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STRANGE JET POWERED TRAIN - M-497- "BLACK BEETLE" - 7
The M-497 (nicknamed Black Beetle) was an experimental 'rocket train' of the New York Central Railroad corporation, developed and tested in 1966 in the United States of America. Two second-hand General Electric J-47-19 jet engines were mounted atop an old Budd diesel commuter car fuselage which had received a streamlined front cowling. The construct was then successfully sent on test runs over the existing tracks between Butler, Indiana and Stryker, Ohio (the line was chosen for its arrow-straight layout and good condition-, but otherwise unmodified track). The car reached speeds of 183 mph (296 kph, still the light-rail speed record for the United States).
Even with this spectacular performance (and even though it had been built relatively cheaply, using existing parts), the project was not considered viable commercially. Management may have considered it mostly as a publicity stunt from the start. After jet engine removal, the rail car returned to normal service and was scrapped in 1984.
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