HIGH-SPEED TRAVEL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 114, 11 November 1930, Page 3

HIGH-SPEED TRAVEL

PEOPOSED BAIL-PLANE

COMFORT AND SAFETY

Mr. George Bonnie, tho inventor ~ of the rail-plane, seems to have achieved what the world has been anxiously awaiting in his combination of aerial and elevated mono-rail transport, -writes Percy 12. Everett in the "Melbouruo Argus." A visit to his testing laboratory, and later an inspection, .of tho section of track already erected for experiments at'Milngavie (Mijgai), just outside Glasgow, convinces the ' least optimistic structural expert that this new system of high-speed transport' ,may be adopted within a few years in, the busiest cities of tho world. It ■would be difficult to submit a problem to Mr. Bennie, or to present any anticipated difficulty in the operation of his in* genious scheme for ' rapid passengef traffic without obtaining a lucid e_« planation of each phase or detail of th# system. , ■ 100 MILES AN:HOUR. * A number of people have travelled by air, yet many others are loth to ac» cept the aeroplane as a means of transport. Another difficulty of aerial transport is that there is inevitably a gap to be bridged between the landingground and the actual objective, The rail-plane could set passengers down at th'uir most convenient railway station, or at a more central terminal depot after having brought them there at more than 100 miles an hour. But tha chief reason for optimism about th« future of the rail-pla.no is the fact that, although the conquest of the air, tlia • development of road and rail traffic, and tho opening of further surfaco and, underground routes arc bound to pro* 'coed, the "specdihg-up" of the increasingly heavy traffic so evident in. any modern ' metropolitan centre appears to have reached,its limit. , Many travellers have had tho esperionee of dangling iv an'aerial cable trolley over some of the vast 'mountainous areas of Japan. That system of transport possesses a degree of safety;', dependent upon the strength of th« steel wiro cable. The system, however, is decidedly primitive when compared with the rail-plane. In place of th» _ cable the light car, shaped-like an'airship, is suspended from ■ a rigid .overhead mono-rail structure, the 'factor of , safety of which, with the trestles ai ", suitable intervals, is pre-determined »t--------curately. The sway of anl aerial ear is avoided by the provision of a' single guiding rail beneath" the. carj ,Th« - guide makes for' comfort and safety iir stormy- weather, and when 1, cars pass each other at high speeds. -Propellers, . fore and aft, operated by, electric - motors or other" means, are the driving medium for the car. So gently.are the stating and braking accomplished b«;' the reversal of the air "screws" that a tumbler of water within the car, remains undisturbed. .The bogeys and the springing aTC designed' to ensure smooth travel and security against.»' • tendency to rise. Roller and ' ball " bearings are used'in all rotating parts. Pairs of patent silent wheels take tb«, suspended loading at two points, and ingenious forms of shock, absorbers^ are introduced." It"is stated that'tho total friction to'be overcome is 501b a car. Automatic electric signals and magnetic braking controls are provided. ' COST OF ERECTION. The rail-plane may travel over;a_j; kind of country cither ia-i conjunction with or independent o? railways. The overhead structure was perhaps the greatest economic,.problem to overcome at the outset. The necessity for enabling the rail-planes to be operated'above existing doubltrrailway tracks required the adoption of the lightest possible structure consistent.with safety at all speeds and security with all forms o5 loading with passengers. The existing railway tracks will be-used as at present for heavy freight' traffic. The trestles for the rail-plane have been "so designed that they are almost as light as some of the trusses which carry .eloctrie cables on suburban railways. The fact that each loaded.'car'weighs only about 12 ..tons', enables the rail-plana structure to be erected-at-a. low'cost a mile. Th« cost of a double structure is estimated at £19,000 a'mile, which.' compares favourably with other forms of transport. Surface railways cost on. an average about £60,000,- and tramways about £30,000 a mile. Running costs, it is claimed, would be lower than. those of any existing system, of transport. . ' " ' Where electric current is available a service between distant centres could ■ be established readily, but between closely related cities, as Liverpool and Manchester, or even Melbourne and Geclong, the' system should • 'prove economical also, since'it leavesl the. ( existing track for the transport . of freight. The problem of the break-of- ■■ cauco between the States of the Commonwealth could, it appears, be solved easily when the details of the rail-plane have been perfected. 'As an architect, I feel thnt aesthetic _■ consideration! would aviso only where the system penetrated a town or village independent of a railway. Tho means of providing . adequate facilities for ' the • rail-plana - tracks at such centres are, however, comparatively simple, and they would. necessitate little, if any, construction, that would tend to militate against architectural diguity if it,were .planned with discretion.