The Self Balancing Monorail

Use code PRIMALSPACE at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan. incogni.com/primalspace
In this video, we explore the fascinating story of the Brennan Monorail, an innovative train from the early 1900s designed by Louis Brennan. This monorail defied conventional physics by balancing on a single rail, leaning into corners without external input, and remaining stable even when stationary … So why weren’t investors confident in this design? Stick around to find out why and to learn more about how you can enter to win in the next exciting giveaway!
Enter to win at the link below.
primalnebula.com/giveaway/
Short on time? Feel free to skip ahead in this video using the chapter links below.
00:00 What is the Brennan Monorail?
01:12 How Does a Gyroscope Work?
04:22 Balancing the Brennan Monorail
07:33 What Happened to the Brennan Monorail?
Thanks for watching this Primal Space video. If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe so you can see more videos like this!
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Twitter:
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References:
primalnebula.com/the-brennan-gyro-monorail/
Written and edited by Ewan Cunningham ( ewan_cee)
Narrated by: Beau Stucki (www.beaustucki.com/)
3D Modeler: Orkun Zengin
Music used in this video:
Inspiring Cinematic Asia - Lexin Music
See You - Maxzwell
Marianas - Quincas Moreira
Eternal Garden - Dan Henig
Sunset Trails - DJ Williams
San Pedro - Sugoi
Stratosphere Voyage - Spirits Of Our Dreams
#BrennanMonorail #LouisBrennan #Engineering

[@primalspace]

What do you think of Brennan's design? - Shoutout to Incogni for make this vid possible, check them out here: incogni.com/primalspace

[@karbanite]

its.. real.

[@DAXT24]

I think it would've been an expensive but interesting project. But REALLY expensive.

[@lourias]

The gyroscope set up is absolutely GREAT!

[@philosoraptor777]

Pre-computer engineers were another breed.

[@cosmefulanito5933]

Incogni is a scam company. Please do not scam users with scamming ads.

[@gowthamkilli2065]

whichever era it is, the brilliance of the human mind always tries to push the boundaries of physics to its utmost limits. Brennan is a great example.

[@primalspace]

Agreed. And I had so much fun learning even more about it!

[@deesmith8576]

and then the US came in and invented patent and invoation slowed down to the point of were going backwards. best example is jet turbine cars

[@erkinalp]

@@deesmith8576patents are much older than that

[@artemiusz69]

​@@deesmith8576i doubt it would catch on either way, jet turbine is extremely power hungry

[@michaelaird3495]

Absolutely right my banj

[@mattg432]

In Germany, there is currently such a monorail in experimental operation, called Monocab. It is supposed to allow two-way traffic on railways that are not used anymore with regular trains.

[@akostadinov]

link?

[@nepomuk6385]

@@akostadinov www.youtube.com/@monocabowl/featured

[@mattg432]

@@akostadinov Look for Monocab OWL which stands for Ostwestfalen-Lippe, a region, not a bird. Most test drives are still with safety strut, but they've started to go without kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmPEnWSle9Sfja8si=37lSUyPE7zsnIslY&t=129

[@copycat2696]

Looking at a few images online, it looks like the kind of start up that got the looks down before the design. All photos you can see of their "cabs" on rails need to roll on both rails. Doesn't fill me with much confidence.

[@mattg432]

@@copycat2696 They can run one on rail, that part is solved, look it up.

[@cam_DA_Hawkdriver]

The king of Nigeria transition was one of the best I’ve seen on KZbin! Awesome work! I love this topic - monorail.

[@primalspace]

Haha thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed that one.

[@12tribes37]

Referring to a country as your rebuttal isn't proper and it shows that you are biased and racist. It speaks volumes of your disposition and it is very likely you haven't visited this country to know more about as all you probably do know is from the internet. Wish you luck as you grow up!

[@meemdoggoriginallongdrink]

My first thought: "you got to be sh*tting me" 😂

[@ugwuanyicollins6136]

​@@primalspace you do realize that Nigeria is more than Europe and East Asia both. Claiming that there's a Nigerian king is like claiming Europe and East Asia is basically one kingdom

[@mummyjohn]

Really? These ad reads are brutal

[@brockmitchell3989]

Having worked with gyroscopes in the military, his design makes sense. That is a really ingenious design.

[@primalspace]

Glad you agree. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck in the giveaway!

[@grafzeppelin6954]

As an engineer, my initial thought was instantly "gyroscopes.". But in the few minutes of this video Brennan's design and ingenuity turned out to be absolutely stunning. A truely great mind...too bad his idea didn't catch on.

[@letstalkaboutit8254]

Yes, Granted. definitely ingenious. But highly complex & if any of those mechanisms fail- instant disaster. also hard to build in any redundancy for safety.

[@beaneater6923]

i wonder about the redundancy the design requires each part of the train to each have its own gyroscope. that and the fact that his design was strong enough to easily withstand a group of people purposefully trying to tip the train over by standing on one side maybe can let 2 adjacent carts to support another in case of a gyro failure

[@keselekbakiak]

@@beaneater6923 so back to two tracks again?

[@beaneater6923]

@@keselekbakiak no?

[@letstalkaboutit8254]

@@beaneater6923 The train by its own design probably could not be made commercially viable because of safety concerns- Not to say that it couldn't in the future if modern engineers were to work out ALL possible safety issues.

[@FliesLikeABrick]

The amount of 3d modeling and rendering in this video is incredible and conveys the content so well, thank you

[@jebus456]

Agreed!

[@neilspires7259]

I thought the same thing, the way the rendering shows how the design changed as you're watching it is really cool.

[@homie7218]

NPC comment

[@DDryTaste]

​@@homie7218main character syndrome ass comment

[@JerryFlowersIII]

WOW I thought this would be some hypothetical train but then you showed that it was REAL and worked as designed. Completely remarkable! My mouth was agape the whole time.

[@puspamadak]

I had initially thought about gyroscopic action by looking at the video title. But this turned out to be much more amazing than that, especially the fact that it can take turns without the driver's intervention.

[@Nobody-qy7zp]

I think it's okay that this isn't industry standard, but this should at least be a novelty at museums. It is so cool.

[@nichtverstehen2045]

cool but totally unusable for any practical applications. the benefits of using single rail are completely negated by that massive balancing device that is required in each and every railroad car. the point of railroads was speed and less power needed to pull large load. this wont make it. people had lot of crazy ideas. this is a great example of useless waste

[@god_turtle5401]

Yeah, you have never had a new idea in your life & it makes me giggle. @@nichtverstehen2045

[@baldwinivofjerusalem47]

​@nichtverstehen2045 K!

[@pendlera2959]

@@nichtverstehen2045 Just because it didn't work in its intended area doesn't mean it's useless waste. This concept could surely be applied elsewhere.

[@nichtverstehen2045]

@@pendlera2959 i wasn't considering exotic cases where it could be profitable. if you could name one it would be great. i do agree that people thinking outside of usual boundaries define what we can do and move humanity forward. but in that case i'm struggling to find any practical use case for that given all the issues.

[@trishanu-nayak]

Brennan's determination to turn his idea into a full sized functioning machine astonishes me !!

[@primalspace]

Me as well! Incredibly impressive ... and admirable at that.

[@mikewaxx]

Not determination, money

[@MusikCassette]

@@mikewaxx I was gonna say. A lot of people have Ideas and determination. But not having the resources most often is in the way.

[@Mavrik9000]

Hats off to the video creator. A pioneer in long-format troll pranks.

[@murmenaattori6]

​@@Mavrik9000Gyro monorails are a real thing. You are a short term troll.

[@albertpeugh9367]

HOLY CRAP!!! You’ll have me in stitches for a long time over the letter from the King of Nigeria, that was brilliant and slipped in so smooth. Thank you, you just made my day.

[@primalspace]

Haha thank you. Glad you enjoyed that one.

[@kzrlgo]

​@@primalspaceI've reported this to YT as I find it highly offensive and unnecessary. I hope you enjoy taking down the video for your racist joke.

[@marannebbeling9799]

@@kzrlgo How is it a racist joke? Because it's about a Nigerian person? It's much more racist to assume that race had anything to do with the joke (or even nationality, for that matter). KZbin would be empty, by the way, if they were to remove every video that gets reported once, haha

[@kzrlgo]

@@marannebbeling9799We shall see. You stick to the guitar and I'll stick to law.

[@r00pea]

@@kzrlgo You are truly obnoxious. One of the worst kinds of people

[@giovannistasi1380]

With each design iteration I was more amazed than before. Brilliant!

[@mrt7152]

I am an engineer myself, but this guy was a genius. So far ahead of his time.

[@plmn93]

Yes, brilliant as an engineer. But he also spent a lot of time, money, and effort engineering a product that had no market.

[@sandsandwich9217]

​@@plmn93Finacialy yes, however this machine defies the norms of engineering during that era

[@lukethompson5558]

It’s sad that if he came of age in 2023 he’d probably be an Investment Banker or a Lobbyist. What’s also sad is that this invention was never used for anything

[@TymexComputing]

As usual the practical sense made the invention useless - you couldn't just push two mono-trains in opposite directions on a good old double track :)

[@Tino-sc1vq]

Always good to see these "How can I make this about me" comments.

[@Aatell764]

I love his persistentence, everytime he encountered a problem he came up with another great idea to solve it. He could have given up or even got stuck along the way but he was determined to make it work. And sure as hell he got it done!

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Inventor Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration."

[@wiktorczajkowski8160]

He should have bought a deodorant maybe then.

[@JimmyNewCakes]

Too bad he couldn't figure out a way to convince those pesky investors to buy it.

[@ayokay123]

"You do the math. You solve one problem, and you solve the next one, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.” - Mark Watney

[@plmn93]

@@ayokay123 He solved a problem that didn't really need solving, then failed to solve the problems that solution created.

[@stingingmetal9648]

So interesting. You should make an entire documentary on either this concept or unique concepts similar to this.

[@AdersonDeFDias]

What an intriguing piece of engineering! The video is so mesmerizing I could not stop looking till the final frame. One thumbs up is not high enough.

[@primalspace]

Thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and the topic! Your feedback means a lot!

[@liscales1092]

Just astounding to think that Brennan devised (and refined many times when solving problems) such a sophisticated system, well over 100 years ago!

[@primalspace]

Astounding indeed! I'd love to know how far this design would have come had he gotten the right investments

[@B1gLupu]

When you think about it, the cool and intuitive solutions usually appear in the begining of a technology's lifecycle when the best practices are not yet established. When your "book of solutions" gets bigger, you move away from indivitual problems and instead it becomes more complex, so you have to deal with problems of making a bunch of small solutions work together, which is less of a wow experience. When a technology matures, solutions that took years of work originally, became mundane part of the toolbox.

[@vipondiu]

The most tragic thing is that it worked! Is not one of those cases whem someone had this idea way ahead of its time, like it usually is, but they failed because technology or knowledge was not yet developed. In this case they solved all the problems through sheer engineering brilliance. People in the early 20th century watching a train working on 1 row of wheels aparently by magic. Incredible!

[@federicocaputo9966]

Although I consider this to be a marvel of engineering and ingenuity, I can see why it didnt catch on. The cost of laying 2 tracks instead of 1 isn't that much greater, you have to lay them, secure them, etc.etc. Besides, who would lay 1 track rails for the exclusive use of this invention? compared to the cost that all this wagons should have a gyroscope, and consume fuel just to keep them straight I doubt it would be a great Idea. Railways tracks becomes more profitable the more trains you have running on them. Its just the first investment, and then you can give more trains. This designs sacrifices up front cost for higher cost of increasing the service (more expensive wagons). Meaning it doesnt scale up well compared to traditional trains. It might be a sensoble solution for small services that dont grow, but which company is built on the idea of not growing?

[@larrybremer4930]

This video paints it as a great idea, but what I see is a poor risk reward proposition. These monorail trains have many critical points of failure that at speed would cause an accident no doubt. As stated each car requires the space and power source to run the gyros as well using up valuable capacity. While it would save on infrastructure cost of a railroad to some extent, the cost of 2 rails vs 1 is nearly insignificant compared to the cost of surveying, obtaining the land and/or the right of way, grading and preparing the roadbed, etc. Two rail standard gauge infrastructure was already well established as were the locomotives and rolling stock to use it that would all need to be changed out. Even if you were to assume the change had been made to this monorail as the railroading standard the reliance on active stabilization just makes it more likely have a critical failure than the passive stability of a two rail train. For that reason alone it was not a good idea.

[@d3str0i3r]

@@larrybremer4930 you're forgetting that one of the pros laid out was that this can run on existing rail, you wouldn't have to switch anything out

[@Junispro31]

​@d3str0i3r even if it ran on existing track, the cost of fitting a gyro on every carriage is much higher than simply building a 2nd rail in the first place, and if at any point the mechanism fails, a train on 2 rails would be safer than one which can topple over

[@RCAvhstape]

This would never replace 2-rail vehicles anyway. It would be useful for some shortline type stuff, like a city light rail or Disney's theme park system, but for heavy freight, which is what the vast majority of railroads haul to make money, 2 rails is the only way to go. Same with long distance heavy passenger service like the modern Amtrak intercity sleeper trains.

[@user-qw5hm5gl2p]

This is my science project this summer thanks Brennan.

[@syx3s]

that balancing valve... that is pure genius.

[@lenshibo]

I was stunned the whole time, every iteration feeling so much more clever than the last. Real shame it never took off because damn this thing is super cool!

[@primalspace]

Agreed. I would love to know how far this design would have come with the right investment or today's technology.

[@steve0826]

The problem is every car of the train requires a gyro.

[@lenshibo]

@@steve0826 Yes i watched this video where he said exactly that...

[@namtrng8479]

Yeah...luckily we came up with something that literally takes off and needs no rail.

[@chemolcalico6792]

@@namtrng8479unfortunately, cars suck

[@OfficialSamuelC]

Truly astonishing that this clever chap invented this in 1910. Even today this would be fantastic for many to see. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@primalspace]

Agreed. I can't imagine what we could do now with our current technology and an idea like that.

[@TonyWeirPD]

Modern technology does indeed make it a lot easier. I've prototyped similar things and hold a patent for an updated version. Several other people have tried and failed to commercialize this technology. The basic problem remains: there's no commercial market for it. It's just too different to what people (the average users) are familiar with, and there's no political impetus to change the basic concept of cars and roads (or trains and railways). It's worth pointing out, for example, that well-placed politicians can make phenomenal amounts of profit in kickbacks from road infrastructure in third-world countries. Nobody would want a transport solution that costs next-to-nothing to construct and requires minimal maintenance. It would be of immense benefit to the population, but of no benefit at all whose jobs depend on the complexity of car-based infrastructure.

[@LastV8Interceptors]

It is a bad concept because it is unstable when stable solutions are equal utility. Really simple.@@TonyWeirPD

[@BobsRockets]

@@TonyWeirPD Assuming its similar to the video, would I be correct in saying that the increased cost of having gyros in each car would only be cancelled out by the reduced track usage on longer journeys? If so it would present a bit of a barrier to entry compared to say, normal track, because smaller starting routes would be less financially viable, and you wouldn't be able to purchase cheap second-hand locomotives etc. Even excluding any corruption etc. its a bit harder to justify on a financial basis simply because it would kind of require starting big to be able to turn a profit/not make a loss.

[@CaptVirtual]

You can see a modern version of it today - Segway

[@johnflano]

Thanks for this, Louis Brennan lived in Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland for a period -- there used to be a mural illustrating this and his other designs (torpedo and a type of helicopter as i remember)

[@rairaur2234]

Not every invention must go mainstream and become the norm! This is a genius feat of creativity and engineering, and the fact that instead of staying an unknown machine in someone's shed it got to fairly compete for itself on the market is simply outstanding. Brennan and his team hopefully felt truly proud.

[@VarunGupta3009]

History is filled with untold stories of geniuses who never received the recognition they deserved, Brennan being just one of them. His ingenuity was definitely beyond his time. Let's commit to re-examining historical narratives, actively seeking out underappreciated figures, and ensuring that future generations of brilliant minds are not overlooked.

[@jasondashney]

I think more importantly, a genius today might see something in a past invention that time forgot, and figure out a way to either improve it, or modify it for use today.

[@bradfuhr2004]

This sounds like a GPT generated comment, LOL

[@Mereologist]

According to legend, the inventor Hero of Alexandria invented the steam engine around the time of Christ. But when he showed it to the king, he was asked, "What would we do with all the slaves?", and so it became merely a curiosity.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

​@@Mereologistwell I hope that's not true, but more importantly, I hope that in the near future as AI starts taking jobs we make sure It doesn't become true.

[@wildgoosedreaming1]

​@kamikeserpentail3778 AI taking monotonous onerous jobs away, thus freeing us up to pursue fulfilling tasks. Oh no, we can't have that...😢

[@user-cg9ht3ox6n]

the way he learned from his mistakes and improved upon them is truly inspiring

[@primalspace]

💯💯💯

[@russelldawkins9094]

Brilliantly clear illustrations of the processes. Thanks - that couldn’t have been easy.

[@anirudh3925]

Brennan's design philosophy often combines simplicity with sophistication, resulting in truly ingenious inventions. It's remarkable how they manage to achieve such elegance and functionality in their creations.

[@DynastySheep]

I love how you include the different designs that were not as effective and then steps made to overcome those flaws. Really interesting.

[@r0e404]

Yeah this definitely was really helpful in understanding the whole thing

[@ScentedCandles14a]

I am a commercial pilot, and we use sophisticated ring laser gyros in our inertial navigation systems to allow the aircraft to measure accelerations in all three axes, and then integrate those values twice to derive velocity, then distance. This allows the plane to calculate its position in 3D space to a high degree of accuracy, without any external navigation aids - provided it knows where it started. Gyroscopes are fascinating!

[@tinkertailor7385]

Inertial navigation.

[@katzda]

Wow

[@user-it7lf7kk8m]

Those laser ring gyros were invented in the 60s or 70s. Prior to that all gyros were mechanical like the one shown, although probably smaller. They were marvells of precision mechanical engineering

[@trueword247]

my head is spinning just reading your comment

[@sasaradetic2202]

Or turning the plane, where the passengers do not feel the change in the force of the Earth's gravity, in relation to the axis of the plane. Glass of water is always leveled.

[@procrastinathor4594]

I was so confused looking at it and as soon as you said gyroscope, I was like "Alright, yeah, that makes sense." after finishing writing this comment I am like "Or does it?" after watching: that was simultaneously more complicated and simplier than expected Great video, thanks:)

[@paxtonanderson8091]

This is the first time seeing your channel. Your channel and this video is super interesting and I love that all of them are under 10 minutes and not 30 minutes. 😁👍

[@TheRogueMaverick]

I’m floored by this bit of engineering! I love the inner workings of trains, especially the older steam engines! The fact that this was possible and worked flawlessly in 1910 was incredible!

[@primalspace]

Incredible indeed!

[@talalzahid2241]

thank us sm for appreciate, it means a lot

[@antonig3566]

I was always fascinated by gyroscopes and their abilities to be applied in almost every branch of engineering such as in Brennan's mono-rail

[@primalspace]

Me as well. Pretty fantastic when you think about it!

[@alanevery215]

Which never happened, not hard to work out why!

[@IloveJellow]

Another cool thing is gyroscopes are also being used to create artificial gravity in space however the main issue with that though is getting enough power involved to keep spinning at the rate required to produce gravity. Smaller scale tests have been done which shown promise. However you would require a fairly large gyroscope to produce enough gravity for a station and also fine tuning the power settings to get it just right or end up crushing everyone to death or flinging them around instead could be a result. Not only that the power required for such a device proceeds anything we currently have only chance of it ever being considered would be having a fusion generator which currently still doesn't exist yet and even then you would need many devices to not only monitor it but also make automatic adjustments without requiring too much input from a personal so mostly a highly developed AI would be required which we currently do not have yet. Still amazes me though those devices are such a simple concept but can do so much we just need to find ways to harness its effects.

[@brennenbisme]

Thank you

[@oldbloke135]

@@alanevery215 And yet you didn't? It would literally take you less time than it took to write your condescending comment to find out what Brennan was really trying to achieve.

[@user-fn4jg8vq2d]

Apart form this amazing piece of engineering, I cannot express enough how well this video is made. Thank you very much.

[@primalspace]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.

[@Dellassie]

This is very impressive. A lot of thought went into this. Brennan's self stabilizing concept might be a good idea in ships to further prevent toppling (I think)

[@tristanyseult]

Brennen was also the inventor of the guided torpedo. Running 2 spools of wire driving counter rotating propellers in the torpedo body. these were pulled by steam engines on shore. It was reported that it was accurate enough to be launched out from the isle of grain in kent England and then to be steered out into the Thames estuary, then turned around to hit a basket of fruit floating in the water from behind. impressive stuff. Brennen had his railway at Gillingham Kent where he lived.

[@user-jc2we4sn1i]

It was Tesla

[@tristanyseult]

Brennen pre-dated tesla by 30 years

[@Hessel99]

I study control engineering, and this is essentially a control system but fully mechanical. It's really cool to see the design process from more than a hundred years ago!

[@B.treveton]

Just wait until you get your hands on a pneumatic controller. You set your gain and reset with physical dials that act on bellows, it's ingenious when you really look at it. A physical representation of our math that translates PID turning of a controller into mechanical parts!

[@sabamacx]

Which institution are you studying at?

[@eclecticDIY]

AirBnB

[@clayton97330]

Don't drones stabilize on a similar principle?

[@B.treveton]

@clayton97330 they can, but how the drone reacts to a change in tilt or rotation is all calculated and done digitally, as most modern gyroscopes will send their data to a computer, this one self stabilizes without a computer. All of its information is sent and received in a physical manor.

[@aayushgupta390]

Its not just how he got struck with this incredible idea of Gyro but how he came over with the problems he faced while implementing that idea. And in those times when they didn't even had efficient motors like we have today. Hats off!!

[@ChrisHarmon1]

I knew we had stuff like this in ship navigation, and this is where the idea of a PID loop derived from, but to see his mechanical implementation of it and the process is stunning.

[@primalspace]

So glad you agree!

[@LievenDV]

I'm amazed on how the force of the train tipping over is used against itself and multiplied. I never heard of this train but now I have another great story to tell friends and colleagues :D

[@primalspace]

Amazing indeed. I'm so glad you enjoyed this topic - I had a lot of fun learning more about it myself!

[@theharshtruthoutthere]

@@primalspace lets analyse the lies which are world wide believed: lie: schools are of use (fact. schools keep slavery alive and stands for dumbing down the population of mankind) lie: moon and mars landings, (fact: even masons know they cannot leave - earth is closed system, unless you want to drown, there is no other place created for us to live in.) lie: news channels share truth (fact: these are for politic propaganda) lie: voting matters (fact: politic propaganda) lie: money has a value of its own (fact: it is just a tool of this world, which value has been agreed upon world wide) lie: NASA lies (globe and all....) (fact: NASA stands for TO DECEIVE and 2 members expose their own lies, one is still alive, the other (Wernher Von Braun) place a clear clue on his own gravestone) - you havn´t searched - have you? lie: the lgbtq++++ propaganda (fact: it is a part of masonry depopulation agenda, 500 000 000 souls, thats their goal.) lie: Evolution and the dinosaurs. (fact: mankind is not hybrid kind) to keep stating that there was an evolution, then we ain´t humans, we aint then mankind, we are then hybrids. Are you a hybrid? Lie: holidays (xmas, Halloween, new year eve and so on) (fact: PAGAN HOLIDAYS, to praise BAAL, the god of this world) lie: U.F.Os (fact: they are demons/evil spirits in high places, against whom we fight daily = spiritual warfare) lie: rules and laws rule the world (fact: signs and symbols of masonry do) lie: believe in being educated (fact: found daily living with the lack of knowledge) lie: religions are ways to heaven (fact: JESUS CHRIST is only way to heaven. Religions, no matter its name = masonic garbage) lie: our dead loved ones stay around to “ghost” (fact: hunting and ghosting is job of demons, not of humans. We, humans, come from GOD and return back to HIM and all the stories of having been seen a ghost - terrifying, scary, dark, cold - again no job of analysing been done here by you- right?) Lie: Humans have no immune system and we need vaccines as these save lives (fact: humans HAVE IMMUNE SYSTEM and vaccines are created for one or two purpose: to kill or to cripple. Later in life comes all kinds of medical diagnoses = vaccines crippled you) lie: there is no GOD (fact: There is GOD, who redeems sinners and created us directly from the dust of the earth: Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.) to keep claiming that there is no GOD and we aint created directly from the dust of the earth, we soon run out logic, regardless to we place “evolution” in our claims or not.) lie: 911 was terror attack (fact: 911 was an inside job, meaning the work of your loved government) lie: Tv watching is of use (fact: television (TV) = tell a lie vision, a weapon for our minds, keeping it under MK ULTRA) half lie/half truth: earth is a stage where everyone plays rolls (fact: earth is stage, freemasonry checkerboard, where both side, black and white are masons and humans both in politics and regular souls = the naive public gets daily played) lie: children are government to raise (fact: children are parents to raise, it takes 2 to make them, it takes 2 to raise them). Lie: we live already in the matrix (fact: we live since birth in BABYLON which is to become “matrix”. Man - us, must merge with machine aka take the mark of the beast and then matrix aka false reality becomes to be 100%) 20 lies, should i go on? This world ain´t deceived, out there to deceive?

[@meemdoggoriginallongdrink]

Do they listen or are they engineers?

[@LievenDV]

@@meemdoggoriginallongdrink :D They're a bunch of things yet not all of them are great listeners...nor engineers.

[@omkarsaisarage]

Bernnan's creation was truly a marvel of engineering. The way he arranged the valves for controlling the attitude of the train truly blew my mind. I too tried to make a simpler gyro bike but it was only able to handle the monotony of straight roads.

[@CouchPotator]

now you know the secret is TWO, linked gyro scopes. Now go out and try again!

[@omkarsaisarage]

I am gonna give it another try. Can't wait to try out 2 linked gyroscopes

[@pierre-yvesmachavoine4983]

That ad placement was the most unexpected i've had in my entire youtube life. At least top 3. Thanks for thid upload

[@primalspace]

Haha glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for watching!

[@joeking4206]

Genius. I've never heard of it before. Thank you. I can imagine rail companies being pretty nervous about a train "balancing" on only one rail.

[@JFBence]

Hats off to you! The storytelling and the animation is both spot-on. The movements of the train are so lifelike. You've nailed the mechanics!

[@primalspace]

Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it - it means a lot!

[@Coolguy_2491]

as an animator who does 3d and 2d animations , i can confirm that the animations are SO DAMN COOL

[@theAstra_]

I cannot believe this was conceived in the 1910’s. Truly a genius design that didn’t get the credit it deserved

[@primalspace]

I feel the same.

[@jtjames79]

​@@primalspaceIt's a good idea for a self balancing e-bike/motorcycle. Batteries are actually kind of terrible for regeneration, flywheels can be better. You get free self-stabilizing when it's stopped. And using power from the flywheel instead of the batteries makes your batteries last a lot longer. If you get clever with fly by wire you can make an e-bike that always takes the perfect corners, and can be self driving.

[@monhi64]

Yeah it’s a shame, like yes it’s not feasible and a lot of the biggest issues weren’t even brought up but damn I’ve never even heard of this. If nikola tesla is this famous now then this definitely deserves some attention

[@drewman_jones]

It is fascinating for sure, a marvel to gaze at and conceptualize, but in the real world, it just isn't effective. A brilliant piece of engineering but a tangible failure. An engineer's dream but a mechanic's nightmare. Theres a reason its a saying not to reinvent the wheel.

[@Skylancer727]

​@jtjames79 no its pretty terrible. Flywheels are extremely dangerous if not properly maintained and people never take care of their personal objects. Flywheels should basically be treated like a bomb in general as at the speeds they spin, they basically are. Plus Flywheels to balance things are usually impractically large. For this rail car it took up a quarter of the riding area. On something like a bike it would take up more space than an engine and especially electric motor. One person here on KZbin even tried making a bike use a flywheel for regenerative braking, it really just isn't as effective.

[@imjody]

This is freakin' insane, and the video and animations were done so well. Thank you so much for this!

[@primalspace]

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for watching!

[@varunchoksi]

He kept going on and on, to make his vision a reality is really commendable.. And great work on the video too..FAN

[@primalspace]

Inspiring to see how far he came with his vision. I'd love to know how Brennan would have solved future issues with the right investment. Thank you for sharing your comment and for watching as well. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@varunchoksi]

@@primalspace can you make video on how the satellites or say telescope (Hubble/James webb) sends data back to earth from many light years away?

[@SyntherL]

As an engineer I would instantly put a microcontroller and a PID controller to control the gyroscope. However, these things wasn’t available yet for a long time. And I’m amazed by the brilliant solution found in early 1900’s

[@chrisj5443]

Yes, you have to wonder if current electronic control and servo technology could make this viable now, even possibly eliminating the need for the gyros.

[@KnugLidi]

mechanical feedback is instantaneous, which has its advantages over electronics. However, today you'd use the mechanical systems but use the electronics to monitor.

[@dkosmari]

It's called Control Moment Gyroscope, and suffers from the same limitations as reaction wheels: saturation. Over time the "center" position will drift, and gravity will bleed off torque from the CMG. Eventually, the train either needs to stop, to re-center the CMG so it matches the vertical orientation of the train, or it needs manual over-corrections from the operator to use gravity to bleed torque the opposite way. Having everyone standing on one side of the train for a photo op is cool, but it doesn't tell us how long the CMG can keep compensating for that. It can't change the center of mass, it can only apply a limited amount of torque to undo gravity-induced torque.

[@ChaoticNeutralMatt]

To be fair, they said about half-an-hour@@dkosmari

[@lordgarion514]

The KZbin channel technology connections (sp?) Has a nice long video on how the old mechanical jukeboxes used to work. You should give it a look.

[@stevenmorris5562]

About 50 years ago my father and I got into model railroading. He continued, and I stopped, but followed, along with his explorations of trains. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this until now.

[@iamnormal8648]

Are you surprised that your father didn't know everything?

[@jstravelers4094]

​@@iamnormal8648Why be an ass? His father was researching trains and never discovered this design I don't know everything.....but I learn new things all the time. It has served me well.

[@stevenmorris5562]

@@iamnormal8648no. I’m surprised that in all the things about tech and trains and computers and such that I notice it took 40 years for me to hear about this. It had nothing to do with my father. You seem to be the one with the daddy issues.

[@primalspace]

What a great hobby to share with your father. I'm so glad that you were able to learn something new in this video and that you enjoyed the topic as much as I did. Cheers and thanks so much for watching.

[@sknopster]

To learn about such fascinating history involving one man's passion and mechanical ingenuity is a rare treat at my age. Thank You for compiling and producing this superb documentary. I would think Brennan should feel honored by the efforts of all involved! Please permit me one question: The graphic illustrations show both gyroscopes in sync, and thus would seemingly keep the rail-car level. Wouldn't a differential action between the two gyro's be necessary to create / moderate the appropriate roll rate or bank angle desired for various curves in the track? Or, are the counter-rotating gyroscopes sufficient when commanded by the pneumatic "governor"?

[@gamej7946]

Absolutely genius. There should be parks with this monorail for us to appreciate the innovation.

[@counted1894]

Some German scientists have actually made a new updated version based on Louis Brennan's design called the Monocab OWL. I find it really fascinating that these ideas developed 100 years ago are being taken up again today.

[@longiusaescius2537]

@counted1894 interesting! Thanks for mentioning this

[@schnelma605]

Idea for the MONOCAB: Thorsten Försterling from the Lippe State Railway Club (German: Verein Landeseisenbahn Lippe) Project sponsor: Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Technology in Lemgo (German: Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Lemgo)

[@foximacentauri7891]

Why would they make it a pod design, that’s literally the worst way of transporting stuff on rails. Congrats to them for achieving a great mechanical feat, but they probably should leave logistics to the experts.

[@primalspace]

Very cool! I will have to go check that out!

[@jSpuckinski]

@@foximacentauri7891 One of the engineers of the project is a coworker of mine, talked a lot to him about the project. The Monocab is intended and designed for rural areas, where existing rail infrastructure isn't used, as it is currently unprofitable for normal train service. A pod-design, while beeing stupid for high-demand scenarios, could actually make sense here. We recorded an 1-hour-interview with him about the project, which will be released in mid-January (only in german though), if you are interested.

[@themrdude]

Watching this video truly hit home the immense genius of Brennan. Sometimes I wonder if people like this had lived today, what they could do for our world, and the changed they would make.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

Sometimes I wonder how many people that could be that brilliant are squashed by the systems we have and lack of resources... And then end up working at like McDonald's and becoming so endlessly depressed at being gaslit into believing they are failures that they lose everything that could have made them great.

[@Chris_Sheridan]

.. you must be blind - the modern world has seen plenty of examples of innovation, invention and design that people everywhere take for granted. Changes have been made and are introduced all the time, however, no single invention or person has changed the fundamental fact that human society thinks progress is based on materialism and the generation of ever increasing wealth. This flawed concept has not solved the problem of greed, corruption and the consequences of war, crime and family breakdown - human wisdom has brought the world to the state of decay and destruction we see everywhere. Even space exploration has not solved the problems of disease, food shortages, homelessness, the refugee crisis and wars that are enabled by modern technology. Whoever thought tanks, landmines and nuclear weapons was a good idea?

[@wilsjane]

The one that always puzzles me is the demise of the Shone pneumatic sewage pumps. Having no moving parts, some of them are still working in London after more than 100 years. The Deptford pumping station, that lifts thousands of gallons of sewage from the London super sewer to the treatment plant every minute, needs a team if engineers 24/7 to maintain it. When I mentioned the Shone system, they just scratched their heads.

[@naoufel7676]

People like him are still around but as @kamikeser said they get squashed by the system that promote waste and garbage because that's where the huge profit is made and keeps the 1% always at the top

[@pendlera2959]

@@kamikeserpentail3778 Yup. The things you have to do to survive in the short term destroy your ability to do anything greater in the long term.

[@emtechproaudio6176]

The best transition to a sponsor segment ever. A letter from the King of Nigeria. Hats off to you, sir!

[@primalspace]

Haha thanks. Glad you enjoyed that one.

[@heavypen]

Never heard of this - gobsmacked by the utter genius. Now, looking up Louis Brennan. One question I have is how he worked out stability in the wheel and rail contact points. Traditional rail wheels use pairs of slightly conical wheel profiles and flanges to stay on the tracks. A "U" wheel profile, maybe? Thanks for an interesting video.

[@kennztube]

The sheer brilliance of the engineering and the complexity involved with constant re-engineered mechanisms was nothing short of genius at work.

[@plmn93]

Yet failed to realize this was never going to be a practical, marketable machine. He was evidently able to market himself enough to build it though. Interesting story.

[@stickiedmin6508]

​@@plmn93 Nobody is suggesting that this thing, in its presented form, was practicable or marketable, but it _absolutely _*_should_* have represented an early stage of a better design, instead of a forgotten dead end. This was worth pursuing.

[@johndee2990]

Creativity is Intelligence having Fun.

[@darkithnamgedrf9495]

@@plmn93and? Why does every invention need a concrete practical use?

[@tommysalami420]

@@plmn93 Your focus on the market is dumb. Its going to collapse and if thats where all your thoughts revolve around you will be left behind

[@thomasd6652]

Louis Brennan has a memorial piece at his place of birth here in Castlebar County Mayo. He also designed a torpedo to be used in Coastal Defence. One of my favourite projects I ever wrote. Thank you for making this video ❤️

[@user-bv3eo7uu4v]

I couldn't help but to giggle in awe every time you explained how Brennan overcame the next design issue. It's magnificent.

[@primalspace]

Haha love that. Thank you for watching.

[@sidweazel2883]

I’m a bit late to the party, only just found your site. Subbed immediately, looking forward to hours of well made fascinating content 👍

[@vortifyne]

I think it's ingenious and I'm surprised to have never heard about it before!

[@primalspace]

I was pretty surprised when I came across it myself. Really enjoyed diving deeper into this one!

[@Virgocygni56]

I share the same feelings as I would like to share always from a you tube channel I watch a mathematical relationship that as an engineer it was never mentioned at any teaching level, yet quite intuitive but then again mesmerizing... The integral of the circumference is its circle and the tntegral of a sphere area is its volume how about that for a relationship gone unnoticed in the last 60 years

[@Mike23443]

How the hell did this guy create a system so well designed and functional that you'd not think twice if you saw it used in a futuristic cyberpunk setting, yet it was from the 1900s.

[@MadScientist267]

Because people back then weren't helpless without computers.

[@turolretar]

Because it was in the air back then

[@JizzoCalrissian]

@@MadScientist267 smaller government = more freedom to create

[@MadScientist267]

@@JizzoCalrissian Has absolutely zero to do with anything

[@David-ys4ud]

​@MadScientist267 not entirely true. Regulations slow development. Things are safer but it doesn't allow new crazy ideas to be worked out.

[@kibukun]

The cool thing about this train is that it helped develop the gyroscope more. Which we use in other applications, like space vessels and advanced optics.

[@cantthinkofnameyeah7249]

It's primarily a matter of iterative experimentation rather than sheer brilliance. One experiment often outweighs the insights of a thousand experts. While the end result may appear intricate, the underlying principles remain unchanged. Simplified thought process: spinny thing stay straight, two spinning things even more stable when like this, spinny thing more stable when you wobble it. Once you grasp the fundamental principles, you can orchestrate a sequence of actions and assemble them accordingly. This process embodies ingenuity, albeit its simplicity lies in the concept of one action triggering another, thereby facilitating movement in a desired direction.

[@pranavasai4655]

As of now, The Brennen's Great gyroscope is the Backbone for International Space Station which provides balancing stability while in Orbit. Thanks to Primal Channel, Im impressive with your unforgettable explorations.

[@leoSaunders]

that's amazing. im so glad this project wasn't wasted

[@user-jy4bc3li3o]

If anyone thinks there's a 200 ton hunk of steel over 200 miles above earth hurtling 17,500mph in constant free fall, while inside a weightless astronaut fields sixth graders' questions between bites of floating globs of pudding, please realize you're completely indoctrinated and ack critical thinking skills as well as common sense

[@mrxman581]

That's amazing and truly ahead of its time. Same principle that's used on the Segways.

[@upliftingidea7878]

I'm very impressed!!! It is an engineering idea at a very high level!

[@vincevannoten]

It is such a genius design. He took what he had at the time and just went for it. This is probably the coolest train I’ve ever seen.

[@WhiteJarrah]

As much as I'm amazed by all the efforts that went into keeping the locomotive upright, what I find even more incredible is how seamlessly it addresses all the shortcomings of actually built monorails whilst retaining all the advantages of a conventional railway line.

[@bobdebouwer7835]

Well. The problem was that the same system had to be installed in every single cart too. Otherwise the loc would be the only thing standing:D

[@talalzahid2241]

thank us sm for appreciate, it means a lot

[@billcunningham9070]

Brilliant engineering.

[@jimrich4192]

​@@bobdebouwer7835 OUCH! To costly! 😢

[@MaliohammadDesigns]

yeah it is cool on paper but not realistic. Also it is not a good idea to have an active system balancing something as dangerous as a train @@jimrich4192

[@Pluzzie]

wow, thank you for making this amazing video! it's easy to listen and got visuals on it

[@primalspace]

Thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[@johnryan2193]

What a genius, this era seemed to produce brilliant engineers . We need more people like this today.

[@saloocin9558]

It’s amazing how the problem solving process for his train worked! It’s insane how the thinking process for the design, from the idea itself to all the physics hurdles he had to overcome, happened!

[@ToddHowardWithAGun]

This is like steampunk aerospace engineering. The self-balancing pneumatic solution using the weight of the carriage itself to increase the speed of the procession was brilliant.

[@mummyjohn]

That is brilliant, and it's elegant - the best type of brilliant. I can see the impracticalites on a commercial/industrial scale, but would be good at a theme park or some such.

[@exclusivetransport8524]

This actually sound like an amazing project, wish there was one around today, would love to try it

[@primalspace]

Agreed!

[@ethanbaer65]

The compressed air piston design was absolutely brilliant. I actually laughed out loud at how cool that was when I watched this.

[@primalspace]

💯💯💯

[@steveregester3546]

this idea needs bringing up to date using modern tech to make it work. Might be agreat final year project for the students in the Uni where i work. really interesting

[@v1jays]

Wow! What an invention! Like you mentioned really mind-blowing!

[@davidstepeck2644]

What I like about Brennan’s invention is he took the design of the train and scrapped it almost entirely. It’s difficult to think outside the box when you’ve already looked inside the box. Brennan’s invention was forward thinking with safety and speed in mind. Although his train idea didn’t take off, I’m sure his use of gyroscopes were used in other applications. I love the history and the endless journey of the Voyagers, and the print is amazing!

[@lindsaytang1017]

How he managed to come up with the actuating arm to turn the trains destabilising force against itself is unbelievable, that’s something that you would have to have a Eureka moment for.

[@atlbrysco6198]

I think that this design is absolutely brilliant; thanks so very much for bringing this to me, because I had never heard of such a thing before. I do have a background in engineering, and like another poster mentioned, when it came to balance I immediately thought "gyroscope" - but the way you detailed the issues with this and the way it was overcome was amazing. It's a shame that such brilliance is at the the hands of money and corporations that can kill an idea simply because they don't see it working on a balance sheet; but then, I have to ask myself why not today? The US is struggling with it's rail travel.. if something like this could be replicated today (and enhanced with the technology that we have over 100 years later!) and can run on the same tracks - wow! There's no way putting a gyroscope in every train that could utilize existing architecture (x2, since they each would need one rail!) would ever be more expensive then building some of the outlandish ideas that are being proposed currently... Once again, thanks for expanding my knowledge!

[@deesesarte]

Magnificent!! Could you make a video explaining the seism system of the skyscraper Taipei 101 and how the come to the idea and make it work?

[@JohnJCB]

His design was amazing! The complexity yet simplicity in the design makes it amazing, and its rails are more economical to build

[@primalspace]

Agreed. I really wish more had come from it, but had a great time diving deeper in the learning. Thanks for watching and good luck in the giveaway.

[@ralfwindte5986]

Are they? All the weight is now on just one rail that has to take all the wear and tear. But sure the spacers between both rails are saved.

[@ld4677]

I’m a Astrospace Engineer and gyroscopes are used a lot on satellites. Brennan’s design shows how an understanding of physics can be applied to a problem. Reminds me of the over engineered wrist watch with the “because we can!” mentality.

[@pauljmeyer1]

A self-correcting and top-heavy monorail, even with gyroscopic stabilization, seemed an impossible call but that was answered so brilliantly by Louis Brennan an engineer with a scientist's mind.

[@benjaminb.7865]

Excellent video on a wonderful machine of engineering. First video I watch on your channel, but not the last.

[@primalspace]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@cyberlord64]

I selected this as my uni final project. Had a blast working on this. Kinda interesting on how far we have come where even a random 18yo can build something like this at home with off the shelf components and consumer electronics in a few weeks

[@plmn93]

This may not have been a practical train, but I think it would have made for a really cool toy back when mechanical toys were popular.

[@nikobellic570]

Yep. What was available to wealthy industrialists a century ago, is available to curious amateurs

[@jamesrosewell9081]

Can you show it?

[@marcelburdon9795]

Although the idea is inherently pretty overcomplicated and illogical when compared to normal trains... the engineering and design behind it is still amazingly complex and fascinating!

[@yuribezmenovthegreat4705]

that was nothing illogical if you think back then trucks were little, so you could use the monorail as only one cart, the attached to the train itself, and it would move independently so it could just go to the zone required, and you could build twice the rails.

[@marcelburdon9795]

@@yuribezmenovthegreat4705 well the system necessary to keep it balance is severely over complicated and over engineered, instead of having… two wheels… which are cheaper, easier, safer, and can bare heavier loads.

[@thelouster5815]

@@marcelburdon9795Yeah, but two wheels are for squares.

[@Chicky_Lumps]

Actually, depending on how much sharper turns this design could take compared to normal trains, the ability to design snappier railways alone may have justified this design for certain applications. (Perhaps such as urban transit.) However that may have also been its downfall, since leveraging that benefit would require redesigning railway systems that were already existing infrastructure.

[@havanasyndrome3024]

​@@marcelburdon9795not everything needs to be heavy though. They could have built a tail with ultra wide gauge, which would be used for cargo trains, while in between the same rail would serve passenger light monorail provoking simultaneous bidirectional service.

[@tpadma]

Thanks to the 3-D rendering of the solution 👌. This made me understand the solution

[@myvoiceyourstory9338]

Thank you so much for showing and teaching me things I’d never have known. . What a brilliant man he was ! Thank you team Goodnight Angels be with you

[@primalspace]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for watching and for your kind comment.

[@wonkydonk9073]

Damn, I was totally on-board with this and wondering why we didn't see these everywhere today when I realized each train car would need its own gyroscope. Freaking amazing engineering, but at the end of the day, a simpler design that can accomplish the same task will almost always win out.

[@primalspace]

So true. Unfortunate we didn't get to see how this project progressed, but it does make sense.

[@davidturner9120]

Engineer here, I've done a lot of put of the box stuff too! But this is on another level. This guy's ability to visualise and appreciate the forces at play and to have such confidence is astounding. I could add that the design was flawed by having no backup if the train was stranded.... But that's not the point. The product was impractical but the thinking was amazing.

[@ct1762]

ehh. if you mean simply to prevent it from tipping, you could easily install a hydraulic support pole feature like little kickstands that come out. youd have plenty of time to deploy them as youd know if something was wrong 45 minutes before it tips

[@joeturner7959]

@@ct1762He would have had those ( kick stands), if it was ever a problem, but apparently it was not. He had 7000Lbs of momentum, on a tiny bit of friction. My guess was that he could roll a long way... but ... also with that much weight, it would have been hard to climb hills, and with his ingenuity, I am sure he would have that figured out rather quickly. "If my grand mother had wheels, she could have been a bicycle. "

[@niktarasyuk535]

Awesome presentation... such a clever design... I wonder how much of such incredible ideas could be revisited today and perfected with the modern technologies, making them viable.

[@primalspace]

I would love to at least see something similar on a smaller scale .. just for curiousity sake haha. Thanks for watching. So glad you enjoyed it!

[@natrium1250]

Such a well made video, about a topic I enjoy a lot. Earned my sub

[@primalspace]

So glad! Thanks so much for watching and welcome to the channel!

[@natrium1250]

@@primalspace no, thank you lol. Fr tho, I look forward to watching your other, previous videos and what's to come

[@Siriussky22]

I think this is an amazing design he invented and the fact that he could do this with the technology of 1910 makes me wonder what he could do now

[@primalspace]

Same. I can't help but hope that someone might test out an updated model ... just for fun haha

[@matttzzz2]

Probably just be a regular engineer at a top tech company

[@user-ez2tq4vi8f]

@3:23 lololol the guilt trip in the letter... guess I better stay till the end!

[@johncornwell6920]

That is some insane engineering. As one commenter below says, I was also stunned at each iteration. I can't believe the inventor modeled and built this without computers!

[@primalspace]

Yes - hard to believe with all the technology we have at our fingertips now. Very impressive!

[@ewaf88]

The original track for this was built about 10 miles away from me in Gillingham kend England There is now an old people's home called Brennan's house which was built in 1982 on the original ground

[@wishmaker]

I just wanted to say thank you for showcasing this because the first time I saw this was from a series called Digimon: Frontiers, where they have the digimon running on a single track and it puzzled me how this process could worked! Because of this video presentation, it made total sense that it is possible for a train to ride on a single rail.