The Niles
Monorail History
Page
Six of Nine
It's time to build a train! Carol's father owned this
Amigo walker and Erika, Carol's mom, donated it to the Niles Monorail
project.
The only piece used from the walker was the motor, gearing and
drive wheel.
The drive wheel and guide wheels are fixed, while all other wheels
are on bogies that swivel for curves.
On December 3, 2000 we ran the car around the track for the first
time under power. Obviously the car body wasn't complete at this
point, but it was real exciting to see it run around the track
by itself.
The very first power ride with a human onboard, no speed control
either. This was the scariest of all rides. The seat was above
the motor and that brought the center of gravity up too high.
I just didn't ride it, I had to balance myself as well. It was
like riding a mobile tight rope. I wasn't sure I could make it
work right after this test, but I wasn't about to give up! I modified
the car design with a lower seat and made some improvements to
the track.
Niles Monorail History Page 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9
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