Wish it was real

[ShawnDriscoll]

I wish I could say that this was a real photo and not a Photoshop image. The title for it is "Leaving Las Vegas".

http://www.shonner.com/aerotrain/images/aerotrain_5_with_blur.jpg

[Damien D.]

but it do look real
great job, i love it.

[ShawnDriscoll]

Thanks.

Jerome mentioned to me that my guide ways are too thick. So I'm squashing them to half their current height. I don't know how I messed up on that. That's why it's good to show these to people because I get lost and don't notice my own work after awhile. I think I didn't also re-size the guide ways when I last shrunk the Aerotrain (going from meters to feet in my measurements).

[DJromT]

The rail existed in so many variants that it's really up to you to give it the looks you want

[ShawnDriscoll]

The rail existed in so many variants that it's really up to you to give it the looks you want

My Dad said that the way I had it would remove a lot of the vibration noise. California has all kinds of earthquake building codes, so I don't think the guideway would be allowed to be built any different than what I rendered here. I looked at some marketing drawings and they all have thin guideways compared to mine.

The other part is the electicity. I don't like the idea of passengers having to walk over (or even seeing) the power lines as they enter/exit the vehicle. But I don't want people falling to the deaths also because the guideway had no step area for them.

Yes, I'm designing a station platform for an elevated two-lane guideway.

[Thomson]

Yes, I'm designing a station platform for an elevated two-lane guideway.

I can't wait to see the result, Shawn.

[ShawnDriscoll]

I'm still debating whether the two lanes should spread apart and the station is between them, or they stay together and there are platforms on both sides. There are doors only on the port side of this vehicle. The starboard side is the electrical coupling. It comes down to: should the Aerotrains pass each other on the left or on the right? Is there a standard for such track designs?

[BlackShark]

Usually the preferred side is decided by the railway owner. In France most trains always remain on the port track, however some neighbouring countries and even some specific areas of France do it the other way. In order to prevent any risk of collisions between opposite trains, the interface between these areas swap the sides with a bridge, so that opposite high speed tracks never cross each other.

Regarding stations, most high speed rail lines use platforms on both sides and on a separate track. The main high speed line tracks remain together at the centre of the station, and the extra tracks separate on each side so that trains can still run on the high speed line at full speed even while an other train is stopped at the station. There is usually a small wall between the main tracks and the station tracks to prevent people from crossing on foot. I think this design is ideal as it allows to build the track without stations and then add the station later on top of the track with minimal track modifications. (at least in your 3D software)

You can try to find some architectural inspiration from current on-the-line high speed train stations "built in the middle of nowhere". Their design is usually very compact. The thing which takes the most space is the car park area, bus stops and the highway access.

Here is for example Aix en provence TGV station with quite good looking architecture. (the station sits between the arms of a highway)


For building such a station in an urban area, you can stack the elements on top of each other with a carpark either underground or on the roof (or both), the station ticket office, and services area at ground level and the tracks above.
Or do it the other way around like at Valence TGV station, with the track down in a trench and the station built over the tracks.

Here are the smaller and simple Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne TGV twin stations (no protection wall, just extra space between the tracks)

[cyril]

qui tient a perdre la vie pour avoir mis une photo du tgv sur le site de l'aérotrain? lol

[Damien D.]

Non mais c'est une bonne illustration.

[cyril]

oui pour montrer la gare

[BlackShark]

J'hésite à mettre un photomontage "TGV > Aerotrain" juste par provocation

[Laurent]

Hello Shawn,

Yes, I'm designing a station platform for an elevated two-lane guideway.

I can't wait to see the result, Shawn.

Yes, as it was wrote by Thomson above, what about the result now regarding your station platform ?

[ShawnDriscoll]

Hello Shawn,

Yes, I'm designing a station platform for an elevated two-lane guideway.

I can't wait to see the result, Shawn.

Yes, as it was wrote by Thomson above, what about the result now regarding your station platform ?

It's not finished. I'm looking at different terrains to put my guideways on.

[lega]

Hi Shawn,

Good luck from France for this hard work !

Regards !