A propeller-driven suspended monorail, claiming the speed of aircraft with the safety and reliability of railways, was designed by George Bennie in 1926, and named the 'Bennie Railplane'. A short test track was built over a railroad line near Glasgow, Scotland. Two electrically-powered propellers delivered 240 horsepower in a short burst for acceleration to the cruise speed of 160 kph (almost 100 mph).
There were plans for a high-speed link between London and Paris, with a seaplane to carry passengers across the English Channel, but the grave economic difficulties of the 1930's doomed the Bennie Railplane from the start.
No comments:
Post a Comment