The Aerotrain was an experimental light-weight high-speed train and GM let the auto design studio try their hand at locomotive design - it's no coincedence that it shares a lot of features with GM vehicles of the 58-60 or so period. The coaches it was intended to haul were actually modified from GM highway bus bodies. The tail car in fact even has baby "fins" on the rear. It was just one example of several experimental trains in the 50s-60s era. There was one by the Baldwin locomotive company who's locomotives looked like someone had taken their regular frieght cab units and sectioned them. There were also examples by Budd (still exists today, based on their successful Rail Diesel Car) and Fairbanks Morse. But the high speed trains for the most part never really caught on, none of them were overly successful in regular service. The coaches were actually too light, didn't ride or track very well, and the locomotive among other issues I believe only had 2 powered axles, which limited it's tractive effort - or ability to pull. I would imagine if you look it up on wikipedia there's more information and links about it. You modelers may be interested to know that the 50's Varney model of this train has been reissued in limited runs either by Bowser or their in house limited run line who's name escapes me. It's not cheap, but you can have one on the layout.
When I was a wee lad we went to Vancouver BC on the CPR line. There is a spiral tunnel where the train goes in the mountain and makes a huge circle inside the mountain, and comes out above the tail end of the train that's still entering the tunnel. A few years ago I was in the area and waited for a train to enter. It was something to see. Have a look....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hill
Here's one that lives about 4 miles from my house.Built by GM but I'm not sure when.Still used occasionally on a local RR run here;usually on fall foliage tours.
General motors no longer owns EMD. That was about the only modern thing that I had any interest in from GM. Guess they were not making money with it and the locomotive market seems to be very fickle. FOR RELEASE: January 12, 2005 GM Agrees To Sell Electro-Motive Division DETROIT - General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), Greenbriar Equity Group LLC and Berkshire Partners LLC today announced that they have reached a definitive agreement in which GM will sell its Electro-Motive Division (EMD) to an investor group led by Greenbriar and Berkshire Partners. Terms of the transaction will not be disclosed. The sale agreement covers substantially all of the Electro-Motive businesses, including North American and international locomotives; power, marine and industrial products; the spare parts and parts rebuild business; and all of Electro-Motive's locomotive maintenance contracts worldwide. Both the LaGrange, Illinois and London, Ontario manufacturing facilities are included in the agreement. The proposed sale is contingent on completing negotiations with the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) and the subsequent ratification by its members. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2005. "Greenbriar and Berkshire Partners have a long-term commitment to creating value in the railroad industry that extends back to the 1980s. Electro-Motive has outstanding products, employees and a truly global franchise, and we believe the company's prospects are bright," stated Reginald Jones, a managing partner of Greenbriar Equity Group. "GM is pleased to have Greenbriar and Berkshire Partners acquiring the company," said William Happel, GM vice president and general manager of Electro-Motive. "These groups have a long-established reputation for excellence as rail industry investors and financiers. As an independent company with access to the resources of the new owners, Electro-Motive will be well positioned to continue to service its customers and grow the business." Electro-Motive employs approximately 2,600 hourly and salaried people. The company designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and services freight and passenger diesel-electric locomotives and diesel marine and power generation products for use worldwide. Since the early 1930's, Electro-Motive and its associates have produced more than 58,000 diesel-electric locomotives for customers in 73 countries. Electro-Motive diesel engines are used in over 100 countries worldwide. Additional information may be found at www.gmemd.com. General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. Greenbriar Equity Group LLC is focused exclusively on making private equity investments in the global transportation industry, including companies in freight and passenger transport, commercial aerospace, automotive, logistics, and related sectors. Greenbriar and Berkshire Partners LLC have entered into a strategic joint venture and co-investment agreement to address transportation and related investment opportunities. Greenbriar manages $700 million of committed limited partner capital and co-investment commitments and, together with Berkshire, has access to more than $1 billion for investment in privately negotiated equity investments within the transportation industry. Additional information may be found at www.greenbriarequity.com. Berkshire Partners has invested in mid-sized private companies for the past twenty years through six investment funds with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $3.5 billion. The firm's investment strategy is to seek companies that have strong growth prospects and to partner with talented management teams who are interested in being owners of the companies they operate. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in several areas including consumer products, industrial manufacturing, transportation, communications, business services, and retailing and related services. Berkshire has been an investor in over 80 operating companies with more than $11.0 billion of acquisition value and combined revenues in excess of $15.0 billion. Additional information may be found at www.berkshirepartners.com.
The ultimate locomotive IMO. Union Pacific Big Boy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Big_Boy
I'm bringing this thread back from the dead....I know it's old but these trains are very cool and should not be forgotten. I saw an article on the GM Aerotrain and thought I would start a vintage train thread but this one all ready exists.
This one is pretty local to me, at Heilbronn Railway museum. I beleive it´s quite famous among those who know about such things. I got to stand on the footplate and immediately went mad with power! They told us that ti could be got running again, but that it needs to have the boiler officially checked and the chassis too, each at a cost of about a million bucks.
I'm a little bit of a train freak myself. Here's a pic of the Burlington Zephyr. I've seen different variants of this. Some didn't have the light on top. There was even a movie in the late 30's called The Silver Streak. No,not the one with Gene Wilder-way before that. It's on TV once in a great while. It has some good railroad footage,but kind of a hokey plot.
The B&M 'Flying Yankee" sat at Edaville in Carver MA for years, then when that went bust with the owner's death it was sold and has been undergoing a slow, but very accurate, restoration more or less ever since. I don't think any of the Burlington locomotives survived, but at least one of the train sets did and is at a museum in Chicago where it gets used now and then. The locomotive was replaced with a later (1946 or so) model E5 passenger engine.
Those big old 4-8-8-4's were an incredible engineering feat for the time. This one looks like it could use a bit of paint-makes you wonder if they were neglecting other maintenance issues as well.
bah, the boiler getting checked is simply a good ole 510 inspection. cost ya about 6-8 grand. now if it needs to be repaired (most likely) itll cost ya.
I'll play: A personal favorite, Milwaukee Road Hiawatha 4-6-4 Baltic (Hudson) Pennsy T1 4-4-4-4 Duplex: Of course, SP Daylight (GS-2 early version is my fave) And to bring us closer to on topic, Santa Fe's Super Chief Diesels; the iconic Warbonnet was designed by Leland Knickerbocker of GM Art and Colour-Industrial Design Dept.
It sure is good to know I'm not the only one on the HAMB with more than one illness. Here is a picture of a Loco that passes by my place on occasion. Got to be a passenger a few years ago aswell. I've even combined my passions. Here is a picture of my 1/87 scale five window among some 1/24 cars at world of wheels. Doug.
Yeah they kinda go together, what with horsepower, noise, and style. Lol Is that a Jordan Coupe? Cool. Wanted: Model A Bells with spring perches!
I think I like old trains even better than my roadster. Here's some pics of stuff I ran in the past. I was very fortunate to have done a lot of the restoration work on the units shown...The Railink pic was a real job so it doesn't count. The HyRail was my own personal locomotive...lol
I grew up in Turtle Creek,PA.We waited on the Greensburg Pike bridge to see the Aero-Train pass underneath us.I was so impressed.Good memories.
Saw this today, seems to combine trains with our love of custom vehicles: Link the owner gave me, this vehicle was built in the late 40's: http://mytrain.com/trainschedule.html
The "cab forwards" on the Southern Pacific were not 4-8-8-4's - that was the wheel arrangement for the "Big Boy". Cab-forwards were 4-8-8-4 or 2-8-8-4 depending on who you talk to - the first number is supposed to correspond with the lead/pilot wheels, the next number(s) with the driving wheels, and the last number with the trailing truck/wheels under the cab. With the "cab forward" there were 4 wheels under the firebox/cab, two sets of 8 driving wheels, and 2 wheels under the front of the boiler/smokebox. My father was fortunate enough to be around Big Boys and other large Union Pacific steam locomotives when he worked maintenance-of-way from the time he emigrated from Germany in 1952 until he was laid off from the railroad in 1959. The stories he told about getting rides in the cab of the Big Boys and 800-series Northerns, which he clocked going 120 MPH across the flats of Nebraska on mail runs that were behind schedule, captivated me as much as his WWII stories if not more. The Aerotrain had a two-year demonstration run across the US, running on one railroad for a few months, then moved to another. New York Central ran them, along with Union Pacific as the "City of Las Vegas" in the summer of 1957 -was so underpowered it required a helper engine to move it over Cajon Pass in California. Eventually Rock Island ran it in Illinois until it was donated to the museum in St. Louis. That streamlined "schnelldampflok", James D - what was its claim to fame?
There is a half size scale model of the GM train at the Portland, Oregon Zoo. It was built in the 1950"s and uses GM components like a 1957 Buick windshield. It was designed by a Hungarian immigrant. It is still in use at the zoo although sometimes it breaks down and stays down for long periods of time.
A few of Edaville Railroads best...God, I loved that place as a kid..it was like you actually shrunk and were in/on your scale models looking at Christmas lights and little villages while riding a real train throughout the bogs and woods. "The Flying Yankee" And this one from Palmer,MA...or pretending I stalled on the tracks!
Did you ever see Hitlers private train. The guy may have been the worst asshole in history. But he had a neet looking train built for himself. Those six wheeled Mercs wern't bad either. To bad he was such a jerk.
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