LAWRENCE COUNTY New Castle company to retrofit and test magnetic levitation train

The preparatory work on the train will be done in New Castle.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- In 1974, a young Stephen Kuznetsov was part of a groundbreaking experiment that pushed magnetic levitation, or maglev, train technology to a speed faster than any other in the world.
The Linear Induction Motor Research Vehicle reached a speed of 250 mph on a seven-mile U.S. government test track in Pueblo, Colo., the highest speed ever attained with that technology.
Maglev trains have no wheels, but instead glide about a half-inch over the track. Maglev uses a series of electric motors and magnets to cause the train to float above the tracks.
Unfortunately, the groundbreaking event coincided with the resignation of President Nixon and was not widely reported.
By 1979, the incoming presidential administration had lost interest in maglev technology and the LIMRV was put in storage by the U.S. Railroad Administration and left dormant for the next 25 years.
That vehicle, which cost $30 million to build in 1972, is now in a New Castle warehouse being retrofitted with the newest maglev technology in an effort to create a more cost-efficient, speedy train.
Train on loan
Kuznetsov, president of Power Superconductor Applications Corp. of New Castle, lobbied the U.S. Railroad Administration to lend him the aerodynamic test vehicle. With the help of Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Kuznetsov was lent the vehicle this past spring for a five-year period.
He expects to have it on a test track in Uniontown, Pa., in Fayette County, in about 15 months.
The 3.5-mile test track, which is owned by Fayette County, will allow the train to go up to about 120 miles per hour. It will operate on existing railroad tracks in that area.
The second phase of the project involves taking the vehicle to Pueblo and operating it on a dedicated seven-mile magnetic track where it first ran, but now at speeds up to 180 miles per hour, Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov said all of the preparatory work will be done in his New Castle facility.
About his business
Kuznetsov moved his company to the Bruce & amp; Merilees Industrial Park in Shenango Township in 1995 after a fire destroyed his Pittsburgh facility.
He currently has contracts with the Navy and two amusement parks using magnetic propulsion systems for two roller coasters and for the launching of planes from aircraft carriers.
He was also recently granted a contract to create a ropeless elevator for the Navy using a slow-speed electric motor. The change in technology will allow the Navy to make each floor of a ship airtight, something that could not be done with the old rope pulley elevator system, Kuznetsov said.
He also designed and installed a 4,000-foot track at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., the first maglev passenger train to operate in this country, in 2002. The 50-passenger train travels at about 40 miles per hour.
cioffi@vindy.com