RTV31 being removed from its test track at Erith in Cambridgeshire, where it had achieved speeds in excess of 100 mph, start to stop in 1 mile. In operation RTV31 was raised on a cushion of air.
RTV31 now safely resting in its new home at the entrance to Railworld in Peterborough.
Maglev, the World’s first train to be powered and lifted by high powered magnetic coils. First in operation at Birmingham airport in 1984 this Maglev was in operation for 11 years.
RTV31 and the Birmingham airport Maglev are both examples of wheelless trains. However, both worked on different principles.
RTV31 used a cushion of air powered from giant fans to lift itself off the track whereas the Birmingham Maglev used powerful electro-magnets to achieve the same feat.
Both vehicles used linear magnetic motors for forward motion, invented and developed by the late Professor Eric Laithwaite of University College London and the University of Sussex.
RTV31 was a non-commercial prototype which proved to be too expensive for commercial use. The Birmingham Maglev, on the other hand carried as many as 40 passengers at a time, with their luggage for innumerable journeys over an 11 year period. It sadly, was taken out of service only due to the inability to obtain spare parts.
