Yet another, free, all magnetic idea.

[Low-Q]

This allows both the rail magnet and ring magnet to be shielded without the rail magnet's shield to stick to the ring magnet's shield, which is a force keeping the rail magnet from escaping the shield of the ring magnet.

If the rail magnet is not shielded, then it will attract to the shielding of the ring magnet and keep it from escaping.  The rail magnet and the ring magnet must both be shielded properly so they won't stick to each other.

Think of the screwdriver as being a shield.  The screwdriver doesn't attract to the magnet's shield in the videos, but I can't keep the rail magnet's shield from attracting to the ring magnet's shield.   

Since the shielding don't stick together in the video, then the shielding shouldn't stick to each other with the rail and ring magnet, but it does. 

I'm going to try the nails for the shielding instead of the batteries, so I can have a uniform thickness of shielding for both the rail and ring magnets.

Yes, try nails. It can be hard to place the last few nails as they will repell eachother because they are magnetized in the same direction all of them.
Also have in mind that magnetism will follow the easiest path - that is for both rail magnet and the ring magnet. So probably you will end up with the very same mechanism as without shielding at all, but with weaker force - as the shield will steal a lot of the magnetism in the air that you want to attract the rail magnet and repell it with. So a shield will weaken the sticky spot also, but will also weaken the force in advance and afterwords that is suppose to fight that sticky spot - if you know what i mean.
Hopefully these two options isn't perfectly related, but let us see what is happening in a closed loop first. Then we can discuss further what is happening, and why.

Vidar

[gravityblock]

Possible Success with one minor modification and an additional step in regards to the original design of Broli!

Minor modification with the rail magnet's shielding is required I believe.  Have the shielding to be slightly greater than the length of the rail magnet.  Push the rail magnet into the shield where half of the magnet isn't shielded.  The rail magnet will travel through a tunnel with shielding material on the inside until it reaches the entry point of the ring magnet.  The shielding of the tunnel will kill the sticky spot on the other half of the rail magnet that isn't shielded.  Once the rail magnet is inside the ring magnet, the other half of the rail magnet is no longer shielded due to the tunnel, and will shoot through and completely out the ring magnet avoiding the sticky spot and all other counter forces.

I have verified the above, using individual real world steps and experiments.  Now I need to automate these steps for a working device, and I will.   

Broli,  you had this 98% accurate with your original design and concept.

[gravityblock]

Proof of Concept:

I am now using one layer of nails around the inside diameter of the ring magnet and also using one layer of nails around the rail magnet for shielding, having excellent results and possibilities for a real world working device.

1)  When the rail magnet is inside the shielded tunnel,  their will be no magnetic field present.  This supports Low-Q's idea of the shielding, which I agree with and tested.  So, no field present, then no forces are present.

2)  When the rail magnet is inside the shielded tunnel, the partially shielded magnet won't stick to the shielding material of the tunnel (there will also be space between the shielding materials to negate the attraction completely, and this is supported by the previous videos I posted along with other experiments.

3)  Once the rail magnet is inside the ring magnet, the shielding of the tunnel, no longer has an affect on the partially shielded rail magnet, and the rail magnet will see the magnetic field of the ring magnet and shoot out.  This has also been tested to be true.

Hopefully these two options isn't perfectly related, but let us see what is happening in a closed loop first. Then we can discuss further what is happening, and why.

Vidar

As you can see, those two options you referred to in the above quote are not perfectly related.  I'm ready for a further discussion.   

[gravityblock]

Here's a picture of the current setup I have using nails for shielding.  The brown paper tube represents the tunnel that will have shielding on the inside.  The tunnel will need to be closer to the ring magnet than in the picture, but I moved it away a little bit so you can see the inside of the ring magnet.  The rail magnet is next to the tin that is holding the tunnel to center it with the ring magnet for demonstration purposes.  If you look carefully at the rail magnet, you will see half of the magnet is sticking out of the shield.  The magnet for the rail will be last to enter the tunnel and ring magnet,  so you know the direction that the rail magnet will be pointing and traveling.

[Low-Q]

Looks like you have experimented a lot @gravityblock.

I would like to suggest a simple test to confirm the system:
Use the tube as a guide in vertical position. Drop the railmagnet through the tube, as it works as a guide, and through the ring magnet and let the railmagnet just drop into the floor. So have a soft pillow it will hit on the floor.

Take the time it takes from you drop it till it hits the pillow.
Do the same drop without the tube and ringmagnet, but drop the railmagnet from the same hight.

If this works, the railmagnet would have a acceleration that will shorten the time it takes to hit the pillow.

You maybe have to use a videocamera to record the two experiments, so you probably will easier see which experiment that run fastest (if you can count the number of videoframes before the railmagnet hits the pillow)

Good luck, and ask if there is something unclear in my explanation.

Vidar