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So, what did the Bennie Railcar actually look like? It was cigar-shaped, reminiscent of a small submarine or robotic underwater vessel. For its time it was cutting-edge in design and could be described as elegant and streamlined, looking also somewhat like an airship gondola -
you know, a smaller, less blimp version of the Hindenburg.
The mechanics of the Railcar were fairly simple: it ran along the underside of an overhead monorail, very much like monorails seen at airports and amusement resorts today.
Two bogies with wheels, also known as ‘trucks, and which you’ll remember were referred to in the patent, were attached to the top rail so that the railcar could be held securely in place.
Wheels which rested on another rail would be suspended 16 feet above the ground . These wheels helped stabilise the train when in motion.
Critically for its design, the railcar would be moved by propellers powered by on-board motors. The Bennie Railcar had two aircraft propellers, one on each side.
The propellers could be reversed, It was these two aircraft propellers that not only made the train unique in design concept, but also gave it its name - the Railplane.
The train also featured a braking system on the top rail that would hold the train steady at stations. The propellers were integral to the braking system, as the Railpane would come to a halt when they were reversed.
Each car or carriage was designed to carry a maximum of 48 people, although the first and only prototype had seating for fewer people.
It was important to Bennie that the train not only be a comfortable ride but also luxurious. And so the interior of the prototype was fitted out by master furniture makers and interior decorators Waring and Gillow of London, featuring comfortable seats, stained windows and plush curtains.
The prototype Bennie Railcar at Milngavie was finally opened to the public on July 8th 1930. A test run was done with journalists and guests on board. Although the prototype didn’t exceed 50 miles or 80 kilometres an hour, the test was still a smashing success.
The guests on board loved the experience!
One journalist called it a “wonderful product of British brains”. People were enthused by how smooth and comfortable the Railcar felt when in motion. Conventional trains at the time were anything but smooth and quiet. Those trains were bumpy and loud, wheezing and shuddering as they trundled along. Not that pleasant!
Here was a ride that was luxuriously smooth and oh-so-quiet. An invited guest on the test run had this to say: "the Railplane operated with perfect smoothness and passengers only knew the car was moving by gazing out of the window at the passing landscape. There was no bumping over rails, smoke or whistle shrieking. A ride in the coach is sheer delight."
Which can only mean the Bennie Railcar was set for success, right?
It should be noted that the Bennie Railplane was technically sound and, for all intents and purposes, financially feasible. So, why did the Bennie Railplane fail to raise the needed capital?
A logical, educated guess would be that the rail transport authorities of the day were simply too scared of a popular railcar that would lose them, passengers, on commuter lines.
In fact, Southern Railways made it quite clear that the company was not pleased with the idea of potential loss of revenue
due to having a high-speed competitor transporting passengers over its existing railway lines.
This was made abundantly clear in October 1931, when Bennie claimed he had raised enough money to fund a 20 mile railway from Holborn in central London down to Croydon Airport.
Southern Railways refused access over their railway lines due to potential loss of revenue from their existing service to Croydon.
Ultimately, the Railplane may have just been too viable for its own good.
However, there is a very interesting twist to the tale. By the mid-1930s, the British government was becoming very interested in the Bennie Railplane.
Southern Railways decided to relent and offered Bennie a stretch of line from London Bridge to Dartford via Lewisham.
But Bennie refused the offer, standing by his wish to have the line to Croydon Airport instead.
Bennie would later go on to run a herbalist shop, the polar opposite of what one would expect of a man who once dreamed of high-speed trains! Or perhaps it makes perfect sense that he did that?
As for the prototype sitting at Milngavie, it fell into disrepair and was eventually dismounted and sold for scrap in 1956. Bennie died one year later at a nursing home in Epsom, alone and allegedly penniless.
George Bennie was clearly a tenacious dreamer and man of vision. He was indeed a true son of Scotland, a country renowned for its inventors and innovators.