Capt. JG wrote:
I guess it depends on what's between the stations...
It will be far from ideal transport in most locations but has potential
as an energy source to drive other trains some place else. It's more a
compliment to as a replacement for our current trains.
Kernix wrote:
How do you accerate? Partly gravity and partly wind hitting the sails?
And possibly a flywheel a huge spring motor and even a little bit of
electricity. I will use a horse if that's what it takes :-) I bet
hamsters would get the crowd moving.
What are you going to do if you are heading into the wind - tack the
tracks? That's at best a one way trip if the wind is at your back.
I have various ideas for that, one is bending the wind with large
screens by the rail. Using an s shaped solid sail it can also be made
to rotate around it's axle on the wind. The spring and/or flywheel will
have to be big enough to travel from station to station.
The train would have to generate more energy as it needs for driving
back. Either tru using the sail as a a kind of turbine a large
mechanical power supply or a low schedule.
A large spring motor would probably do the trick if there is enough
wind.