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Aerotrain (GM)
Encyclopedia
The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s. Like all of GM's body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM's Styling Section. Chuck Jordan
was in charge of designing the Aerotrain as Chief Designer of Special Projects. It utilized the experimental EMD LWT12
locomotive , coupled to a set of modified GM Truck & Coach Division
40-seat intercity bus
coach bodies . The cars each rode on two axles with an air suspension
system, which was intended to give a smooth ride but had the opposite effect.
The two Aerotrain demonstrator sets logged over 600000 miles (965,604 km) and saw service on the following railroads:
In February 1956, the Pennsylvania Railroad
introduced the Pennsy Aerotrain between New York City
and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, operating it for nine months. Pennsylvania Railroad's schedule was timed so that westbound passengers traversed Horseshoe Curve
at lunchtime, while eastbound passengers traversed the curve at dinner time.
The same year, Aerotrain No. 2 was leased as a demonstrator to the New York Central, and operated between Cleveland
and Chicago.
In March 1956, the Aerotrain made a series of experimental runs for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
in California
as a San Diegan
consist, running between Los Angeles
and San Diego. Thoughts of placing it in permanent service were subsequently abandoned, however, because the entire trainset had to be turned around at each end of the line, and the train required helper locomotives on the ATSF's Sorrento Grade north of San Diego.
In the summer of 1957 the Aerotrain was operated by the Union Pacific as the City of Las Vegas
, running between Los Angeles
and Las Vegas
. The train eventually found itself relegated to Chicago commuter service on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
.
GM's "lightweight with a heavyweight future" was introduced at a time when U.S. passenger train revenues were steadily declining due to competition from airlines and private automobile travel. Although it featured an eye-catching, streamlined design, the Aerotrain failed to capture the imagination of the American
public. The cars, based on GM bus designs and using an air cushioning system, were rough riding and not very comfortable for the passengers. The design of the locomotive section rendered even routine maintenance extremely difficult and time-consuming. The locomotive unit was also underpowered. Eventually, both trainsets were retired in 1966 after only a decade's use. The Museum of Transportation
in St. Louis, Missouri
, and the National Railroad Museum
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
each have one of the locomotives, and two of the cars.
Disneyland operated a scale version of the Aerotrain, known as the Viewliner, from 1957 to 1959 (see below). Since 1958, the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in Portland, Oregon
has operated a scale, diesel-powered replica of the Aerotrain (dubbed the Zooliner) to transport zoo patrons along the railroad.
and Fantasyland
parallel to a portion of the DLRR main line. The Tomorrowland train featured cars that were named for the planet
s, while the cars of the Fantasyland train were named after various Disney characters.
The modern, streamlined trains were placed into service to represent the future of rail travel, in contrast to the steam-powered DLRR which represented its past. Motive power for each train consisted of an integral head-end unit driven by an Oldsmobile
"Rocket" V8
gasoline engine. Oldsmobile also furnished the windscreen, doors and instrument console for each of the two 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) locomotives. The attraction operated until September 15, 1958, when construction began on the Matterhorn
and Submarine Voyage
; the Disneyland Monorail System
ultimately took the place of the Viewliner in June of the following year.
, is a scale replica of Aerotrain. Zooliner was placed in service in 1958. On June 14, 2008, the Oregon Zoo held a "50th Birthday" celebration for the locomotive and it remains the primary train for the zoo.
Chuck Jordan
Charles M. "Chuck" Jordan was an American automotive designer. He was vice president of design for General Motors from 1986 to 1992...
was in charge of designing the Aerotrain as Chief Designer of Special Projects. It utilized the experimental EMD LWT12
EMD LWT12
The EMD LWT12 was an experimental diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1956 and 1958, and designed to pull light high-speed passenger trains...
locomotive , coupled to a set of modified GM Truck & Coach Division
GMC (General Motors division)
GMC is a manufacturer of trucks, vans, military vehicles, and SUVs marketed in North America and the Middle East by General Motors Company. In January 2007, GMC was GM's second-largest-selling North American vehicle division after Chevrolet, ahead of Pontiac....
40-seat intercity bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
coach bodies . The cars each rode on two axles with an air suspension
Air suspension
Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an engine driven or electric air pump or compressor. This pump pressurizes the air, using compressed air as a spring. Air suspension replaces conventional steel springs. If the engine is left off for an extended period, the car will settle...
system, which was intended to give a smooth ride but had the opposite effect.
History
{|The two Aerotrain demonstrator sets logged over 600000 miles (965,604 km) and saw service on the following railroads:
- the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
; - the New York Central RailroadNew York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
; - the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
; and - the Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
.
In February 1956, the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
introduced the Pennsy Aerotrain between New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, operating it for nine months. Pennsylvania Railroad's schedule was timed so that westbound passengers traversed Horseshoe Curve
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)
Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad horseshoe curve in central Pennsylvania, near Altoona in the United States. Called an "engineering marvel", it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad...
at lunchtime, while eastbound passengers traversed the curve at dinner time.
The same year, Aerotrain No. 2 was leased as a demonstrator to the New York Central, and operated between Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and Chicago.
In March 1956, the Aerotrain made a series of experimental runs for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as a San Diegan
San Diegan
The San Diegan was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and a "workhorse" of the railroad. Its 126-mile route ran from Los Angeles, California south to San Diego. It was assigned train Nos. 70–79 The San Diegan was one of the named passenger trains of the...
consist, running between Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Diego. Thoughts of placing it in permanent service were subsequently abandoned, however, because the entire trainset had to be turned around at each end of the line, and the train required helper locomotives on the ATSF's Sorrento Grade north of San Diego.
In the summer of 1957 the Aerotrain was operated by the Union Pacific as the City of Las Vegas
City of Las Vegas
The City of Las Vegas was a named passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California beginning December 18, 1956. Train Nos...
, running between Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The train eventually found itself relegated to Chicago commuter service on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
.
GM's "lightweight with a heavyweight future" was introduced at a time when U.S. passenger train revenues were steadily declining due to competition from airlines and private automobile travel. Although it featured an eye-catching, streamlined design, the Aerotrain failed to capture the imagination of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
public. The cars, based on GM bus designs and using an air cushioning system, were rough riding and not very comfortable for the passengers. The design of the locomotive section rendered even routine maintenance extremely difficult and time-consuming. The locomotive unit was also underpowered. Eventually, both trainsets were retired in 1966 after only a decade's use. The Museum of Transportation
Museum of Transportation
The Museum of Transportation of the St. Louis County, Missouri, United States Parks Department is a museum located in the Greater St. Louis area. It was first founded in 1944 by a group of individuals dedicated to preserving the past and has a wide variety of vehicles from American history...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and the National Railroad Museum
National Railroad Museum
The National Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, in suburban Green Bay.The museum is one of the oldest institutions in the United States dedicated to preserving and interpreting the nation's railroad history. It was founded in 1956 by community volunteers in...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
each have one of the locomotives, and two of the cars.
Disneyland operated a scale version of the Aerotrain, known as the Viewliner, from 1957 to 1959 (see below). Since 1958, the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
has operated a scale, diesel-powered replica of the Aerotrain (dubbed the Zooliner) to transport zoo patrons along the railroad.
The Viewliner
On June 26, 1957, the narrow-gauge Santa Fe and Disneyland Viewliner (billed by Disneyland as "the fastest miniature train in the world") commenced operation. Two separate trains, designed and built as scale replicas of the futuristic Aerotrain, traveled along a figure-eight track through parts of TomorrowlandTomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...
and Fantasyland
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Each Fantasyland has a castle as well as several gentle rides themed after Disney movies...
parallel to a portion of the DLRR main line. The Tomorrowland train featured cars that were named for the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s, while the cars of the Fantasyland train were named after various Disney characters.
The modern, streamlined trains were placed into service to represent the future of rail travel, in contrast to the steam-powered DLRR which represented its past. Motive power for each train consisted of an integral head-end unit driven by an Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
"Rocket" V8
Oldsmobile V8 engine
The Oldsmobile Rocket V8 was the first post-war OHV V8 at General Motors. Production started in 1949, with a new generation introduced in 1964. Like Pontiac, Olds continued building its own V8 engine family for decades, finally adopting the corporate Chevrolet 350 small-block and Cadillac Northstar...
gasoline engine. Oldsmobile also furnished the windscreen, doors and instrument console for each of the two 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) locomotives. The attraction operated until September 15, 1958, when construction began on the Matterhorn
Matterhorn Bobsleds
The Matterhorn Bobsleds or the Matterhorn is an attraction composed of two intertwining steel roller coasters, which opened in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps...
and Submarine Voyage
Submarine Voyage
The Submarine Voyage thru liquid space was an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.The attraction, which featured ride vehicles designed to look like Navy nuclear submarines, opened on June 14, 1959...
; the Disneyland Monorail System
Disneyland Monorail System
The Disneyland Monorail System is an attraction and transportation system at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, USA...
ultimately took the place of the Viewliner in June of the following year.
The Zooliner
The Zooliner, one of three trains on the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, is a scale replica of Aerotrain. Zooliner was placed in service in 1958. On June 14, 2008, the Oregon Zoo held a "50th Birthday" celebration for the locomotive and it remains the primary train for the zoo.
External links
- The Aerotrain / GM's Most Modern Train at Automotive Hollywood: The Battle for Body Beautiful.
- The Failure of the Aerotrain article by Joseph M. Sherlock.
- Washington Park and Zoo Railway — operator of the Zooliner, a scale replica of the Aerotrain.
- Zooliner 50th Anniversary — Photos from the 50th Anniversary Celebration for the WP&Z Zooliner
- http://www.bowser-trains.com/hoemrrs/aerotrain/aerotrain.htmBowser Manufacturing HO scaleHO scaleHO or H0 is the most popular scale of model railway in the world.According to the NMRA standard S-1.2 predominantly used in North America, in HO scale, represents 1 real foot ; this ratio works out to about 1:87.1. According to the MOROP standard NEM 010 predominantly used in Europe, the scale is...
Aerotrain] — includes a number of prototype photographs. - KETC Living St. Louis "Aerotrain" – Video of train and its restoration at the Museum of Transportation