Soviet Jet Train Able To Reach 160MPH Was Supposed To Change The Future
It would be wrong to say that only bad things came out of the Cold War because that would discount all of the amazing advancements that happened during that time. Some of those we see implemented into our everyday lives today, yet some, like this turbojet train, have been left out to gather rust.
It was built in the 1970s Soviet Union to cut down travel times and showcase the incredible power of the jet engine. A locomotive with two giant engines strapped on its roof could reach speeds higher than most trains today – up to 160mph (~260 km/h). Sounds awesome, right? It was, except for the fact that those engines were consuming incredible amounts of fuel. Enough so it would scrap the whole project and leave this fully functional prototype to rot.
Surprisingly, that wasn’t the first turbojet train in the world. In 1966, New Yorker Don Wetzel has finished developing the M-497 Black Beetle, a jet train which reached the speed of 183 mph (~295 km/h) during its test run on existing tracks between Butler, Indiana and Stryker, Ohio. Since then, no train has ever went faster on the USA soil.
