|
The ''Aerotrain'' was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s.〔(Magazine advertisement introducing the Aerotrain ), Saturday Evening Post, December 10, 1955.〕 Like all of GM's body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM's Styling Section. Chuck Jordan was in charge of designing the Aerotrain as Chief Designer of Special Projects. It utilized the experimental EMD LWT12 locomotive (), coupled to a set of modified GM Truck & Coach Division 40-seat intercity highway bus bodies (). The cars each rode on two axles with an air suspension system, which was intended to give a smooth ride, but had the opposite effect. == History == The two ''Aerotrain'' demonstrator sets logged over and saw service on the following railroads: *the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; *the New York Central Railroad; *the Pennsylvania Railroad; and *the Union Pacific Railroad. Starting in February 1956 the Pennsylvania Railroad ran the ''Pennsy Aerotrain'' between New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, leaving New York at 7:55 a.m.; the round trip was scheduled 7 hours, 30 minutes each way. From June 1956 to June 1957 it ran between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In 1956 ''Aerotrain'' No. 2 was leased as a demonstrator to the New York Central and ran between Cleveland and Chicago. In March 1956 the Aerotrain made experimental runs for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in California as a ''San Diegan'' between Los Angeles and San Diego. Its use ended because the trainset had to be turned after each trip and it needed helper locomotives on the Sorrento Grade north of San Diego. Starting December 1956 Union Pacific ran the ex-New York Central Aerotrain as the ''City of Las Vegas'' between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The train was eventually relegated to Chicago commuter service on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. GM's "lightweight with a heavyweight future" was introduced at a time when United States passenger train revenues were declining due to competition from airlines and private automobile travel. Although it featured a streamlined design, the ''Aerotrain'' failed to capture the imagination of the American public. The cars, based on GM's bus designs and using an air cushioning system, were rough riding and uncomfortable. The design of the locomotive section rendered routine maintenance difficult and it was underpowered. Both trainsets were retired in 1966 after a decade of use. The Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri, and the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, each have one of the locomotives and two of the cars. Disneyland had a scale version of the ''Aerotrain'', known as the ''Viewliner'', from 1957 to 1959 (see below). Since 1958 the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in Portland, Oregon, has operated a scale, diesel-powered replica of the ''Aerotrain'' (dubbed the ''Zooliner'') to transport zoo visitors. Idlewild Park in Reno, Nevada, also has a train ride fashioned after the ''Aerotrains locomotive. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aerotrain (GM)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|