Better Than Jet Packs
August 22, 2010 11:40 AM   Subscribe

Jet Trains! Jet Trains! The Americans built one, so the Soviets had to build one, too. The Soviet one appears to be in disrepair now.
posted by klausness (16 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
The first thing that popped into my head is that song ... "Leaving on a jet train / don't know when I'll be back again".
posted by spaceman_spiff at 12:01 PM on August 22, 2010


It appears that Kato model trains has announced a replica in N scale - of the American version (for a ridiculous amount of money).
They earlier made the propeller-driven German Schienenzeppelin for Hobbytrain, a German manufacturer. So while the originals rust away, you still can get your own, it seems.
posted by Namlit at 12:01 PM on August 22, 2010


The first thing that popped into my head is that song ... "Leaving on a jet train / don't know when I'll be back again"

Oh man, when I found the links for this a few weeks ago, I was actually going to use that as a title. But by the time I finally got around to posting, I'd forgotten all about my oh-so-clever title idea. Until you reminded me just now...
posted by klausness at 12:21 PM on August 22, 2010


Oh I so want government to be operated more like a business. With private sector brainiacs leading the charge like this, just think how wonderful the world would be..... George Jetson would be eatin' my dust for sure.
posted by Guy Newport at 3:21 PM on August 22, 2010


The first thing that popped into my head is that song ... "Leaving on a jet train / don't know when I'll be back again"

What.
posted by itchylick at 4:06 PM on August 22, 2010


"The first thing that popped into my head is that song ... 'Leaving on a jet train / don't know when I'll be back again'"

I always changed it to "...if I'll be back again." Because you're on a jet train and who know what could happen?
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 6:09 PM on August 22, 2010


I hear the train a comin'
It's jettin' off the bend
And I won't see the sunshine ever again,
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, with no space to bail
The end of a curve is a bad place to build a jail
posted by bwg at 6:19 PM on August 22, 2010


Where are all the jet powered boats? Where a fanboat is good, a jetboat is awesome!
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:06 PM on August 22, 2010


Oh, there's this.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:10 PM on August 22, 2010


Where are all the jet powered boats?

They're common, but they use the engine to spin a prop instead of trying to go using just the exhaust. Hydroplanes, when they aren't using Merlins as the Lord intended, commonly use helicopter engines, and some naval vessels use modified airliner engines.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:07 PM on August 22, 2010


I'm a grad student in transportation planning. For our final project in the transportation modeling class last semester, my partner and I chose a picture of a jet train for our introductory slide. This one, actually. We got five points off for "not taking the project seriously, as evidenced by the picture on the first slide." What!
posted by millipede at 6:38 AM on August 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


Jet train? Pfft. The French built a jet-powered hovertrain!
posted by schmod at 6:53 AM on August 23, 2010


Texas A&M once built a jet powered submarine.
posted by Xoebe at 11:25 AM on August 23, 2010


Mother of God, two turbojets screaming away a few feet from passengers... but on the plus side, crying babies would never be a problem.
posted by phliar at 2:59 PM on August 23, 2010


Another jet-powered train, done right!
posted by spish at 6:58 PM on August 23, 2010


You want a jet boat?
posted by Mid at 7:44 PM on August 23, 2010


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