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January 22, 2016 10:07 am GMT

In 1963, a French engineer built a hovercraft on rails

Aerotrainthumb

c. 1980

Image: KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Getty Images

In 1963, French engineer Jean Bertin presented a 1/12 scale model of his idea for an Aérotrain, a jet-propelled monorail train which would float on a cushion of air to eliminate friction and allow for unprecedented speeds.

Bertin built four prototypes of his Aérotrain, from a half-scale, 30-foot version with room for four passengers, to a full-sized, 75-foot version with a car for 80 passengers

In 1974, the latter prototype, the Aérotrain I80, set a world speed record for overland air cushion vehicles, reaching a mean speed of 259.5 miles per hour and a peak speed of 267.4 miles per hour Read more...

More about Tech, France, Transportation, History, and Trains

Original Link: http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/CDQeKpzaTwA/

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