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Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

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Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#111
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I’m understanding what you’re saying, couldn’t that be solved with some kind of belt tensioner?

According to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ8ehplVFp4&t=636 the handrail is driven by a friction wheel that wears out over time, so its diameter gradually decreases and the handrail speed slows down (until it gets too out of sync, and the friction wheel is replaced).

I wonder why they can't just use a toothed belt.

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#112

Somewhat off-topic, but why are all the men in the film wearing hats? Was this some sort of dress code?

I wear a hat outside. It makes walking in the Seattle rain quite pleasant, as my glasses don't fog up and the water doesn't go down the back of my neck. When sunny, I don't need to apply sunscreen, and the glare from the top of my head does not cause car crashes.

As a bonus, I can imagine myself as Clint Eastwood.

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, love that idea of progressive velocities. I ant someone to at least build a short test track like this so we can play with it. Seem to recall they were called "slidewalks" by some Sci-Fi author—probably Heinlein, eh?

so assuming inner sidewalk moving at 100 mph, next outer at 95, and each moving at 5 per less, when big muscular terrorists placed on s-100 carrying a big cardboard box filled with nails and throw it as quickly and hard as possible so that the box of nails open up over s-75 at what velocity are the nails raining down on pedestrians on s-75?

Everybody carries a gun in Heinlein stories, so those terrorists will be quickly dealt with by armed citizens, thus confirming the superiority of Libertarianism.

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, love that idea of progressive velocities. I ant someone to at least build a short test track like this so we can play with it. Seem to recall they were called "slidewalks" by some Sci-Fi author—probably Heinlein, eh?

so assuming inner sidewalk moving at 100 mph, next outer at 95, and each moving at 5 per less, when big muscular terrorists placed on s-100 carrying a big cardboard box filled with nails and throw it as quickly and hard as possible so that the box of nails open up over s-75 at what velocity are the nails raining down on pedestrians on s-75?

Compared to doing that from a moving car?

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#117

I love the kid who is hamming it up at the bottom of the frame. I've been a photographer/videographer for my entire professional career and have run into this kid many, many times. Adults exhibit this behavior too but it is usually much more moderated. This kid had to know what a camera was, which end was filming (some early film cameras appeared to be simple boxes), and wanted to make his mark on the final product.

Some guy smacks the kid with a light left hook at about 1:14.

There even appear to be two guys dressed in uniforms, chivvying kids off the roadway?

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#118
post #97

Somewhat off-topic, but why are all the men in the film wearing hats? Was this some sort of dress code?

Was this some sort of dress code? Yes

The last US president to wear a Lincoln-style stovepipe hat was ... JFK

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#119
post #111
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ8ehplVFp4&t=636 the handrail is driven by a friction wheel that wears out over time, so its diameter gradually decreases and the handrail speed slows down (until it gets too out of sync, and the friction wheel is replaced).

I wonder why they can't just use a toothed belt.

Because you'd have teeth rubbing out all through the course, which would eat them through very quickly, or you'd have to add toothed rollers throughout the course which would increase complexity tremendously.

Re: Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)

#120
post #3

I'd guess that Heinlein was aware of it and scaled it up in his imagination. The Roads must roll — they are the arteries of the nation. When they stop, everything stops. Factories idle, food rots, men starve. The nation cannot live without its Roads. A thousand feet wide, level as a floor, strip after strip moving past in ordered procession. The slow strips on the outside moved at five miles an hour; the inner ones f…

Asimov went into some detail with this premise too, in Caves of Steel iirc. I suppose he probably got it from Heinlein.

Vance also had a novel with mechanical roads. I guess that was a common trope back when the first mechanical stairs appeared.
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