Bennie Railplane
Encyclopedia
The Bennie Railplane was a form of rail transport invented by George Bennie (1891–1957), which moved along an overhead rail by way of propeller
s. Despite superficial appearances, it was not a monorail
, as it used both an overhead running rail and a guide rail below. It was intended to run above conventional railways, separating faster passenger traffic from slower freight traffic. A prototype ran over a 130 yards (118.9 m) line at Milngavie
near Glasgow
in the 1930s, but Bennie was never able to secure funding for further development and went bankrupt in 1937. The line was demolished for scrap in the 1950s.
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s. Despite superficial appearances, it was not a monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
, as it used both an overhead running rail and a guide rail below. It was intended to run above conventional railways, separating faster passenger traffic from slower freight traffic. A prototype ran over a 130 yards (118.9 m) line at Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in the 1930s, but Bennie was never able to secure funding for further development and went bankrupt in 1937. The line was demolished for scrap in the 1950s.
Further reading
- Thwaite, Malcolm (2005). "The George Bennie Railplane and Hugh Fraser Airrail Systems of Transport". Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 75(1):37-84. ISSN 03720187.
- Black, William B. The Bennie Railplane. East Dunbartonshire Council
External links
- George Bennie Railtrack, Baldernock Parish
- The Bennie Railplane, Gear Wheels Online Motoring Magazine
- GEORGE BENNIE RAILPLANE SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT (1930) (archive film from the National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE)
- Railplane newsreel footage at British Pathe
- Film of test run (BBC Scotland)
- The Newcomen Rolt Prize
- Further info on Mike's Raiway History