Many excellent idea's here to reduce the cost of rail operation...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HgzHSwpcQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vns-9sqxmCw

Interesting concepts. I don't think it's the first time a automotive product was modified for rail usage, as the aerotrain's coaches were a modification of standard GM busses

I pity the poor folks who end up in "scum class"

Jeff

Of course there have been plenty of these "locomotives" built before.

In another thread we were discussing films and commercials and liability. This show is another good example of "What do you do when somebody wants to..."

Back in the 1980's Audi filmed an ad with a new Audi Quattro set up pretty much the same way. They went a step further though, and added fake rims and even the sidewalls of the tires, so it really looked like a normal car driving down the line ("Tracks like it's on Rails") was the tagline.

So much so in fact that as we headed down the line for a shoot a fisherman spun around to stare at us mouth wide open, wondering just how in the heck we were managing to keep her on the rails at 15 mph as we rolled by, stereo blasting, a/c on, riding in style.

(As a side note in case you ever decide to try this, Audi Quattros apparently do not like to back up for 3 miles straight, and get rather overheated. Since this was a hand made pre-production model, the stink from the overheating engine also raised a stink from the technical rep...)

In relation to the other topic, yes, this had full approval of the railroad and the insurance agent. No, we did NOT get FRA approval for the "hi-rail", but then again, obviously it wasn't in revenue service either.

The common notion that the Aerotrain used GM bus bodies is false. They look similar but had nothing in common except looks and a few little hardware items.
This has been documented several times.

I have to admitt, I really enjoyed it!

Ho, ho, ho! Talk about the antithesis of the "Sunbeam!"

I'm going to send this over to that high-speed site I also frequent; should be good for some laughs there, too.

At the same time, I can't help but think of how this was in the spirit of all those homemade doodlebugs over the years. Rio Grande Southern's Galloping Geese are the most famous, of course, but there were so many others on cash-short shortlines. . .

And wasn't there something like this on some Southern shortline in Lucius Beebe's "Mixed Train Daily," based on a pick-up or a station wagon, and it had a two-wheeled trailer as well?

Gotta love scum class. Also, goggles.

That was very amusing, thanks for sharing. I wonder when that ep will show up on BBC America...

<snark>
OMG! How could they do this? I bet they were trespassing. What about copycats? How will we stop people from doing this themselves! This isn't preservation, it's... it's.. a crime, yes it's a crime scene. It's not right! It's in the UK but its (duhn, duhn, duhhhhhhhnnnnn) coming to America. Oh, the huge manatee!
</snark>

I dare say James May has put quite an interesting lot of rail-related content on the air the past year or two. Once again, I find it refreshing to see these crossovers into pop media.

Thanks for sharing the link!

Rob

So we do an episode of RYPN Topgear with a pickup truck pulling 4-5 mobile homes 'Roadrailer style'. There's already some precedent at CRHS for using a truck to tow a Railcar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N-ONSfkYds

Russ

This is going to be shown in the new season of Top Gear that just premiered Monday on BBC America, don't know exact date.

This has got to leave anyone like me, who is, or has been, qualified T&E crew, cringing at the same time we're rolling on the floor laughing. I would like to know what preserved railway allowed them to use their line for these hijinks? I can only imagine how the conversation during the production meetings with the railway officials went (or what the FRA would say to the U. S. version of the show if they wanted to do the same thing here), especially if they had never seen the show before! - "You want to charge up to an opposing train on the same track going 80 mph in WHAT?!" You could not have paid me any amount to have been a passenger strapped into that two-wheel "TGV" trailer going 70+ mph. It does seem that the guys always seem to find a way to burn down an RV or crush a Morris Minor with a piano whenever one is around.

On a technical note, I've never heard of a serious problem with typical hi-rail trucks having overheating problems running in reverse for fairly long distances, which does sometimes happen. Perhaps they have extra radiator capacity that regular trucks don't?

With McHugh Bros. - New Hope & Ivyland RR. Hi-rail trucks, we tried to aim the radiator up hill, so if a lengthy reverse move was necessary, it would be on the easier grade. We had not altered the cooling systems.

This was filmed on the Great Central Railway which is based at Loughborough station in Leicestershire, England.

It is the only private short line in the UK that has a main line dual track.

Another humorous point that one may have missed. The first customer to walk up and give his name was Mr. Steve Davis who is the Curator of the British National Railway Museum in York, England.

TH

I'll see your pickup and raise you a Peterbilt: http://youtu.be/8zcbitdaSGQ

Don't think for a moment that the brotherhoods aren't up in arms about this. At least on one Class I only a conductor pilot is used to operate it on the main. It takes away an engineer's job. The truck has train brake capability, but I'm sure those cars are empties. I believe that the truck is only capable of handling about half that number of loads.