Aérotrain

This article is about the experimental trainset. For other uses, see Aerotrain (disambiguation).
Aérotrain prototype #02
Saran Aérotrain rail

The Aérotrain was a hovertrain developed in France from 1965 to 1977. The lead engineer was Jean Bertin.

The goal of the Aérotrain was similar to that of the magnetic levitation train: to suspend the train above the tracks so the only resistance is that of air resistance. Consequently, the Aérotrain could travel at very high speeds without the technical complexity and expensive tracks of magnetic levitation.

This project was abandoned in 1977 due to lack of funding, the death of Jean Bertin, and the adoption of TGV by the French government as its high-speed ground-transport solution.

Test tracks

The track for most Aérotrains are ferroconcrete monorail in an inverted 'T' shape. All tracks were built and used for experimental purposes.

Prototypes

Five prototypes were built:

The Rohr Aerotrain

In 1970, Rohr Industries decided to develop a tracked air-cushion vehicle as part of a project by the Urban Mass Transit Administration to sponsor development of new mass-transit technology to meet future transit requirements.[4]

The Rohr prototype, officially called the Urban Tracked Air Cushion Vehicle (UTACV)[5] and colloquially the Rohr Aerotrain, was propelled by linear motor and was designed to carry 60 passengers at 150 mph (240 km/h).[2] It had a length of 94 ft (28 m) and an empty weight of 46,000 pounds (20.8 metric tons).

A test track was built in Pueblo, Colorado, where the prototype reached speeds of 145 mph (constrained by the length of track). Funding from UMTA ceased and the Rohr Industries Aerotrain was never commercialized. The Rohr prototype aérotrain remained on the premises of the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum until July 2009. The prototype is now located at the Pueblo Railway museum.[6][7] The museum plans to open an aerotrain exhibition within the test vehicle in the next few months.[8]

Timeline

The aérotrain was abandoned by the French government in favour of TGV.

Other experimental hovercraft trains

See also

References

  1. "Aérotrain relation". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  2. 1 2 "The Rohr Aerotrain Tracked Air-Cushion Vehicle (TACV)". SHONNER Studios. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Roy McLeavy (ed.). "Société de L'Aerotrain, France". Jane's Surface Skimmers Hovercraft and Hydrofoils. Jane's Yearbooks, London. pp. 144–148.
  4. "Coming: Streamliners Without Wheels." by John Volpe. Popular Science, December 1969. p. 51. Article on tracked air cushion vehicle (a.k.a. aerotrains) research in the U.S.
  5. Reiff, Glenn A. (1973). "New Capabilities in Railroad Testing". Proceedings of the American Railway Engineering Association 74: 1–10. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  6. Pueblo Railway Museum Brochure
  7. Railroadnation.com: 1970’s Aerotrain moves to museum for preservation
  8. We found the last aerotrain - documentary about the Rohr prototype Aerotrain, 53 mins, english and french languages

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aérotrain.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viaduc de l'aérotrain.

Coordinates: 48°01′42″N 1°53′04″E / 48.02833°N 1.88433°E / 48.02833; 1.88433

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.