophisticated technology, was to blame for Friday's accident . . . " - does that make those 23 people less dead than they are?

They need to remember that the "sophisticated technology" now allows "human error" to be so much more spectacular.

[Tsuru]

They need to remember that the "sophisticated technology" now allows "human error" to be so much more spectacular.

Brilliant observation. To think that this crash happened at only 200km/h...

Who was that wondering why jet aircraft still carry infatable vests? There's not going to be much left of a plane if you hit water or anything at all at some hundred miles an hour.

[Kuang_Grade]

Who was that wondering why jet aircraft still carry infatable vests? There's not going to be much left of a plane if you hit water or anything at all at some hundred miles an hour.

For more on the crash, here's a link to a yahoo news piece
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060923/ap_on_re_eu/germany_train_accident

...the human error part was apparently routing the train onto a track that had a maintenance truck on it.

[Greji]

The government "is closely watching what German investigators conclude about the cause of the crash," said Transport Ministry official Michio Igarashi.

Initial indications have been that human error, not the sophisticated technology, was to blame for Friday's accident in Germany, in which a maglev train smashed into a maintenance car, killing 23 people . . .

Careful investigation has disclosed that the train smashed into a maintenance car, killing 23 people, the results of which were then considered conclusive enough to allow for Japan's test the following day!