И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

TEXT A. UNUSUAL RAILWAYS

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(l)rln the course of railway history much research was carried out which was aimed at developing cheaper and more efficient means of transportation. They are of some interest from different points of view.

|p)JIn 1862, L. D. Girard, a French inventor, surprised the world when he announced that he had invented a Glid­ing Railway based on an entirely new wheelless design. A train without wheels! People called it fantastic and crit­icised the idea of a train moving like a skate on a water base, i

(3) According to the project the train was to move on six plates. While the train was running the water was to be spread evenly between the plates and the,, track. When . constructed, the experimental line was a success^Peoplel travelling on this strange railway were surprised by its smoothness, the noiseless operation of trains and the speed attained.This railway proved much cheaper in comparison with conventional railways since, it did not need a rail track.

(4) The construction of the commercial railway was ini­tiated in 1869. But the next year the Franco-Prussian war began, and the German Army marched through France. As a result, the talented inventor was killed and his Gliding Railway ruined.

(5)But Girard's idea did not stop with his death. Barre, also a French engineer, continued Girard's investigations. He believed the principle used by Girard for his railway was very promising and could find a practical application. Indeed, there existed a successful Gliding Railway at the French Exposition built by Barre in 1889. But since that time the idea of a Gliding Railway has not been further developed.

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(8|ln the early 1900's there appeared one of the strang­est mountain railways in Austria which attracted the atten­tion of many specialists It was a balloon railway² whose function was to facilitate and speed up the transportation of passengers up a high mountain near Salzburg. It con­sisted of a large balloon connected to the car. Instead of wheels the car had a slide³ running on a single rail.у The balloon could float some 35 ft above the ground thanks to a steel cable connecting it with the car. When loaded, the car carrying ten passengers rose up the mountain. But when it was to run down, a large tank installed under the car had to be filled with water. It was the increased weight that made the car run down again.

(7) Still another interesting proposal for an unusual rail­way goes back to the principle of using skids.William H. Reinholz, USA, proposed to use a water base for his tracty;

л But unli-ke Girard he thought \the water was to be frozen and the trains would move over a bed of ice.Accord ing to Reinholz the atomic energy ought to be usea for freez­ing' water, and the track blight to be enclosed in a gallery of transparent plastic to decrease air friction and power losses. The stream-lined⁴ trains which were to run on this track should be made of aluminium.

(8) Many details of the plan had to be worked out, but the designer expected speeds of 300-500 mph would be achieved on the railway. However, some specialists had doubts whether these speeds could be really attained. Many criticised the project and found it non-effective.

(9)The idea of using underground tunnels or tubes, as they are often called, for high-speed transportation is being carefully studied by scientists since they have some advan­tages over the existing railways.

(10)According to the so-called tube-flight concept⁵ stream­lined vehicles are to run in a tube. The power source should be installed in the cars and they, are to transfer air by propellers from the front to the rear. Running in the tube the trains will have small power losses, so speeds up to 2,000 mph can be theoretically attained.

(11) Not all of the proposals for unconventional railways discussed here have found a practical application. But these ideas have made it possible to build modern high-speed transportation systems. The railways themselves once regard­ed as impracticable have become now part of our every­day life.