Aerotrain VS Pioneer Zephyr - a tale of two trains
The Pioneer Zephyr would be the beginning of the lightweight streamlined diesel era, while the GM Aerotrain would mark the beginning of the end of that same era.
The three-car Zephyr would spawn several copies and similar larger cousins, while the ten-car Aerotrain would stop at the two demonstrators.
The 1934-built Zephyr would run for 26 years in mainline service, while the two 1955-vintage Aerotrains would barely run 10 years, most of it in Chicago commuter service.
The Zephyr had it's own blockbuster Hollywood movie and started it's own Zephyr-mania, whereas the Aerotrain still runs in home-movies and newsreels alone.
The underpowered Aerotrain has become a byword for how not to make a successful train. The opposite is true for the Zephyr - it was a success in every measure.
Now, having said all that, If I could, I would much rather ride on a Aerotrain than a Zephyr. How many people alive today can say they've ridden on an Aerotrain? Not many! On the other hand, the Zephyr became an entire brand with a whole slew of trains, some of which still run today. (the Nebraska Zephyr and the under-restoration Mark Twain Zephyr come to mind there) The Aerotrain might have been a financial failure, but it still would have been something I would have ridden if I had been alive then.
Aerotrain VS Pioneer Zephyr - a tale of two trains
The Pioneer Zephyr would be the beginning of the lightweight streamlined diesel era, while the GM Aerotrain would mark the beginning of the end of that same era.
The three-car Zephyr would spawn several copies and similar larger cousins, while the ten-car Aerotrain would stop at the two demonstrators.
The 1934-built Zephyr would run for 26 years in mainline service, while the two 1955-vintage Aerotrains would barely run 10 years, most of it in Chicago commuter service.
The Zephyr had it's own blockbuster Hollywood movie and started it's own Zephyr-mania, whereas the Aerotrain still runs in home-movies and newsreels alone.
The underpowered Aerotrain has become a byword for how not to make a successful train. The opposite is true for the Zephyr - it was a success in every measure.
Now, having said all that, If I could, I would much rather ride on a Aerotrain than a Zephyr. How many people alive today can say they've ridden on an Aerotrain? Not many! On the other hand, the Zephyr became an entire brand with a whole slew of trains, some of which still run today. (the Nebraska Zephyr and the under-restoration Mark Twain Zephyr come to mind there) The Aerotrain might have been a financial failure, but it still would have been something I would have ridden if I had been alive then.