Feature: The George Bennie Railplane

George Bennie (1891-1957) was an inventor who was granted numerous airplane-related patents in the 1920s. Bennie's railplane was composed of a self-propelled passenger car driven by propellers, along a single overhead rail suspended from a series of simple steel structures. According to Bennie's calculations, this system would have been quite economical to construct as the steel gantries could be erected above existing railway lines, therefore reducing the requirement for the acquisition of new land in many cases.

The file containing the certificate also contains copies of two publicity brochures produced for the prototype's opening event. The brochures are a combination of photographs taken from the test line together with illustrations showing how the line, car and associated stations might look. The brochures are both entitled "The George Bennie Railplane System of Transport" and the vision of the railplane is somewhat typical of the period, blending futuristic technology and contemporary decoration. The streamlined, bullet-shaped public car has stained glass door panels evoking the style of 'Flash Gordon' films.

The system would have been fast but probably quite noisy with propellers at either end of the passenger car. The brochures claim that " . . . speeds of 120 miles per hour could easily be attained on the level or down grade". The system was never commercially developed and Bennie went bankrupt in 1937. The line was demolished for scrap in the 1950s.

Download the first Bennie Railplane brochure: DD17-117-2-1 (New Window, Acrobat PDF 814Kb)

Download the second Bennie Railplane brochure: DD17-117-2-2 (New Window, Acrobat PDF 619Kb)

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