History
One of the first recorded discoveries regarding electromagnetic propulsion was in 1889 when Professor Elihu Thomson made public his work with electromagnetic waves and alternating currents. A few years later Emile Bachelet proposed the idea of a metal carriage levitated in air above the rails in a modern railway, which he showcased in the early 1890s. In the 1960s Eric Roberts Laithwaite developed the linear induction motor, which built upon these principles and introduced the first practical application of electromagnetic propulsion. In 1966 James R. Powell and Gordon Danby patented the superconducting maglev transportation system, and after this engineers around the world raced to create the first high speed rail. From 1984 to 1995 the first commercial automated maglev system ran in Birmingham. It was a low speed Maglev shuttle that ran from the Birmingham International Airport to the Birmingham International Railway System.
Read more about this topic: Electromagnetic Propulsion
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