Visite du Rohr a Pueblo le 09/11/2008

[fredh]

c'est ce qui se dit, c'est ce qui se dit...
Des choses très intéressantes au demeurant, dont le rapport final des essais du Rohr...
Pour ta brochure, je l'ai scanné également, et je pense plutôt qu'il s'agit du Rohr 0.2 !!! C'est la première que Rohr a du produire avant de connaitre la forme définitive de l'engin. Il est par ailleurs très beau et les entrées d'air sont d'un concept un peu... original...
Je vous montre ça dans le week end...

[philouze]

- "dernier" document de la societe Bertin sur l'aerotrain, juste avant la periode "oubliettes", faisant le bilan des modifications a faire sur le Rohr si un aerotrain efficace doit voir le jour dans le futur (document date de 1981 !!)
- Une brochure sur le projet qui aurait normalement du faire suite l'aerotrain Rohr, un Rohr 2.0. Un dessin conceptuel avec "eclate", sur une base du Rohr qu'on connait... l'aerotrain qui n'a jamais vu le jour. Exclusif !

Mortel !
j'aimerais trop faire la maquette de ce Rohr 2.0 ... de plus j'ai trouvé des moteurs a induction lineaire sur rail alu de taille maquette (le prix : je ne sais pas encore)

[fredh]

et voilà la bête de l'idée de départ de Rohr Inc.



remarquez l'originalité des ouïes d'arrivée d'air... L'efficacité doit être discutable...

Le reste de la doc est dans la partie publique de http://www.naf.fr/ (Fred/docs)... enjoy

[ShawnDriscoll]

Une brochure sur le projet qui aurait normalement du faire suite l'aerotrain Rohr, un Rohr 2.0. Un dessin conceptuel avec "eclate", sur une base du Rohr qu'on connait... l'aerotrain qui n'a jamais vu le jour. Exclusif !

You speak of the mini-Aerotrain that Rohr had plans for? Oh, I see. You have something more 80's style.

Here's the Rohr concept mini Aerotrain (ca 1971):

[DJromT]

Wow, nice pictures, Shawn !
I was mentioning in my previous posts that we found in the archives of the association last week some original brochures from Bertin and Rohr about an aerotrain in a slightly different version that the one that was made (the Rohr...). Now your drawing are also cool... was that an early concept ?

[ShawnDriscoll]

Yes. The plan in 1970 was to use mini Aerotrains at airports and theme parks.

[sav]

dire que dans les année 1970 on ce croyait en l an 2000 (ou devrai je dire que l on voyai l an 2000 autrement )

[philouze]

merci Fred et shawn , ces images sont incroyables !

[ShawnDriscoll]

dire que dans les année 1970 on ce croyait en l an 2000 (ou devrai je dire que l on voyai l an 2000 autrement )

Rohr and others in the United States who started planning for mass-transit solutions in 1965 were just worried about traffic problems for 1980. They were only thinking 15 years ahead. 2000 was too far away. Remember, society was not even thinking at all about any Y2K bug yet either. Heck, even in 1980 I don't think many people were concerned with Y2K. But they were beginning to think about possible transportation problems for 2000. Maglev technology would be perfected within 15 years after 1980, which would bring about new solutions for traffic jams. Unfortunately, maglev is a luxury item which requires a very strong and robust economy. Otherwise, it is built just once for an airport somewhere and never pays for itself.

[ShawnDriscoll]

et voilà la bête de l'idée de départ de Rohr Inc.



remarquez l'originalité des ouïes d'arrivée d'air... L'efficacité doit être discutable...

Le reste de la doc est dans la partie publique de http://www.naf.fr/ (Fred/docs)... enjoy

I showed the drawing to my father. He responded with:

"The concept drawing has elements that make it undesirable: the large single inlet duct eats up too much volume in the forward compartment to make it practical, and the small compressor motor and the speed reduction gear indicates a motor technology that was in the infant development stages at that time in the 60's and 70's. It would have been timely and costly to develop such a motor. That's why a conventional one-metric-ton motor was selected for the prototype. A motor coupled to a fan was considered for a future design. But by the mid 70's any future design effort ceased since it became evident that there was no hope for the aerotrain concept ---- it was very energy inefficient.

Pass this on to Jerome if you like.
--Dad"

[ShawnDriscoll]

I mentioned this photo to my dad.



It's dated 1970, before the Rohr Aerotrain was built.

My dad is certain that it was a full-scale mock-up of the Aerotrain for visitors to walk through. He joked about the doors not being real working ones. The UMTA was so impressed though by the mock-up that they gave Rohr the money to build a prototype and test it in Pueblo.

Hopefully someone somewhere has more photos of this that either worked at Rohr or visited there during one of their fairs. The mock-up also made an appearance at Transpo '72. Maybe someone has photos of that event? Heck. Maybe someone knows where it is now?

[DJromT]

You're also going to sh** in your pants after you see that, Shawn !

First of all, that's massive piece of news with this mock up, we had no idea We all thought it was THE Rohr aerotrain with other painting, during early phases of development or tests. I have to translate for everyone !
I just found a website with a couple of pictures from Transpo 72 (http://www.thejoekorner.com/photos/transpo72/index.html), including a Rohr transport prototype vehicule, but not the aerotrain unfortunately. The control panel looks so much similar from the one from the aerotrain ! I'm sure that was the same contractor who made it ! Look at that:



I found another vehicule from this Transpo 72 exibition, a silver mock-up open for the public, but not an aerotrain obviously (Department of Transportation logo on it) (Is your father 100% sure the model was an exact Rohr pre-replica ?):


And the Garrett model was there too


And this Babe that is also on your website, but not on (under) its track:


It also seems that the blue and red lines on white background was the official Rohr paint template for all its prototype vehicules (Rohr Amtrak turbotrain)



Pour ceux qui n'auraient pas compris le post de Shawn, le Rohr en version peinture argentee n'etait pas le Rohr que l'on connait ! Il s'agissait d'une maquette grandeur reelle, ouverte aux visiteurs. Le pere de Shawn riait que les portes ne pouvaient pas fermer automatiquement. C'est ce modele "taille reelle" qui a convaincu a proceder au develloppement de l'aerotrain Rohr ! Incroyable ! Cette maquette aurait etee exposee lors d'un salon "Transpo 72", dont j'ai trouve quelques photos ci dessus (incluant un prototype Rohr rail, et son tableau de commande presque identique a celui de l'aerotrain Rohr).

[pjskyman]

Wahou, une maquette taille réelle dans laquelle il ont fait l'effort de répliquer le tableau de bord ! Chapeau bas messieurs ! Rien que cette maquette a dû coûter un fric monstre, même si les portes étaient manuelles

[DJromT]

Nonon, la maquette dont Shawn parle n'est pas dans les photos que j'ai trouve. Le tableau de bord etait dans un prototype de type "voie ferree" de Rohr, donc une vraie console qui a du etre portee pour l'aerotrain !

[pjskyman]

Mille pardons, j'ai lu trop vite