On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 5:45:54 PM UTC-4, danny burstein wrote:   
      
   >  Anyone recall if this moved anywhere past the back of a press release and   
   whether it was actually tried out?    
      
   In all the years I've followed the MTA, I never heard of that approach.   
      
   I don't know what tracks it could've operated on without interfering with   
   other services.   
      
   Years ago the two big research projects were the energy storage flywheel, and   
   a gas-turbine to allow MU trains to run on non-electric tracks.   
      
   Phila's Red Arrow lines tried to do such a thing in the 1960s. One attempt was   
   on the Media/Sharon Hill lines, another was on the P&W.  Both attempts   
   failed.  One problem--which appeared in a demo to high officials--was that the   
   rubber bus tires had very    
   poor traction on the steel rail in snow.   
      
   The "hi-rail" concept is very popular with maintenance-of-way vehicles and has   
   been for years.  It's usually pick-up trucks.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)