The Aerotrain in Grren Bay is visible from the street. When my 7 year old nephew saw it in 2024 he said “wow, look at that one!” True story. What a timelessly beautiful machine!
Rode the Aerotrain in 1955 from Greensburg Pa to Pittsburgh and back. I used to see it zipping through Wilmerding while I was on my way home from school. Looked like a rocket!
When I was in primary school, the school system only had 1 book about trains in the libraries. (ie all the schools' libraries had 1 copy of the same book). I checked it out at least 1ce a year. It was a thick book, lots of pictures, and the cover had a picture of the Aero Train, presumably cause it looked so futuristic. I liked looking at it and dreaming about swooshing along on the train. Or at least it looked futuristic if you only saw the cab and not any of the cars which are obvious from a distance to be repurposed bus bodies. The windows and doors are unmistakable, and the single axle in lieu of 2 axle trucks is going to guarantee a shitty, screechy ride, pretty much like a roofed-over Radio Flyer. Whenever I see one of the trains now (granted thats not often, since they only sold like 3 and they came right back out of service as soon as passengers rode on the thing once) I think of how they should not let accountants in the room when designing a major product - that leads to mediocrity at best, bankruptcy at worst. Accountants always seem to only see costs, and are unable to do the basic math which says if your product is rubbish, you arent going to make any money no matter how low costs are because you wont sell any to subtract costs from in the first place.
I find it incredible, just how many times I've been blown-away by the styling, and quality, of GM, from roughly 1940-1973. I'll never forget the first time I saw a 47, 59, 60, 61, & 65 Caddy, 59 "Fishbowl" bus, 59/60 Buick, 59 Chevy, 63 & 68 Vette, 63 Riviera, 73 Grand-Prix, Future-liner, and 73-77 GMC Motorhome. The late 50'5 to early 60's Frigidaire refrigerators & other appliances also. Now this stunning Aerotrain. So pleased that MOT volunteers restored this one.
One of my big childhood memories was the Sunday my family took the Aerotrain from Lancaster to Pittsburgh. It was so much fun riding the Horseshoe Curve and seeing the engine pull the train of tomorrow. Plus, we lived beside the PRR, so I saw the train go by nearly daily. They're right...it was an exciting thing to see. Even the whistle was different, as I recall. Thanks for the memory.
We might have been on the same trip, I went with my father on an Aerotrain ride. I can't remember whether we went east or west.. also had an 8mm movie he took as it pulled into Lancaster. That film and my dad are long gone...I worked with an engineman on Amtrak who ran the Aerotrain many times, he said it was fast but rode very poorly and didn't inspire confidence when he got it rolling! RIP H.R. Snyder
I remember seeing one of the Aerotrains sitting in the rail yard by Newark Airport in the 70s and 80s. It still had the distinctive front-end but was clearly rusting away. I'm glad it's been saved. We now know the GM deliberately killed off trolleys and commuter rail in much of the country. Maybe building a bad-riding train out of buses was part of their attempt to destroy railroading.
You have got it. The USA has to embrace Electric Traction it pioneered over 100 years ago as the New Haven Pennsylvania Railroad and of course the Chicago St Paul and Pacific. This has to happen before China takes you over. I do not joke
One of the two came by my house several times on it's to & from runs from Detroit to Chicago, I lived 5 miles East of Kalamazoo Mi.. Quite a sight for a 12 year old kid to see. Our house was on Liggett Street which ran along the railroad tracks. It made stops in Kalamazoo.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RR purchased its own passenger train based on the Aerotrains and called it the "Jet Rocket." This train used the same LWT12 locomotive as the Aerotrains, but had different passenger cars built by ACF-Industries, Inc. These cars were articulated and had straight windows versus the Aerotrain having individual cars and the slanted bus windows. The "Jet Rocket " operated exclusively between Chicago and Peoria from February 1956 to August 1957. Curiously, the issues of poor ride and noise quality that affected the Aerotrains also plagued the "Jet Rocket" (there were other issues with shunting track signals and wheel brakes as well). Consequently, the "Jet Rocket" was bumped to commuter service and operated in this capacity until 1962. The train was eventually scrapped at the Rock Island's Silvis yard sometime in 1965.
If I got it right, this train set is one directional. So, must use a "rail-triangle" / "wye" at the terminus stations. Judging by the short wheel-bases, the ride is not that much comfortable for long distance running, however the air pressure suspension. But this unit looks nice.
From what I gather it's a complicated system. all the cars are air ride etc I'm sure it's cost prohibitive to replace and get it going again, but if they ever did. I'd buy a ticket to ride that is one awesome train
@Gravida12 One survived as a yard office for a while after the trains were taken out of service. I can't find the page where I read that, and I've never seen a picture of it as a yard office. In either case, they're both long gone by now :(
The narrator says "Train of Tomorrow" many times, I suppose in a generic sense. But General Motors DID have something they called the "Train of Tomorrow" that started demonstrations in 1947 through 1948. It was four dome passenger cars pulled by an EMD (General Motors) diesel. The goal wasn't for GM to build passenger cars, but to stimulate the post war marketplace for passenger cars and therefore more need for locomotives and other things like Frigidaire air conditioning systems (a General Motors division at the time). There is quite the nice book on this train accurately titled "The Train of Tomorrow".
One of the complaints was too much bounce to the ounce due to the short wheelbase of the cars. However the North Shore Line's ultra high speed Electroliners (1941) never suffered from this in their 22 year service with the line. They were very successful and routinely hit 90 mph on the Chicago Milwaukee runs much higher than those of Aerotrain, Both trains were gorgeous and thankfully preserved,
My last comment is assuming that the Rock Island donated the train. It's possible that the train was bought at scrap value by the museum through donations, in which case it would be cheaper to get it without the engine (less weight for an engineless loco). Since the prime mover (engine) is a common one, it would be possible to eventually buy one to put in. I should state that I'm not associated with this museum, and I don't know how they acquired the loco, or what their plans are for it.
@Modeltrainguy GM didn't take the engine out. The Rock Island probably did. The prime mover (engine) was the same that EMD (GM) were putting in their switchers (sw1200), so the RI probably kept it for spare parts for their switchers (assuming they had sw1200's) or sold it. In either case, it was probably the only thing on that locomotive that was worth money to them. It's just good that they donated the loco and cars. Those could have been scrapped too.
Its a bit of a shame that although she is 'Technically' preserved, she's incomplete and no matter how long you search you will not find an exact match for the engine, only just replacements or engines that outputted close to what the original did
Duck The engine was a very common one. GM used them in other locomotive models, ships, and generators. The parts to put this back into running shape are all off the shelf available.
The Aerotrain more than likely used Electo Motive's 567 diesel engine which was pretty much the only diesel engine or engines that EMD put in its locomotives into the 1960s. Consequently, the engine is very common, and it would not be difficult to find a replacement.
Oh, you’d be surprised at the stuff people nowadays just don’t know. I could make some real money just teaching history. I’m just 52 years old so before I fall completely apart I could teach a lot of history to a lot of uninformed people.
It's too bad that General Motors didn't continue development on the Aerotrain, make improvements on ride and comfort, and possibly economy. Who knows where it might have ended up had GM kept the Aerotrain going.
KETC | Living St. Louis | Aerotrain interesting given that GM and Ford got st louis to give up its street cars which wound up in Frisco and famous - as a deal to give st louis GM and a Ford car mfg plant - destroying a great street car system - St Louis STILL has horrid public transportation system today .. i wonder if this 'failure ' was on purpose too
At least they served a fair amount of time in that capacity. Give the Rock Island credit for purchasing its own Aerotrain called the "Jet Rocket." This train used the same EMD LWT12 locomotive as the Aerotrains, but had different yet similar looking passenger cars built by ACF-Industries, Inc. The passenger cars had straight windows versus the slanted windows of the Aerotrain and were articulated whereas the GM train had individual cars. The "Jet Rocket" operated between Chicago and Peoria from February 1956 to August 1957. Interestingly, the same Aerotrain problems of noise and ride affected the "Jet Rocket" as well. The "Jet Rocket" ended its days in RI commuter service until 1962 and was eventually scraped at the Rock Island's yard at Silvis, IL in 1965.
The "expert" on this video says at least twice that this train was built out of "bus bodies" - that just simply isn't true. The design and construction were the same as the standard GM bus body and many of the materials were the same as used in bus construction. The Aerotrain coaches were significantly larger than standard bus bodies and the design was strengthened to meet the standards necessary for passenger car construction. It is unfortunate that this video perpetuates that myth.
Too bad none of this country's billionaires are rail fans. If I had the money I would do a complete frame off restoration, find a period correct engine, get it running again and use it as an excursion train :)
Fantastic aerotrain !!, i need one of them to run in Greece right now !!, lovely design... Usa (and europe also ) railroads need design's like that except the typical diesel locomotives (they look all the same, so boring !!)
Good ol' GM - Building junk on the cheap, cutting corners, using leftover parts from other failed projects and lying to consumers since 1953. How are they still in business??
that's how business operates: that's why airliners crash and burn because the bean-counters put sales before safety (see "DC-10, "737 MAX", Ford "Pinto").
Oh dear. Another dubious marriage of road and rail technology. We have the 142/143/144 railbuses here in the UK, which are bus bodies on a two - axle chassis. Thank GOD we never got these horrible el cheapo units down South on the old Southern Region of British Railways. Our diesel MU sets had electric transmission and heating, and were built to the then standard BR designs.
The Aerotrain in Grren Bay is visible from the street. When my 7 year old nephew saw it in 2024 he said “wow, look at that one!” True story. What a timelessly beautiful machine!
Love the guy at 2:24 smoking a cigarette while he demos the “air-ride suspension”.
Disneyland had a version of the Aerotrain called the Viewliner that operated between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland from 1957-1958.
Yeah, it was beautiful.
Love vintage Disney themes
Rode the Aerotrain in 1955 from Greensburg Pa to Pittsburgh and back. I used to see it zipping through Wilmerding while I was on my way home from school. Looked like a rocket!
That had to be special
When I was in primary school, the school system only had 1 book about trains in the libraries. (ie all the schools' libraries had 1 copy of the same book). I checked it out at least 1ce a year. It was a thick book, lots of pictures, and the cover had a picture of the Aero Train, presumably cause it looked so futuristic. I liked looking at it and dreaming about swooshing along on the train.
Or at least it looked futuristic if you only saw the cab and not any of the cars which are obvious from a distance to be repurposed bus bodies. The windows and doors are unmistakable, and the single axle in lieu of 2 axle trucks is going to guarantee a shitty, screechy ride, pretty much like a roofed-over Radio Flyer.
Whenever I see one of the trains now (granted thats not often, since they only sold like 3 and they came right back out of service as soon as passengers rode on the thing once) I think of how they should not let accountants in the room when designing a major product - that leads to mediocrity at best, bankruptcy at worst. Accountants always seem to only see costs, and are unable to do the basic math which says if your product is rubbish, you arent going to make any money no matter how low costs are because you wont sell any to subtract costs from in the first place.
Rode the AeroTrain from Greensburg, Pa to Pittsburgh and back as a small boy. It was on tour.
I find it incredible, just how many times I've been blown-away by the styling, and quality, of GM, from roughly 1940-1973. I'll never forget the first time I saw a 47, 59, 60, 61, & 65 Caddy, 59 "Fishbowl" bus, 59/60 Buick, 59 Chevy, 63 & 68 Vette, 63 Riviera, 73 Grand-Prix, Future-liner, and 73-77 GMC Motorhome. The late 50'5 to early 60's Frigidaire refrigerators & other appliances also. Now this stunning Aerotrain. So pleased that MOT volunteers restored this one.
One of my big childhood memories was the Sunday my family took the Aerotrain from Lancaster to Pittsburgh. It was so much fun riding the Horseshoe Curve and seeing the engine pull the train of tomorrow. Plus, we lived beside the PRR, so I saw the train go by nearly daily. They're right...it was an exciting thing to see. Even the whistle was different, as I recall. Thanks for the memory.
We might have been on the same trip, I went with my father on an Aerotrain ride. I can't remember whether we went east or west.. also had an 8mm movie he took as it pulled into Lancaster. That film and my dad are long gone...I worked with an engineman on Amtrak who ran the Aerotrain many times, he said it was fast but rode very poorly and didn't inspire confidence when he got it rolling! RIP H.R. Snyder
I remember seeing one of the Aerotrains sitting in the rail yard by Newark Airport in the 70s and 80s. It still had the distinctive front-end but was clearly rusting away. I'm glad it's been saved. We now know the GM deliberately killed off trolleys and commuter rail in much of the country. Maybe building a bad-riding train out of buses was part of their attempt to destroy railroading.
You have got it. The USA has to embrace Electric Traction it pioneered over 100 years ago as the New Haven Pennsylvania Railroad and of course the Chicago St Paul and Pacific. This has to happen before China takes you over. I do not joke
One of the two came by my house several times on it's to & from runs from Detroit to Chicago, I lived 5 miles East of Kalamazoo Mi.. Quite a sight for a 12 year old kid to see. Our house was on Liggett Street which ran along the railroad tracks. It made stops in Kalamazoo.
Went to that museum when I was a kid in 1970 and wow that was a cool train. Glad to see it is looking as impressive as it did back then.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RR purchased its own passenger train based on the Aerotrains and called it the "Jet Rocket." This train used the same LWT12 locomotive as the Aerotrains, but had different passenger cars built by ACF-Industries, Inc. These cars were articulated and had straight windows versus the Aerotrain having individual cars and the slanted bus windows. The "Jet Rocket " operated exclusively between Chicago and Peoria from February 1956 to August 1957. Curiously, the issues of poor ride and noise quality that affected the Aerotrains also plagued the "Jet Rocket" (there were other issues with shunting track signals and wheel brakes as well). Consequently, the "Jet Rocket" was bumped to commuter service and operated in this capacity until 1962. The train was eventually scrapped at the Rock Island's Silvis yard sometime in 1965.
If I got it right, this train set is one directional. So, must use a "rail-triangle" / "wye" at the terminus stations. Judging by the short wheel-bases, the ride is not that much comfortable for long distance running, however the air pressure suspension.
But this unit looks nice.
I wonder if this is still gonna be restored.
In the UK we had a train made of bus bodies in the 1980's called a Pacer. They're still running!
From what I gather it's a complicated system. all the cars are air ride etc I'm sure it's cost prohibitive to replace and get it going again, but if they ever did. I'd buy a ticket to ride that is one awesome train
Me too
Thanks for the great post!
@Gravida12 One survived as a yard office for a while after the trains were taken out of service. I can't find the page where I read that, and I've never seen a picture of it as a yard office. In either case, they're both long gone by now :(
The narrator says "Train of Tomorrow" many times, I suppose in a generic sense. But General Motors DID have something they called the "Train of Tomorrow" that started demonstrations in 1947 through 1948. It was four dome passenger cars pulled by an EMD (General Motors) diesel. The goal wasn't for GM to build passenger cars, but to stimulate the post war marketplace for passenger cars and therefore more need for locomotives and other things like Frigidaire air conditioning systems (a General Motors division at the time). There is quite the nice book on this train accurately titled "The Train of Tomorrow".
I saw the Aerotrain in Columbus, Ohio...1956...
That must have been a wonderful sight
What happened to the unique rear observation car?
Unfortunately, the Aerotrain did not reverse the steep decline in passenger train patronage in the late 1950s.
One of the complaints was too much bounce to the ounce due to the short wheelbase of the cars. However the North Shore Line's ultra high speed Electroliners (1941) never suffered from this in their 22 year service with the line. They were very successful and routinely hit 90 mph on the Chicago Milwaukee runs much higher than those of Aerotrain, Both trains were gorgeous and thankfully preserved,
Shocking, America actually produced things!
Still watching this documentary in 2019?
2020.
2021
@@willrich6450 dang
2023
My last comment is assuming that the Rock Island donated the train. It's possible that the train was bought at scrap value by the museum through donations, in which case it would be cheaper to get it without the engine (less weight for an engineless loco). Since the prime mover (engine) is a common one, it would be possible to eventually buy one to put in.
I should state that I'm not associated with this museum, and I don't know how they acquired the loco, or what their plans are for it.
@Modeltrainguy GM didn't take the engine out. The Rock Island probably did. The prime mover (engine) was the same that EMD (GM) were putting in their switchers (sw1200), so the RI probably kept it for spare parts for their switchers (assuming they had sw1200's) or sold it. In either case, it was probably the only thing on that locomotive that was worth money to them. It's just good that they donated the loco and cars. Those could have been scrapped too.
Are they going to put an engine in it?
Does anyone remember the old GMC Motorhomes? Same type of Air Ride suspension! :-)
oh meg thats a sweet story that really lifted this bitter mans heart
I'm kind of sad that there's no engine in there. it would be neat to see it go again..
WOW 😍🥰💘💝💖💗💓💞💕💟❣💔❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💯💯 I LOVE TRAINS AEROTRAINS
What would it be to find the engine for it
Wasn't the EMD BL-2 also based on a Buick?
David Budka nope
Its a bit of a shame that although she is 'Technically' preserved, she's incomplete and no matter how long you search you will not find an exact match for the engine, only just replacements or engines that outputted close to what the original did
Duck The engine was a very common one. GM used them in other locomotive models, ships, and generators. The parts to put this back into running shape are all off the shelf available.
The Aerotrain more than likely used Electo Motive's 567 diesel engine which was pretty much the only diesel engine or engines that EMD put in its locomotives into the 1960s. Consequently, the engine is very common, and it would not be difficult to find a replacement.
That's the J3a Hudson right there? 5:02
No. All where scrapped
THE ENGINE BEHIND YOU IS CALLED A STEAM ENGINE.
How do some people not know that?
But anyways great video.
Oh, you’d be surprised at the stuff people nowadays just don’t know. I could make some real money just teaching history. I’m just 52 years old so before I fall completely apart I could teach a lot of history to a lot of uninformed people.
Why did travellers not take to the Aerotrain?
Indeed.
howardkevinm It's too bad they didn't improve on the riding comfort.
That's a shame. If nothing else, it looks like it would've changed the way trains looked.
It's too bad that General Motors didn't continue development on the Aerotrain, make improvements on ride and comfort, and possibly economy. Who knows where it might have ended up had GM kept the Aerotrain going.
The Edsel of locomotives.
KETC | Living St. Louis | Aerotrain interesting given that GM and Ford got st louis to give up its street cars which wound up in Frisco and famous - as a deal to give st louis GM and a Ford car mfg plant - destroying a great street car system - St Louis STILL has horrid public transportation system today .. i wonder if this 'failure ' was on purpose too
They should put an engine inside i think
Cool
I think the biggest insult to the GM Aerotrain Locomotive was seeing it pulling commuter cars between Joliet and Chicago
At least they served a fair amount of time in that capacity. Give the Rock Island credit for purchasing its own Aerotrain called the "Jet Rocket." This train used the same EMD LWT12 locomotive as the Aerotrains, but had different yet similar looking passenger cars built by ACF-Industries, Inc. The passenger cars had straight windows versus the slanted windows of the Aerotrain and were articulated whereas the GM train had individual cars. The "Jet Rocket" operated between Chicago and Peoria from February 1956 to August 1957. Interestingly, the same Aerotrain problems of noise and ride affected the "Jet Rocket" as well. The "Jet Rocket" ended its days in RI commuter service until 1962 and was eventually scraped at the Rock Island's yard at Silvis, IL in 1965.
All they have to do is find a good 567c to throw in there
The "expert" on this video says at least twice that this train was built out of "bus bodies" - that just simply isn't true. The design and construction were the same as the standard GM bus body and many of the materials were the same as used in bus construction. The Aerotrain coaches were significantly larger than standard bus bodies and the design was strengthened to meet the standards necessary for passenger car construction. It is unfortunate that this video perpetuates that myth.
Too bad none of this country's billionaires are rail fans. If I had the money I would do a complete frame off restoration, find a period correct engine, get it running again and use it as an excursion train :)
I fully agree with you. I would do the same.
Billionaire Warren Buffett is sort of a railfan as he has a model railroad in his home and his Berkshire Hathaway owns the BNSF.
Fantastic aerotrain !!, i need one of them to run in Greece right now !!, lovely design...
Usa (and europe also ) railroads need design's like that except the typical diesel locomotives (they look all the same, so boring !!)
Did he call the train sexy?
I know it's more than 11 years later but to hear $100 a gallon for paint is cheap.
classical :D
train was not tools for tomorrow,
strictly rely on tech you have today,
when focus on comfort, and performance
these just used bus bodies
granskare no
Good ol' GM - Building junk on the cheap, cutting corners, using leftover parts from other failed projects and lying to consumers since 1953. How are they still in business??
Government bailouts.
Because Ford was doing an even crappier job and still is....
that's how business operates: that's why airliners crash and burn because the bean-counters put sales before safety (see "DC-10, "737 MAX", Ford "Pinto").
bunny bread
"That's what I said"
Oh dear. Another dubious marriage of road and rail technology. We have the 142/143/144 railbuses here in the UK, which are bus bodies on a two - axle chassis. Thank GOD we never got these horrible el cheapo units down South on the old Southern Region of British Railways. Our diesel MU sets had electric transmission and heating, and were built to the then standard BR designs.
Yet another empty "stuffed and mounted" american museum piece.....🙄
HHHHHHHHHHHHHH