Friday, July 27, 2007

Cliff Railway

(NOTE: See video below)

In the UK, Wales more specifically, there is a place called Center for Alternative Technology.


Of the many things to do and see there is the:
Water balanced cliff railway

What is fascinating about this railway is that they are using a reservoir of water as their energy source to transport the people up the hill. The train uses water to increase the weight of rail car to allow the other to go up. A variation of this cold be applied to a people moving railway system to take people over the Sepulveda pass(on or along side the 405 freeway). This could mean that transporting from west Los Angeles to Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley could be don by water stored in reservoirs up at the top of Sepulveda pass. And if the reservoir some how did not have enough water some day, water could be pumped into the reservoir using electricity. The electricity could be many renewable sources, and be done off peak time. The water in the reservoir could also be an energy storage device for electricity.

Here is an overview video clip from C.A.T. (Center for Alternative Technology)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is all nice and dandy.
But for "alternative technologies" to really work, they have to be "normal", not eccentric. Otherwise these dreamy eyes hippies would only fooling them self as if they really live on their "alternative ways" without the support of outside "normal technologies".