THE RAILPLANE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 August 1930, Page 12

THE RAILPLANE

A GLASGOW INVENTION. LONDON, July 10. The first demonstration of a. new system of transportation, combining means of locomotion employed in airships and trains was given at Glasgow this week. / Its inventor is’Mr. George Bennie, who has received inquiries from Australia, among other countries, in regard to the develop ment of his system there. The railplane, as this new means of travel is called, consists of an enclosed stream-lined car, Bft high and 50ft in length. It resembles a miniature airship, suspended from an overhead track. The car is propelled by air screws —9ft in length—situated fore and aft, which are driven by two 60 h.p. electric motors on much the same principle as that adopted in trains. The body is constructed of the lightest known material, duralumin, and is painted grey; and the total weight of the car is slightly more than eight tons. The car runs oh four wheels on a rail over the car, and jarring or jumping is obviated. The track of the railplane can be arranged to the contours of anything short of mountainous country without the necessity of expensive cuttings. It is driven on the tramway car system, the difference being that speed is obtained by the propellers. Inside the car there is little noise, as it glides forward with a smoothness and lack of vibration not experienced on any other existing form of transport. The structure which carries the railplane no more mars the surrounding land scape than an ordinary railway, and the height of the car above the ground gives passengers a much better’ view of scenery than a train. It is claimed that the construction of the railplane system is much cheaper than any existing form of transport. In Britain it takes from £45,000 to £60,000 a mile to lay down a double line of railway, from £25,000 to £30,000 per mile for a tram track, and £BOO,OOO for a double line of tube railway, while the Bennie railplane system costs £19,000 per mile. By mass production railplanes can be produced at £3OOO each car, capable of carrying 50 passengers, while an ordinary railway carriage costs about £ll,OOO. A speed of as much as 120 miles .an hour has been claimed for the railplane, though it was impossible to attain anything like this at the demonstration, owing to the shortness of the experimental track. It is estimated that, for practical purposes, a speed of between 70 and 80 miles an hour for long-distance journeys would be maintained.

The first practical railplane line in Britain will be a. two and a half mile bridge over the estuary of the Ribble to connect Blackpool and Southport. By the construction of this bridge at least 25 miles will be saved in the distance between the two towns.