Jet Train

[J3a-614]

Jet Train has a video of a couple of rocket dragsters that are the inspiration for his name.  At one time, though, there was a real jet train.  At the end of this video preview (featuring a great big band sound track--almost as good as the blue grass I go in for) is a short clip of NYC's jet powered RDC, a high-speed experiment on the eve of the Penn Central merger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFSiOfzWWCg

Someone did a model in N-scale, wonder what they did for the sound effects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqAKMbqlI7U

Someone else tried it in N scale, too--with real jet power!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ5l_LHexdM

Someone--I believe it was the late Jim Findley--tried the same thing in HO scale with an Athearn RDC, and had even more spectacular results, as recounted in Model Railroader at the time.  He tried it in his house while his wife was at the grocery store.  His first try didn't do anything but smoke up the basement, so he disconnected the drive, and this time the rocket pushed the car right along--derailing at the first curve (NYC had chosen a good, straight stretch for their tests) and launching the car out the window--where it hit his wife's station wagon in the door just as she was coming home.  It was a one of Athearn's old metal RDC's, too.  His wife did not appreciate the experiment, particularly the nice dent she got in her car!

Didn't somebody--Athearn, Tyco--offer a propeller driven rail racer at one time?

Have fun.

[Nigel]

See also:
NYC Jet-Powered RDC: 183 mph experiment
Mainline Modeler, March 1988 page 48
( "BOUDREAU, BOB", JET, NYC, RDC, MM )

An HO scale model.

[pdlethbridge]

was that Glen Miller playing?

[jettrainfan]

Thx for sharing the videos, started laughing at those railfanner's expression. Reminds me of at the drag strip but you got something much bigger! The N scale model with the decoder was also neat. I wouldn't mind having one in ho scale. The poor N scale crash dummy probably seen better days. It just proves that N scale models were not made for those size rockets. If it were just for the heck of it, id try to put the jet in the model, making more of a push than a pull. An ho scale model probably would do better and sure sounds like it. I'd hate to be in his situation telling his wife what happened.

Thanks a lot!

[J3a-614]

Thanks for the responses; they're appreciated!

A little more looking revealed that the jet RDC has actually been offered commercially in N-scale!  That's weird, considering the prototype only existed in this form for a few weeks at most before being coverted back to a regular RDC, and certainly not doing anything in regular service.

http://blwnscale.com/Kato%20NYC%20Jet%20RDC.htm

http://www.katousa.com/Kobo/E-NRDC-Jet.html

I recall an article (I have it, I think it may have been Railroad Model Craftsman, or maybe it's the Mainline Modeler issue mentioned above, but I only have 25 or so paper boxes filled with magazines--would take a while to find it) about building this RDC.  Like the prototype, the author used engines from an airplane (model); the scale wasn't exact, but was close enough.

http://jalopnik.com/359202/new-york-centrals-m+497-jet-powered-train

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1999/2/1999_2_63.shtml

Another NYC preview, same music, mostly earlier footage, including steam and the Aerotrain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ol5q7JXK2E&NR=1&feature=fvwp

I'll have to stick these in the Hudson thread later on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXr6RZCIR2A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0AGYIVjNIg&feature=related

Enjoy.

[J3a-614]

More high speed action--by a J3a numbered 614:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rmKYGEicP4&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrrPGQMwXxM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGoR1cpdrM&feature=related

I like the way things used to be. . .

Enjoy.

[pdlethbridge]

If you go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMQa6gaUrU&feature=related  you'll see lots of hudsons. The sound track is, of course, by Benny Goodman. His hit, 'Sing, sing, sing', The drummer is non other than Gene Krupa. He was a great drummer!!!!!!!

[J3a-614]

Krupa, Miller, both Dorseys, so many others. . .I don't know if you've done any checking on YouTube, but there is a host of other material on the big bands there, including assorted "soundies" (short films, much like what we would call a music video today).  If you haven't done so, check this out by going to YouTube, and typing in the name of the band or performer (say, Doris Day) in Youtube's search slot, and assorted things will show up.  Click on a playlist, and you can play a whole sequence of "Doris Day" or whatever does turn up.  Pick the playlists carefully, sometimes you'll get a "tribute" to some performer by a current one (i.e., Christine Aguilira's version of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" instead of the Andrews Sisters'.)

Great soundtrack for a layout set in the 1940s. . .especially if it features early streamliners. . .

At the risk of getting way off topic (these trains don't even have wheels!), I also found this other variant of a "jet train;" I do have to say the afterburner/JATO bottle sequences are spectacular. . .

http://jalopnik.com/355087/aerotrains-will-blow-you-away

Now I wonder if we'll hear from a monorail crowd. . .

[Nigel]

.......
I recall an article (I have it, I think it may have been Railroad Model Craftsman, or maybe it's the Mainline Modeler issue mentioned above, but I only have 25 or so paper boxes filled with magazines--would take a while to find it) about building this RDC.  Like the prototype, the author used engines from an airplane (model); the scale wasn't exact, but was close enough........

In the Mainline Modeler article, Bob used a twin pod from a 1/72 scale B-47 model.

[J3a-614]

That must be the one, thanks for the research.

[Guilford Guy]

Kato is mass producing these in N. I'm surprised Walthers hasn't jumped in on the fun yet.
http://www.katousa.com/Kobo/E-NRDC-Jet.html

[J3a-614]

Since this is becoming Bachmann's thread on exotic propulsion systems (i.e., "reaction drives"--that sounds so Star Trekky), we may as well round out the list.

From Germany (and Marklin) back in the 1930s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schienenzeppelin

http://greyfalcon.us/FRANZ%20KRUCKENBERG%20SCHIENENZEPPELIN.htm

http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/rail-zeppelin

Looks like an Z-scale version in Japan, linked up simply to illustrate the thing in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQh7BeieADE

An interesting characteristic of this machine was the tendency for the prop wash to blow over baggage and people on station platforms!

The British, of course, would not be outdone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennie_Railplane

http://www.baldernock.btinternet.co.uk/images/Bennie/

http://www.gearwheelsmag.co.uk/archive/the_bennie_railplane_feature_13.htm

Wonder what else will turn up?

[J3a-614]

Was fiddling around on YouTube, and it turns out more footage of the jet RDC has turned up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=5pB-PGnF-B0

Enjoy.

[jettrainfan]

Wow, its been 2 years already? Time really does fly! 

Anyway, thanks for sharing the video. Just to clear up some facts, the place they built the Jet RDC was actually Collinwood Yard in Cleveland Ohio! (Now CSX owned and some modifications have been made over the final years of NYC, all of PC, Conrail and CSX sense they got it to the present time). The clip from the helicopter was probably when the RDC was in tow. From what I read, a geep hauled the RDC backwards to where it would laucnch off again. The stretch of track it ran on was actually the chicago line now owned by NS! No clue where the starting point was but it would have to be west of mile post 194, sense that's where the final curve is going by Berea. Pretty amazing this experiment was pretty much all in ohio, it still amazes me that it even was built in collinwood, now I finally got to see some video of the beuaty. Wish the video had sound, would love to here those 2 jet engines winding!