…Back in the mid 50’s GM’s Aerotrain [photo on trains.com page], was running between Pittsburgh and NYC on a daily basis. I’m wondering if anyone on here might have experienced a ride on it…? I was traveling from Indiana in the Summer of '57…believe it might have been in June and when arriving in Pittsburgh I realized our schedule would put us on the Aerotrain to fini***he trip into Johnstown.
Upon boarding time we were directed to an ordinary passenger train at the boarding track and as we located our seat we found a paper on each seat and it stated “The Aerotrain is not available today as it is off line to have it’s once a month maintenance check up”…So, that ended my chance to ever get a chance to ride it. A big disappointment at the time.
…Some time ago I went to Google and entered: Aerotrain and found a good bit of historical info on the project. Pretty interesting…but I’m just sorry I missed my chance to ride it…That would have been a good check of it from Pgh. to Johnstown.
The Aerotrains were NOT scrapped. One power unit and two cars are displayed at the National RR Museum in Green Bay, and IIRC, the other power unit and cars are at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. HTH[8D]
The Pennsy and the Rock Island and maybe other railroads gave them a fair try.
The Rock Island used theirs from Chicago to Joliet and commuter service and there are photos and movies of that. I think the Rock Island is the one up at Green Bay (unpowered – it is an empty shell, but at least is now under cover and looking pretty good). The cars look a bit like buses on rr wheels and the locomotive has a front somewhat like an old pontiac. I would imagine they were rough riding given the light weight.
Dave Nelson
…They have a pretty good right to look like buses…The cars were constructed in part at least from bus shells…[Greyhound]. It’s been a while since I read articles on their conception and construction but I know the bus construction technology played an important part. Believe they had only single axles between the cars too.
…Back in the mid 50’s GM’s Aerotrain [photo on trains.com page], was running between Pittsburgh and NYC on a daily basis. I’m wondering if anyone on here might have experienced a ride on it…? I was traveling from Indiana in the Summer of '57…believe it might have been in June and when arriving in Pittsburgh I realized our schedule would put us on the Aerotrain to fini***he trip into Johnstown.
Upon boarding time we were directed to an ordinary passenger train at the boarding track and as we located our seat we found a paper on each seat and it stated “The Aerotrain is not available today as it is off line to have it’s once a month maintenance check up”…So, that ended my chance to ever get a chance to ride it. A big disappointment at the time.
…Some time ago I went to Google and entered: Aerotrain and found a good bit of historical info on the project. Pretty interesting…but I’m just sorry I missed my chance to ride it…That would have been a good check of it from Pgh. to Johnstown.
The Aerotrains were NOT scrapped. One power unit and two cars are displayed at the National RR Museum in Green Bay, and IIRC, the other power unit and cars are at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. HTH[8D]
The Pennsy and the Rock Island and maybe other railroads gave them a fair try.
The Rock Island used theirs from Chicago to Joliet and commuter service and there are photos and movies of that. I think the Rock Island is the one up at Green Bay (unpowered – it is an empty shell, but at least is now under cover and looking pretty good). The cars look a bit like buses on rr wheels and the locomotive has a front somewhat like an old pontiac. I would imagine they were rough riding given the light weight.
Dave Nelson
…They have a pretty good right to look like buses…The cars were constructed in part at least from bus shells…[Greyhound]. It’s been a while since I read articles on their conception and construction but I know the bus construction technology played an important part. Believe they had only single axles between the cars too.