mr_maurice
Newly Enlightened
In the 70s a huge project was being deployed in France, it it was a rocket-powered ground-effect hovertrain :devil:
Have a look at this short memorial video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VvsxaaFNAs by a fan (skip the first 15secs)
It went through many versions, but one of the few highlights include a model which broke the former record at 430.4 km/h (267mph)
The fate of this project was rather unfortunate, just check the wikipedia article:
The project was allegedly ditched because of the 1973 oil crisis, and as a result of commercial lobbying from a concurrent solution.
It feels like the genuine result of ingenuity and faith in a future which may have looked less bleak than now: really high speed, even by today standards, government backed testing, and general badass look.
wikipedia link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aérotrain
I wanted to share this with you guys, sorry for the rushed post and decent english
Have a look at this short memorial video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VvsxaaFNAs by a fan (skip the first 15secs)
It went through many versions, but one of the few highlights include a model which broke the former record at 430.4 km/h (267mph)
The fate of this project was rather unfortunate, just check the wikipedia article:
- 21 June 1974: The contract about a commercial line between La Défense and Cergy is signed.
- 17 July 1974: The government abandons the La Défense-Cergy project.
- 1974: start of testing with the Rohr Industries UTACV prototype at the High Speed Ground Test Center near Pueblo, USA.
- October 1975: the Rohr Industries UTACV prototype is mothballed after funding for the programme runs out.
The project was allegedly ditched because of the 1973 oil crisis, and as a result of commercial lobbying from a concurrent solution.
It feels like the genuine result of ingenuity and faith in a future which may have looked less bleak than now: really high speed, even by today standards, government backed testing, and general badass look.
wikipedia link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aérotrain
I wanted to share this with you guys, sorry for the rushed post and decent english