It may be that a lot of people are already familiar with this, but I've just come across a reference to it for the first time in a feature in a (British) American car magazine. This is the 1956 Aerotrain, built by General Motors in an attempt to incorporate modern car technology into a train. Built very lightly out of aluminium, and with air suspension, it apparently generated a huge amount of interest when first launched but GM never sold any as the ride quality was incredibly poor and no-one wanted to travel on it.
The point of mentioning it here is that the carriages were apparently 'modifed 40-seat GM intercity bus bodies'. Exactly which model bus that would be I don't know, but maybe someone out there does.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fe%2Fe8%2FGM_EMD_Aerotrain_1955.jpg&hash=e2b28344fcbf37cc3d92c18f1220c4bcfb9660f9)
Jeremy
Hi Jermey,
I wonder if it's still around?
If so, it may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.....
Just going by the futureliner values..Lol
Nick-
One of many Google links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotrain_(GM) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotrain_(GM))
Two units built and now in museums in Wisconsin and St . Louis.
Richard
Quote from: Nick Badame Refrig. Co. on April 10, 2007, 06:39:03 AM
Hi Jermey,
I wonder if it's still around?
If so, it may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.....
Just going by the futureliner values..Lol
Nick-
Quote from: Jeremy on April 10, 2007, 06:23:57 AM
The point of mentioning it here is that the carriages were apparently 'modifed 40-seat GM intercity bus bodies'. Exactly which model bus that would be I don't know, but maybe someone out there does.
Based on the time period, the carriages were modified PD4104 shells.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
That is correct they were basically 4104 chassis, including using identical widows and window post panels
They were sold and were runing on the chicago Rock Island Railroad for about 15 years. I know i work on then, And there was another one called the Jet train.
Pete & Jean
Fantasy