Ford ACT
Encyclopedia
Ford's ACT, short for Automatically Controlled Transportation or Activity Center Transit, was a people mover
system developed during the 1970s. One interesting feature of the ACT is that it allowed bi-directional travel on a single rail—cars passed each other by switching onto short bypass lanes on the track, distributed where space allowed. ACT was a contender in the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's plan to deploy three or four systems in cities in the United States, as well as the GO-Urban
project in Toronto, Canada. One ACT system was installed as a part of a Ford-funded real estate
development near their headquarters in Dearborn, MI, and although they proposed to install ACT in several other locations, no additional systems were ever installed and the project was put on indefinite hold.
or London
, but the expense of developing a useful metro system
was one that could only be undertaken by the largest and richest cities. Studies in Canada placed the cost of a conventional metro system at between $75 and $80 million dollars per mile in 1980, which required high passenger utilization to pay for its construction.
President Kennedy started the process of creating a federally funded project to study the problem and develop solutions. A particularly influential work at the time was Donn Fichter's Individualized Automatic Transit and the City. Most mass transit systems, even today, utilize set routes and stops. Fichter suggested that the only way you could coax drivers to use mass transit would be if it offered the same point-to-point flexibility as the car. Several studies followed, notably by RAND
and the Aerospace Corporation, exploring a wide variety of people mover systems.
A series of bills passed through the 1960s and 1970s created the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), with funding to develop new systems to match the needs outlined by the earlier reports. Several companies were invited to enter Phase I proposals, which were presented in mock-up form at Dulles Airport for the Transpo 72
trade show. The primary entries were LTV's AirTrain
, Rohr, Inc.
's ROMAG
and Ford's ACT. These systems shared a number of features; they were completely automated in operation, used computer-guidance to allow short headway
s (inter-car spacing) as small as 10 seconds, and featured on-demand point-to-point routing. They differed primarily in the technology used to support and guide the train; some used rubber wheels, some were hovercraft
, and some were maglev systems.
A 4000 foot test guideway was built near Ypsilanti, MI. After testing, a deployment system was worked into a real estate
development across the road from Ford's test tracks in Dearborn, MI. One end of the new track was inside the new Hyatt Regency hotel and the other in the Fairlane Town Center
shopping mall
. A single by-pass for switching was located between the two. The track and two cars completed basic testing in 1976, and were turned over for passenger use between the two buildings. Although the ACT system was later removed, the Fairlane mall's layout retains several vestigial signs of its former presence, notably the bisection of its central interior court.
During the project's lifetime there were numerous expressions of interest in the ACT system. It was one of three Phase II contenders for the GO-Urban
project in Toronto
, but Ford withdrew after the plans evolved into a higher-speed system for inter-urban movements, not the slower short-haul routes ACT was intended for. A deal was signed for a system at Bradley Field
in Hartford, CT, but fell through due to budget cuts after basic construction was completed. A 2.1 mile long loop was considered for El Paso, TX to connect the city with Juarez
across the Rio Grande
, but also fell to budget cuts. Grand Rapids was the target of a UMTA proposal, but ended along with the UMTA funding.
By the early 1980s interest in people mover systems in urban areas was waning, especially after the UMTA lost most of its funding after a somewhat negative GAO
report, Better Justification Needed for Automated People Mover Demonstration Projects. Ford put ACT on "indefinite hold" and the project essentially disappeared.
To keep the vehicle centered in the guideway, smaller horizontal tires were attached by leaf springs to the main bogies, one in front and rear of the main axle on either side, for a total of four wheels per bogie. The springs pressed the wheels against metal guide rails on either side of the track, and when the car entered a curved section of the guideway they rotated the bogie so it steered along the curve.
A separate set of wheels was also attached to the bogies, located above it and acting on the bogie through a linking arm. Hydraulically actuated rails engaged these arms in order to switch the train from guideway to guideway. Since the system was centrally controlled and used hydraulics, there was a minimum actuation time that required headways to be around 30 seconds at the normal operating speed of 30 mph.
Power was provided by a third rail
system located just above the guide rails. Power was supplied at 480V 60 Hz AC, and then converted on-board to power two 60 horsepower DC electric motors. The system used regenerative braking, converting the energy back through the DC motors to AC into the lines.
In operation the ACT systems had more in common with a metro system or the people movers used at airports, using relatively large cars with up to 20 passengers and making stops at all requested stations. As deployed, it was not a true personal rapid transit
system, like the contemporary Cabinentaxi
or the modern ULTra
, which offer true point-to-point service for every car. ACT's unique feature was the embedded bypasses, which allowed bi-directional service on a line consisting primarily of a single track.
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
system developed during the 1970s. One interesting feature of the ACT is that it allowed bi-directional travel on a single rail—cars passed each other by switching onto short bypass lanes on the track, distributed where space allowed. ACT was a contender in the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's plan to deploy three or four systems in cities in the United States, as well as the GO-Urban
GO-Urban
GO-Urban was a major mass transit project planned for the Toronto area which would have been run by GO Transit. The system envisioned the use of automated guideway transit vehicles set up in hydro corridors and other unused parcels of land to provide rapid transit services without the expense of...
project in Toronto, Canada. One ACT system was installed as a part of a Ford-funded real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
development near their headquarters in Dearborn, MI, and although they proposed to install ACT in several other locations, no additional systems were ever installed and the project was put on indefinite hold.
Background
The widespread introduction of the automobile in the late 1950s into the 1960s led to new problems in the city cores in terms of moving people to and from work. This was not so much a problem in cities with extensive mass transit systems, like New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
or London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but the expense of developing a useful metro system
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
was one that could only be undertaken by the largest and richest cities. Studies in Canada placed the cost of a conventional metro system at between $75 and $80 million dollars per mile in 1980, which required high passenger utilization to pay for its construction.
President Kennedy started the process of creating a federally funded project to study the problem and develop solutions. A particularly influential work at the time was Donn Fichter's Individualized Automatic Transit and the City. Most mass transit systems, even today, utilize set routes and stops. Fichter suggested that the only way you could coax drivers to use mass transit would be if it offered the same point-to-point flexibility as the car. Several studies followed, notably by RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
and the Aerospace Corporation, exploring a wide variety of people mover systems.
A series of bills passed through the 1960s and 1970s created the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), with funding to develop new systems to match the needs outlined by the earlier reports. Several companies were invited to enter Phase I proposals, which were presented in mock-up form at Dulles Airport for the Transpo 72
Transpo 72
U.S. International Transportation Exposition, better known as Transpo '72, was a trade show held on of land at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. for nine days from May 27 to June 4, 1972. The $10 million event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, was a showcase...
trade show. The primary entries were LTV's AirTrain
AirTrain
AirTrain is the name of several passenger railway operations connecting airports to city centres:*Airtrain in Brisbane, Australia*Airtrain in Brisbane, Australia*AirTrain JFK for New York City's JFK Airport...
, Rohr, Inc.
Rohr, Inc.
Goodrich Aerostructures Group, formerly Rohr, Inc., is an aerospace manufacturing company based in Chula Vista, California, south of San Diego...
's ROMAG
ROMAG
ROMAG was a personal rapid transit system produced by the American company Rohr, Inc. It featured a linear induction motor that was arranged to provide both traction and suspension in a magnetic levitation system....
and Ford's ACT. These systems shared a number of features; they were completely automated in operation, used computer-guidance to allow short headway
Headway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
s (inter-car spacing) as small as 10 seconds, and featured on-demand point-to-point routing. They differed primarily in the technology used to support and guide the train; some used rubber wheels, some were hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
, and some were maglev systems.
ACT
Development of ACT started as an unofficial project in a Ford engineer's basement. John Logan became interested in the people mover concept and invited fellow engineers Richard Skruch and Denny Colovas to join him in designing what would become ACT. They presented their ideas to management, and in the fall of 1970 they agreed to provide funds to develop a prototype car and a short guideway to test it. A mock-up, somewhat different in design from the actual prototypes, was demonstrated at the Transpo '72 show.A 4000 foot test guideway was built near Ypsilanti, MI. After testing, a deployment system was worked into a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
development across the road from Ford's test tracks in Dearborn, MI. One end of the new track was inside the new Hyatt Regency hotel and the other in the Fairlane Town Center
Fairlane Town Center
Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. Its anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears. The mall includes an AMC Theatres multiplex, as well as H&M, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Bally Total Fitness among other major stores...
shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. A single by-pass for switching was located between the two. The track and two cars completed basic testing in 1976, and were turned over for passenger use between the two buildings. Although the ACT system was later removed, the Fairlane mall's layout retains several vestigial signs of its former presence, notably the bisection of its central interior court.
During the project's lifetime there were numerous expressions of interest in the ACT system. It was one of three Phase II contenders for the GO-Urban
GO-Urban
GO-Urban was a major mass transit project planned for the Toronto area which would have been run by GO Transit. The system envisioned the use of automated guideway transit vehicles set up in hydro corridors and other unused parcels of land to provide rapid transit services without the expense of...
project in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, but Ford withdrew after the plans evolved into a higher-speed system for inter-urban movements, not the slower short-haul routes ACT was intended for. A deal was signed for a system at Bradley Field
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
in Hartford, CT, but fell through due to budget cuts after basic construction was completed. A 2.1 mile long loop was considered for El Paso, TX to connect the city with Juarez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
across the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, but also fell to budget cuts. Grand Rapids was the target of a UMTA proposal, but ended along with the UMTA funding.
By the early 1980s interest in people mover systems in urban areas was waning, especially after the UMTA lost most of its funding after a somewhat negative GAO
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
report, Better Justification Needed for Automated People Mover Demonstration Projects. Ford put ACT on "indefinite hold" and the project essentially disappeared.
Description
ACT was based around a rubber-wheeled car that Ford referred to as a "horizontal elevator". The vehicles rode in a U-shaped guideway of prestressed concrete. The guideway was about 12 feet wide and normally built in 60 foot cantilevered sections. The vehicles themselves were just less than 7 feet wide, 9 feet high and 25 feet long, and weighed 13,800 pounds.To keep the vehicle centered in the guideway, smaller horizontal tires were attached by leaf springs to the main bogies, one in front and rear of the main axle on either side, for a total of four wheels per bogie. The springs pressed the wheels against metal guide rails on either side of the track, and when the car entered a curved section of the guideway they rotated the bogie so it steered along the curve.
A separate set of wheels was also attached to the bogies, located above it and acting on the bogie through a linking arm. Hydraulically actuated rails engaged these arms in order to switch the train from guideway to guideway. Since the system was centrally controlled and used hydraulics, there was a minimum actuation time that required headways to be around 30 seconds at the normal operating speed of 30 mph.
Power was provided by a third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
system located just above the guide rails. Power was supplied at 480V 60 Hz AC, and then converted on-board to power two 60 horsepower DC electric motors. The system used regenerative braking, converting the energy back through the DC motors to AC into the lines.
In operation the ACT systems had more in common with a metro system or the people movers used at airports, using relatively large cars with up to 20 passengers and making stops at all requested stations. As deployed, it was not a true personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit , also called podcar, is a public transportation mode featuring small automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guide ways...
system, like the contemporary Cabinentaxi
Cabinentaxi
Cabinentaxi, sometimes Cabintaxi in English, was a German people mover development project undertaken by Demag and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm with funding and support from the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie...
or the modern ULTra
ULTra
ULTra is a personal rapid transit system developed by ULTra PRT,...
, which offer true point-to-point service for every car. ACT's unique feature was the embedded bypasses, which allowed bi-directional service on a line consisting primarily of a single track.
External links
Track locations- The original test track near Ypsilanti can be seen here: 42.281357°N 83.557119°W
- The former Dearborn installation was here: 42.313957°N 83.220084°W