That car was a work of art. It should have been preserved in a museum.
@jaykay8456 ай бұрын
Whatever you say Professor Jones.
@joegordon51176 ай бұрын
I first heard of the Bennie Railplane way back when I was a kid, because his test track for it was only a few miles from our family home. Probably one of the first times as a youngster that I realised that history didn't just happen very long ago in faraway places, but right on your doorstep too.
@crabtonia6 ай бұрын
Thank you, Ryan...once again, a Real Treat...my Father took me in 1954, aged 10, to see the Prototype in the Field near Milngavie...it was Falling Apart by then...apparently my Uncle had worked on the Designs for Mr Bennie...dgp/uk
@ITSHISTORY6 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing this story! Looks like you had a first hand experience with that!
@RetroEli19826 ай бұрын
I love these train videos, the buildings ones as well. Another instant classic, great job Ryan
@ITSHISTORY6 ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
@moritzheintze76156 ай бұрын
A nice Video, well explained. However I think the railplane failed because of a fatal design flaw: The small cars of the prototype may have been easy to accelerate and move, however with a 3-digit passenger capacity, the prop drive would have caused an awful storm in the station during acceleration. All successful transport systems have been scaled to high passenger capacity.
@Johnketes546 ай бұрын
Concorde was successful
@slackerman97586 ай бұрын
Also, the power delivery is lossy. Why connect your transaxle to a fan and push air? Why not just directly deliver effort to the rail?
@MarceloBenoit-trenes6 ай бұрын
@@Johnketes54 no, it wasnt.
@Johnketes546 ай бұрын
@@MarceloBenoit-trenes Explain yourself? It ran for years and let down by the French, More import my 12 year old friend, Explain to me in more than one word why you consider it as a failure?
@Johnketes546 ай бұрын
@@slackerman9758 Friction? 48 pounds to push it
@dwdei88156 ай бұрын
I love it! Of course we have no idea of the accidents, the bankruptcies, the corner-cutting and the sloppy maintenance which occurred in the parallel universe where Bennie's eye-catching steampunk railplanes were built. But this has the feel of an "It could easily have been". Yes the narrative crumbles into one of debt and obsession and loneliness and it is a tragedy that there are so few artefacts left of this extraordinary hope. It is, overall, a thing of delight and pride to be part of a species where some of us not only envision such dreams but pursue them even into tragedy. Thank you for knowing about this and sharing it.
@KathyKinnaird6 ай бұрын
So much of humanity is wasted on greed.
@jorgecruzseda75516 ай бұрын
The Root of all evil is the love of $
@Larry6 ай бұрын
Hertfordshire is a county, not a town.
@brj_han6 ай бұрын
Maintenance, after a few years, would have been a nightmare after the steel gridwork started to rust out. At least traditional trains are supported by the ground, and derailments are generally easy to deal with. The railplane would fall out of the sky like.... a plane....
@dannydaw596 ай бұрын
On top of that if the engine fails that passengers would be stuck up there. Too high up for ladders.
@FlatDerrick6 ай бұрын
@@dannydaw59 Not an issue, as the development of cable cars shows us. You get people out using a trapdoor and rope system, or if the system is running above an area where this is not possible, use a helicopter.
@stephenwebber4018Ай бұрын
Thank you for featuring this. I grew up in Milngavie, so I know the area well.
@JayPerry-p2n6 ай бұрын
The problem as I see it is any track failures are catastrophic and a death sentence.
@FluxDeimos6 ай бұрын
So no different than regular rail lol
@history_leisure6 ай бұрын
"passenger trains were bogged down by freight", something that has yet to be solved
@ksavage6816 ай бұрын
And the rail companies still don't want to really share the track with them.
@DeanStephen6 ай бұрын
Amtrak should try this. Signed, Professor Jones
@josephturner75696 ай бұрын
It has been in Europe.
@King_T6 ай бұрын
There's a lot of upside to this idea. Could be put over existing rail rights-of-way or have covered walking/cycling/driving underneath. Low snow- clearing costs too. Damn shame. Also, it's "Fahrenheit four five one" and not "Fahrenheit four fifty one." I don't know why actually.
@jameswilson51656 ай бұрын
Dead giveaway. He's a Bot.🤣
@ksavage6816 ай бұрын
Should put one right down the middle of most interstates. make the stations at the overpasses.
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
@@ksavage681 Brightline Vegas
@shafferjoe19626 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for this video. Very cool idea and I would have love to have seen this go.
@ITSHISTORY6 ай бұрын
You are so welcome!
@jimmeltonbradley14976 ай бұрын
For information: Hertfordshire is a county not a town. Hertford is a town in Hertfordshire.
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
The first horse-powered elevated monorail of 1825 was in the TOWN of Cheshunt (in the COUNTY of Hertfordshire). Designed by Henry Robinson Palmer who also invented corrugated metal roofing and founded the Institute of Civil Engineering.
@edholmwood22636 ай бұрын
Another great story. Thanks.
@WangoBango6 ай бұрын
Hertfordshire is a county not a town. A county consists of many towns. Same way Yorkshire is not a town but it consists of the town of York. Same with Hertfordshire as its main town is Hertford.
@EllieMaes-Grandad6 ай бұрын
Yorkshire consists of more than the town of York . . .
@WangoBango6 ай бұрын
@@EllieMaes-Grandad you kno what I mean. Don’t be pedantic.
@EllieMaes-Grandad6 ай бұрын
@@WangoBango No, I don't 'know'. I see so many errors on YT. Do it right, or don't do it.
@WangoBango6 ай бұрын
@@EllieMaes-Grandad shh grandad
@pault55575 ай бұрын
The Wuppertal train is the one that inspired Walt Disney to create the monorail at Disneyland, but the swaying made his wife, Lilian, sick, so that’s why he made his train ride on top of the rail!
@cruzcontrol15046 ай бұрын
If you combine this concept with Logie-Baird's mechanical scanning television system you realize the Brits are great at CONTRAPTIONS !!!... Look at how much structure must be built for this thing to travel the distance of one car length.
@IncredibleCactusRoll6 ай бұрын
Something truly ahead of its time.
@ronniel59416 ай бұрын
I think the railcar was in fact still in position until shortly before its demolition in 1956 - I actually saw it moving, just once, around 1952. Some of these soldiers shown seem anything but British ! But well done with such a thorough explanation of what is quite a sad story.
@funken0796 ай бұрын
Very cool story, thanks for telling it.
@KabukeeJo6 ай бұрын
These days, if you invent anything that gets in the way of their profits, they will find you no longer consuming oxygen.
@dabedwards6 ай бұрын
Thank you for this excellent documentary. I´m afraid it was just another case of a creative visionary being defeated by politicians and rivals.
@jangles18396 ай бұрын
It's truly unfortunate the obstacles that prevented this from going forward. Shows just how much power and influence that the major existing railways had during that time. Not to mention that The Great Depression played a big part that he seemingly overcame eventually. I honestly believe it's something that would & could still be used today if it had only been able to take off. Thanks Ryan for bringing this to us!
@andrewholdaway8135 ай бұрын
It was a nonsensical dead end
@lawrencecalfee37696 ай бұрын
I wish we had this or something similar now. Only a handful of cities in the US have mass transit other that buses… As the powers that be made it so😑😔😡
@MarceloBenoit-trenes6 ай бұрын
To do what? This was a failure, too expensive, low transport capacity, high maintenance...
@rolux48536 ай бұрын
4:15 The river the Schwebebahn hangs over is called the Wupper river. Wuppertal is the name of the whole city. Wupper being the name of the river and Tal meaning valley in german. So the city is called valley of the Wupper or Wupper Valley.
@davidfellows87146 ай бұрын
The Railplane and track were not demolished during WW2; they survived until 1956. The maximum speed it reached was 55mph, limited by the length of the track. For most of its existence it had a two-bladed propellor ot one end and a four-bladed one at the other. The motors were rated at 100hp and ran on 500v. 120 mph would have been achieved on a longer track. The track construction was similar to (but lighter than) the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, which has been in operation for over a century. Bennie was not a trained engineer and the design work was done by Hugh Fraser. There is an extensive archive on the project at the University of Glasgow library. In 1930 the railways were congested with slow-moving local services and freight. Road transport was under-developed compared to rail. This was a serious proposal for high speed passenger travel in its time, confounded by vested interests and economic depression.
@xmeda6 ай бұрын
Still more viable than hyperloop :D
@andrewholdaway8135 ай бұрын
If you set the bar low enough any idea can look good 🤣
@jasonz77884 ай бұрын
Great video! Thanks
@dannycrooks84626 ай бұрын
I've never heard of this before
@nkronert6 ай бұрын
What a sad end to this man and his ideas.
@chocolatnoir11086 ай бұрын
it will be so pricey to maintain the rail itself. thus conventional train on land rails will still be around. this is why conventional trains will be nostalgic no matter how far the technologies goes - land monorails, maglev etc.
@koiyujo15436 ай бұрын
his goal to my knowledge was to have high speed and transporting people knowing if he was still alive to see bullet and high speed trains he would be happy for that
@ponyote6 ай бұрын
This is great historical insight. Thank you. Now can we get this running from Seattle to Philly? I'd pay for a pass.
@ghayes2206 ай бұрын
A very interesting and fascinating story.
@katrinabryce6 ай бұрын
Looks like a gadgetbahn to me, and likely would have never worked. The LNER Class A4 (Mallard) came out at around the same time, and could do 126mph on conventional track. As well as being very expensive to construct the track for this over any significant distance, I don't see how points [switches] would have worked on it, so you couldn't have any branches on the line.
@icerook15606 ай бұрын
Looks like too much infrastructure and way too many metals, sorry I disagree with this. 😢
@josephturner75696 ай бұрын
I used to work that line as a guard in the 80's. The one on the ground.
@honeyhivefarms57393 ай бұрын
NICE job
@aodhganmerrimac6 ай бұрын
Surprised you didn't mention The Meigs Elevated Railway in Cambridge, Mass as well in the opening section. I would suspect this system couldn't be easily scaled up. Switching trains between right-of-ways would be complicated (one of the reasons monorails in general haven't replace traditional railways) & How effective would the props be in intermediate coaches? I would imagine the air currents disrupted by the lead prop would diminish the efficacy of the props in the middle.
@ballyhigh116 ай бұрын
At 11:53 you show a newspaper clip that says in a trial run the railplane "covered the 30 miles in exactly 15 minutes". Yet the test track was only 130m (and not c. 1800ft as you earlier claimed).
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
Which would have been the proposed 120 mph yet it never exceeded 55 mph.
@philrod16 ай бұрын
Cool idea, but i think the cost of the infrastructure would have crippled this idea. Look how much metal goes into the framework. Also, that was the closest to correct I've ever heard anyone pronounce "Milngavie" without them living nearby 😅
@koiyujo15436 ай бұрын
that's true but his goal was to have high speed and transporting people knowing if he was still alive to see bullet and high speed trains he would be happy for that
@Pentagon65196 ай бұрын
A lighter vehicle will be much more affected by side winds than a heavier one of the same size. Also the bridges etc would still have to be built strong enough to support the full weight of the train. Otherwise if there was an engine failure the structure would collapse when the lift being generated stopped.
@glenlongstreet76 ай бұрын
Slow down, you move to fast; you've got to make the morning last.
@MyKharli6 ай бұрын
Elon could have built it on 240km high piers to achieve cheep vacuum but i don't think even hyper propellers would work up there .
@mktwatcher6 ай бұрын
They just required fad too much extra raised metal rail suspension system.
@michaelweis47565 ай бұрын
So friggin interesting! 👍🏻
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
19:33 "UK also plans to build a new monorail over existing Railway service" - a 20-metre high elevated monorail run above the existing track between Woking and London Waterloo published 1 APR 2017 (fools) 'hs2 a High-Speed Rail Project in the UK also plans to build a new' cable hauled mover connecting HS2 to the Birmingham Airport terminal.
@Paul_C6 ай бұрын
That is solely due to not understanding aerodynamics/fluid dynamics.
@MultiPetercool6 ай бұрын
Remember Elon’s failed Hyperloop concept?
@vincenthprice22606 ай бұрын
Interesting technology back then
@DetroitMicroSound6 ай бұрын
Very noisy for urban use.
@abbush29216 ай бұрын
Sshhhh .
@DetroitMicroSound6 ай бұрын
@@abbush2921 😄
@ANDREWLEONARDSMITH6 ай бұрын
Was this the precursor of the Hovertrain which itself was rendered obsolete by MAGLEV?
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
All developments start as dreams where those driven to pursue them to prototypes develop outcomes. Everyone builds upon their predecessors combining experiences. Today we have Starship.
@fubarmodelyard13926 ай бұрын
Lots of naysayers in this comment section. The types who would have told the Wright brothers you can't do that, told Henry Ford it's just a fad, or told NASA it's impossible to get to the moon. Their dictionaries start and end with the word can't
@rctopfueler28416 ай бұрын
The moon is still untouched we ve never. Been there
@MyKharli6 ай бұрын
You mean like hyperloop , self driving cars , cancer cures , sustainable living within planetary resources , diamond coated scratch less glass , fusion , retirement at 40 , flying cars , etc hmm yeah i`m with the naysayers , nearly all humanities `achievements` rely entirely on robbing stored resources and that bank is running out fast .
@SafdarDurrani5 ай бұрын
You should describe this for gated railplane project easily by using the advance technology of animatedly,, every body can see the flying train and guests why the project was failed next time remember my advice Thanx friend lala Pakistani
@jamesricker39974 ай бұрын
More expensive than air travel and not as safe.
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
Not in the 1920s (or since really)
@kekero5406 ай бұрын
$4 million on railing 1 million on the car itself 😂
@tweetingsparks6 ай бұрын
Hey Mr. Socash
@1FeistyKitty6 ай бұрын
good quality educational
@davidsummerfield25945 ай бұрын
All that metal work just to carry one or two cars! Not cost effective, plus the visual impact of this structure especially in the countryside would not tolerated! NIMBYism at its best! Note local trains in the UK can be up to 12cars long, plus High speed trains up to 18cars long, I have no idea how Mr Bennie expected to make this system pay?.
@RealityCheck69693 ай бұрын
All you need is a few tons of steel for every meter instead of 2 stupid train tracks. But its a brilliant idea!
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
considerable engineering for those 2 rails and earthworks. CA HSR costs were mostly land acquisition and Brightline is progressing because of existing right of ways
@ANONAAAAAAAAA6 ай бұрын
This gadgetbahn is another level.
@effenbeezeetravel44746 ай бұрын
I wanted a rail plane with actual wings which could be dirt cheap to construct because they only need to be crude and the track could only be like cables which would be real cheap as heck too!
@markhaley1006 ай бұрын
The HS2 isn’t happening mate not up North I believe Leeds and Manchester has been dropped as it’s too expensive I live in Leeds so hear about it on the news Great videos Keep up the amazing content and thank you
@MartinFarrell19726 ай бұрын
Only found this out recently that the SNP had paid the tories to extend HS2 to Scotland. The money was never returned as the plan was dropped. At the time it was proposed I had family living in London so was keen on it happening. They're back up here now. Why does most of Europe have high speed trains and we're still lagging behind?
@wirebrushofenlightenment15456 ай бұрын
I'm starting to think that HS2 was all along a con to build a high-speed rail link just for London and the suburbs.
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
@@wirebrushofenlightenment1545 A half baked idea rushed through in lead up to Brexit. UK exit costs included share of all approved EU projects including the Trans-European high-speed rail network (TEN-R). Boris thinking was if Brits have to pay for HSR then it may as well be in the UK.
@trevortaylor55016 ай бұрын
Now if this was set up for 40 foot seacans it would be successful. Just think of it, from the shipyard right to a distribution center.
@hastypete26 ай бұрын
5:15 What is going on on that photo???
@htimsid6 ай бұрын
Yes.
@conradharcourt82635 ай бұрын
The guy sitting on the ground is cleaning the horse's hoof that the gentleman bending down on the right is holding. Meanwhile a colleague is standing behind the seated gentleman most likely pretending to be, but perhaps actually, cutting the hair of the seated man with mechanical shears powered by the crank being turned by the gent standing on the left of the picture. A gentleman in a cap is holding the horse's bridle while a fellow next to him idly rests on a broom At least that's what I reckon 😊
@josephturner75696 ай бұрын
Congratulations on pronouncing Milngavie correctly.
@1FeistyKitty6 ай бұрын
the guy was a success ----- most people die with their music still in them
@BobDeCaprio6 ай бұрын
Yeah that's a real puzzler
@SinaLaJuanaLewis6 ай бұрын
Was this on an episode of the Simpsons?
@thetbird696 ай бұрын
Not in your lifetime my Hindu friend
@crabtonia6 ай бұрын
Quite possibly!!!...dgp/uk
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
@@thetbird69 Is there a chance the track could bend?
@jedrek15214 ай бұрын
Weird how viable technology gets adopted and wishful thinking keeps getting reinvented ever 20 or so years.
@bgw336 ай бұрын
👍
@levete-on1uo5 ай бұрын
Over engineered.
@ANONAAAAAAAAA6 ай бұрын
The smallest amount of knowledges on Physics is more than enough to tell this design is complete nonsense.
@philrod16 ай бұрын
As others have pointed out, it's still more viable than Hyperloop 😂
@GeneralGayJay5 ай бұрын
I wanna say lamb chops 🤔
@gimzani5 ай бұрын
I wonder what Elon would do with that. 😂
@goldgeologist53205 ай бұрын
A foolish concept. The cost to build and maintain the steel structure would have been unsustainable!
@onieyoh94786 ай бұрын
Imagine being so ignorant that you think the great depression was because of the gold standard. Imagine being so ignorant that you think over engineered propeller trains with tracks more expensive and difficult to build were the future of transportation and not just a gimmick. Imagine being that delusional.
@SRW_6 ай бұрын
I hear those things are awfully loud
@kbtred512 ай бұрын
It glides as softly as a cloud ( Conan O'Brien )
@andrewholdaway8135 ай бұрын
The railplane failed because it wasn't a very good idea.
@ericl28516 ай бұрын
I wish this guy wasn’t always slipping in his activism. The great depression was not caused by the connection of money to the gold standard.
@AllanAdamson6 ай бұрын
they don't want private coordinated oversight.. they need disasters & economic restrictions.. to keep people in line
@MarceloBenoit-trenes6 ай бұрын
Nonsense.
@DennisFreitas-bn7nh4 ай бұрын
The lucky not for all persons.
@crapisnice5 ай бұрын
Total madness, a bird chopper and making noise all around the countryside Lightweight trains can move trough stone rails with little metal profile ( there are already pure granite trams) with wingsails or even vawt wind turbines (covered with nets) or spinakers or genaker downwind
@damonroberts73726 ай бұрын
Bit late for an April Fool's Day video?
@windharp6 ай бұрын
There are lots of original films from the railplane in motion, so why do you think of an April Fools joke?
@sandybruce90926 ай бұрын
@@windharpProbably because this person is too young to have any decent thoughts!
@RodneySanches5 ай бұрын
Loo-ish-ummm
@schneeflitchen5 ай бұрын
Why? Because IT was Not Made in Germany!
@AllanAdamson6 ай бұрын
the serpent eating its own tail.. thats our banking / government / military ... complex
@curtisnewton8955 ай бұрын
what's that socash crap ?
@Justin_805 ай бұрын
You'd think a pilot would realize how loud propellers are.