Buzz
Throughout their evolution, trains have seen superior designs thrive while less practical ones vanished into obscurity. However, many peculiar trains boasted features so distinctive that their discontinuation might astonish some today.
10. M-497 ‘Black Beetle’
Developed in the 1960s, the M-497, nicknamed the 'Black Beetle,' was a jet-powered experimental train. Funded by the New York Central Railroad, it aimed to create high-speed trains to win back commuters who had shifted to faster alternatives.
The Black Beetle was a standard passenger train retrofitted with jet engines from a B-36 bomber. During testing, it achieved a record-breaking speed of 295 kilometers per hour (185 mph), a milestone that stood unchallenged for four decades.
However, the New York Central Railroad halted the project as jet-powered trains proved too costly to construct and maintain. The train car was repurposed for regular service, and its jet engines were adapted to create the world’s first railroad track snowplow.
9. Schienenzeppelin
The Schienenzeppelin, a 1931 German innovation, aimed to create an ultra-fast train. This experimental model featured an airplane engine linked to a massive rear propeller. Sleek and lightweight, it achieved a groundbreaking speed of 225 kilometers per hour (140 mph) during trials, a record that stood unchallenged for 23 years.
The Schienenzeppelin never advanced beyond the prototype phase due to safety concerns that its propellers could severely harm or even kill individuals near the tracks at stations. Additionally, the propeller placement made it impossible for the train to reverse, tow additional carriages, or generate enough power to ascend hills.
Concerns also arose about whether contemporary railroad tracks could withstand the strain imposed by this train. The Schienenzeppelin was ultimately dismantled during World War II, with its aluminum repurposed for aircraft construction.
8. Bennie Railplane
Invented by George Bennie in 1930, the Bennie Railplane aimed to replace coal-powered steam engines. This innovative train operated on dedicated tracks Bennie intended to construct above existing railroad lines. Resembling modern cable cars, it featured two propellers driven by an engine, with overhead wheels enabling movement along its elevated tracks.
Bennie asserted that the railplane could achieve speeds of up to 190 kilometers per hour (120 mph). However, its test track was insufficiently long to reach such velocities.
Bennie struggled to secure investors for his railplane as the world was recovering from the Great Depression and World War II loomed. In 1957, he sold his experimental track at a heavily discounted price. Financially ruined, Bennie passed away just one year later.
7. Brennan Monorail
The Brennan monorail, an electric-powered invention by Louis Brennan in the early 1900s, could be likened to a motorcycle in the train realm. It featured a single set of wheels and operated on a solitary track.
The train remained stable even when stationary, thanks to two gyroscopes that provided such effective stabilization that it would likely stay upright and continue moving if it ever derailed.
Brennan designed the monorail as a replacement for conventional trains, which frequently derailed when navigating curves at high speeds. However, this stability relied entirely on the proper functioning of the gyroscopes.
Sadly, Brennan's monorail never succeeded in replacing traditional trains. A single gyroscope failure could lead to a catastrophic derailment. Moreover, the train was economically impractical as it couldn’t haul additional carriages.
6. Holman Train
Constructed in 1887 and 1897, the Holman train was not designed to enhance rail travel but rather to deceive people and swindle their money. Its only distinguishing feature from other steam trains of the era was the unusual arrangement of multiple wheels stacked vertically.
These wheels had no functional benefit, yet the inventors falsely claimed they increased the train’s speed. The elaborate scam included a patent for the train and staged test runs. The Holman Locomotive Speed Truck Company, established to manage the train’s development, was also part of the fraudulent scheme.
The company sought to raise $10 million by selling counterfeit shares at $25 each. Many unsuspecting individuals invested, only to lose their savings when the creators vanished.
5. Jean Bertin’s Aerotrain
In the 1960s, Jean Bertin’s Aerotrain revolutionized rail travel, functioning like a hovercraft. Backed by the French government, it aimed to replace traditional trains by gliding on a layer of air above a concrete monorail.
The Aerotrain was lightweight, silent, swift, and comfortable. Its prototype achieved an impressive speed of 420 kilometers per hour (260 mph). The tracks were inexpensive to build and required less precision and upkeep compared to standard rail systems.
Around 20 nations showed interest in this innovative train. Bertin confidently predicted its global adoption by the year 2000. However, after delivering the completed train to the French government, development was halted in 1974 due to concerns it would undermine the state-run railway network. Heartbroken by this decision, Bertin passed away a year later.
4. General Motors Aerotrain
In the 1950s, General Motors developed the Aerotrain, supported by railway operators seeking a faster solution to regain passengers who had shifted to alternative transport methods.
The Aerotrain wasn’t groundbreaking. General Motors essentially combined several of their buses and mounted them on a train frame. Despite this, the Aerotrain was lightweight and speedy, weighing less than half as much as traditional steam trains when fully loaded.
General Motors produced two prototypes, which were distributed to various railway operators for testing. All the operators criticized the train’s engines, which were too weak to achieve top speeds or ascend inclines. Additionally, the train’s lightweight design resulted in a bumpy ride, likened by passengers to traveling in a truck.
3. Armored Trains
Armored trains debuted in military operations during the US Civil War, when Union General Joseph Hooker transported more than 20,000 soldiers using them. Initially, these trains were equipped with protective armor to shield soldiers from ambushes. Over time, they were upgraded with heavier armor and weaponry, including cannons, antiaircraft guns, and machine guns.
Armored trains were formidable against enemy infantry and tanks but became easy targets for aircraft, which could quickly locate and destroy them from above. Additionally, their tracks were susceptible to sabotage by even a single individual.
Following World War II, armored trains were phased out in favor of more sophisticated military vehicles. However, reports suggest that the Russian military is considering reviving them to combat domestic insurgents who frequently target the country’s railway infrastructure.
2. Michelin Railcar
The Michelin railcar was the result of combining a passenger train with a bus. It was conceived by the renowned tire maker Andre Michelin, who tasked his engineers with creating a solution to replace the loud steel wheels of traditional trains.
Unsurprisingly, the engineers designed a train with wheels fitted with rubber tires, equipped with mechanisms to prevent derailment in case of a tire burst. The train resembled and functioned so much like a bus that anyone skilled in bus driving could operate it without additional training.
The Michelin railcar underwent testing on railway tracks in France and the UK but was never adopted due to its high costs. For example, it required 10 tires, whereas a standard train needed only four wheels. Additionally, the tires deteriorated rapidly and required frequent replacements.
1. Horse-Drawn Trains
Horse-drawn trains were the earliest form of rail transport, preceding steam-powered trains by approximately 200 years. Initially used on wooden tracks to haul coal from mines, these trains soon connected nearby towns, carrying both passengers and goods. Despite their slow speed of around 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph), they offered a more dependable and smoother ride compared to horse-drawn carriages on uneven roads.
Early railway tracks were single-directional, with regulations prioritizing goods trains over passenger trains. Passengers were obligated to move their train off the tracks whenever they faced an oncoming goods train.
The advent of steam-powered trains eventually rendered horse-drawn trains obsolete, though both coexisted for a time. Some operators even reverted to horse-drawn trains temporarily due to the unreliability and explosion risks of early steam engines. Horse-drawn trains continued to operate until at least the late 1800s.
