(04-28-2016 07:57 AM)cmett003 Wrote: [ -> ]I dont see why they dont utilize the old maglev track as a walkway that connects the village to the campus west of hampton blvd. Seems like a no brainer to me since the infrastructure is basically already there.
Because doing this makes sense, and since when has ODU shown an ability to do the obvious?
(04-28-2016 07:57 AM)cmett003 Wrote: [ -> ]I dont see why they dont utilize the old maglev track as a walkway that connects the village to the campus west of hampton blvd. Seems like a no brainer to me since the infrastructure is basically already there.
When I was in undergrad we made our project turning that track into a pedestrian walkway. Foundation and support is already there, just got to beef up the track. We made a pretty nice for for a whopping $250k.
As someone mentioned earlier, you'd need one every block for students to use the walkways. Students walking from 49th aren't going to walk to 45th(?) to use the maglev crossing.
(04-28-2016 08:14 AM)odu09 Wrote: [ -> ] (04-28-2016 07:57 AM)cmett003 Wrote: [ -> ]I dont see why they dont utilize the old maglev track as a walkway that connects the village to the campus west of hampton blvd. Seems like a no brainer to me since the infrastructure is basically already there.
When I was in undergrad we made our project turning that track into a pedestrian walkway. Foundation and support is already there, just got to beef up the track. We made a pretty nice for for a whopping $250k.
As someone mentioned earlier, you'd need one every block for students to use the walkways. Students walking from 49th aren't going to walk to 45th(?) to use the maglev crossing.
Apparently research is still going on with that maglev. Albeit on a much shorter track now. IF it ever gets up and running, I'm sure they will want to use the whole track.
The Maglev track is both a embarrassment and an eyesore. It has been so for well over 15 years. You can't tell me that the administration was so dumb as to not have had a provision in the contract to have the builder remove the superstructure if the project was a failure. Has anyone checked to see if the current master plan addresses the future of the superstructure. I know that it was not addressed in past master plans.
(04-28-2016 08:14 AM)odu09 Wrote: [ -> ] (04-28-2016 07:57 AM)cmett003 Wrote: [ -> ]I dont see why they dont utilize the old maglev track as a walkway that connects the village to the campus west of hampton blvd. Seems like a no brainer to me since the infrastructure is basically already there.
When I was in undergrad we made our project turning that track into a pedestrian walkway. Foundation and support is already there, just got to beef up the track. We made a pretty nice for for a whopping $250k.
As someone mentioned earlier, you'd need one every block for students to use the walkways. Students walking from 49th aren't going to walk to 45th(?) to use the maglev crossing.
Nice job. Our senior design project in 2011, was expanding the new engineering building from 2 to 4 floors. Its doable but pricey. Back to the walkway over hampton blvd. While I agree not every student would use it, I think it would be utilized by a big percentage of people coming to and from the village even if they had to walk up or down a couple blocks to get to it. One at every intersection is overkill and I would think unrealistic.
(04-28-2016 08:24 AM)The Doctor Is In Wrote: [ -> ]The Maglev track is both a embarrassment and an eyesore. It has been so for well over 15 years. You can't tell me that the administration was so dumb as to not have had a provision in the contract to have the builder remove the superstructure if the project was a failure. Has anyone checked to see if the current master plan addresses the future of the superstructure. I know that it was not addressed in past master plans.
At this time stamp, Mr. Harnage talks about the overhead crossing, grade based tram (I'm sure it will cause havoc on Hampton Blvd traffic).
https://youtu.be/1u6OwkEtQak?t=2068
jump to 36:08 for the maglev discussion. Imagine that it will stay there.
(04-28-2016 08:47 AM)GhentFan Wrote: [ -> ] (04-28-2016 08:24 AM)The Doctor Is In Wrote: [ -> ]The Maglev track is both a embarrassment and an eyesore. It has been so for well over 15 years. You can't tell me that the administration was so dumb as to not have had a provision in the contract to have the builder remove the superstructure if the project was a failure. Has anyone checked to see if the current master plan addresses the future of the superstructure. I know that it was not addressed in past master plans.
At this time stamp, Mr. Harnage talks about the overhead crossing, grade based tram (I'm sure it will cause havoc on Hampton Blvd traffic).
https://youtu.be/1u6OwkEtQak?t=2068
jump to 36:08 for the maglev discussion. Imagine that it will stay there.
Thanks, GhentFan, for the information!
can it still be considered a money pit if it's elevated off of the ground?
I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
(05-03-2016 09:06 AM)MonarchsWon Wrote: [ -> ]I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
its a gigantic eye sore and as of now serves no purpose. you mention research, are students and faculty doing this research? is anyone connected to ODU doing research on it? if so, then it would help the perception of the "project" if they put that information out there.
(05-03-2016 09:17 AM)ODU_NYG Wrote: [ -> ] (05-03-2016 09:06 AM)MonarchsWon Wrote: [ -> ]I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
its a gigantic eye sore and as of now serves no purpose. you mention research, are students and faculty doing this research? is anyone connected to ODU doing research on it? if so, then it would help the perception of the "project" if they put that information out there.
The answer is "yes". Unfortunately, ODU isn't very good at marketing itself and getting positive information out to the public.
(05-03-2016 09:57 AM)monarx Wrote: [ -> ] (05-03-2016 09:17 AM)ODU_NYG Wrote: [ -> ] (05-03-2016 09:06 AM)MonarchsWon Wrote: [ -> ]I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
its a gigantic eye sore and as of now serves no purpose. you mention research, are students and faculty doing this research? is anyone connected to ODU doing research on it? if so, then it would help the perception of the "project" if they put that information out there.
The answer is "yes". Unfortunately, ODU isn't very good at marketing itself and getting positive information out to the public.
Yes. Students and faculty are using the track and the "sled" on the track. They are using the track for research. Others are having to build tracks to conduct research on. We have a track on campus. For whatever reason, students and alumni just assume it's not being used.
From what I understand, ODU's PR Department is woefully understaffed, a situation many of the public universities in Virginia face. Many of them, I'm told, have difficulty keeping up with day to day news dissemination. If there have indeed been no breakthroughs with MAGLEV, I'm not sure what there would be to market. I would imagine that if and when there ever is a breakthrough, it won't be kept an internal secret.
There's an old story that Edison was asked how many times he'd failed in his quest to invent the light bulb. His answer was that he hadn't failed 1,000 times, he'd discovered 1,000 ways NOT to invent a light bulb.
And 1001 ways to seal it from Tesla and torpedo his research.
(05-03-2016 09:06 AM)MonarchsWon Wrote: [ -> ]I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
Why are we trying to reinvent the wheel when China already has a working MAGLEV system? I never understood this.
(05-03-2016 01:58 PM)FTW ODU Wrote: [ -> ]Why are we trying to reinvent the wheel when China already has a working MAGLEV system? I never understood this.
ODU's system is a Smart Train / Dumb Track set up. The longterm costs of a different set up would be much less then a Dumb Train / Smart Track set up.
On a large scale, the cost savings would be huge, allowing for it to me more competitive with other transportation systems.
Imagine how expensive it would be to ship cargo via rail, was vastly more expensive and complicated than just two metal beams secured into place. A majority of the technology improvements in train systems have been on the engine with outliving to replace existing railways.
Now switch this to a maglev system. Once the maglev rail is laid down, it would be faster/cheaper to improve a train over tens, hundreds, or thousands of miles of maglev rail.
I interned at 3M years ago and we were trying to make a better type of fiberoptic cable that result in less loss of light/data. On a small scale it wasn't all the impressive, but being able to run these cable systems on the ocean floor for thousands of miles with less signal booster systems was a huge deal.
The system that ODU has installed was full of some very complex engineering over sites. I don't think a working system existed before ODU purchased it. (Bad move on the administration at the time)
Sure it's an eye sore, but IF ODU can figure it out it might change how people travel within the US. Even if a system doesn't get put in here, there are other nations that would probably install them. I'm sure ODU could get a nice chunk of change out of licensing the tech on just 1 instillation.
Granted there are other competing technologies that are on the horizon now that might make a Maglev system obsolete. (Hyper loop, automated cars/busses)
(05-03-2016 01:58 PM)FTW ODU Wrote: [ -> ] (05-03-2016 09:06 AM)MonarchsWon Wrote: [ -> ]I've never understood the hatred towards the Mag-Lev Project and it has to be one of the most misunderstood projects Old Dominion has been a part of. Part of it is ODU's fault for not doing a better job educating the public and the student body especially. It's even more embarrassing to hear students and alumni refer to it as a monorail and especially a "monorail they can't make run". It's an incredibly complicated project with astronomical potential. Old Dominion is fortunate to have a track on it's campus to use for experiments. Mag-Lev High-Speed Rail is technology that has not been perfected in the U.S - ANYWHERE. Not by Old Dominion. Not by VT, not by MIT, not by Michigan or Purdue or Cal Tech or Berkley. Nobody in the U.S. has solved the riddle. Whoever does solve the riddle is in for unbelievable returns on investment. Isn't this what research is all about. Trying and failing and trying and failing and trying until, hopefully, success is achieved? I don't understand why so many are opposed to Old Dominion studying and researching and working on such a monumental project that could transform transportation in the U.S. I'm proud of Old Dominion's work on this and wish the students and faculty nothing but the best. There would be no bigger accomplishment as a university than to perfect this technology. The exposure would be unlike anything the university has ever experienced. Instead of students and alumni ignorantly criticizing the project - we should be supportive.
Why are we trying to reinvent the wheel when China already has a working MAGLEV system? I never understood this.
ODUs maglev is different. Its a much more affordable alternative version of maglev that will allow it to be widely implemented if successful. It's a laughing stock, but I don't blame ODU for getting involved. Thats important research. And they were just hosting the project at first, now they own it. I do think they should tear down the track except for a small test section though.
At the very least get rid of the rust and slap some paint so it doesn't look neglected.
