MTH PS3 Aerotrain

Although I don't have a model of it, I've always had a special spot in my memory for the Aerotrain, having seen it in person.  I lived along the PRR main line in the Fifties, and I watched it stop at our station to pick up passengers.  I can still see the alternate-flashing taillights as it pulled smoothly away, westbound into history.

Pity the experiment didn't work out.

The observation car on the Aerotrain reminds me of the rear end of a 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon.

Dan

That's why I picked up a set.  I can remember my Dad taking my brother and me over to Harrisburg station to see this 'new modern marvel'.  We got to take a tour.  1956.  We lived in Lemoyne at the time.  

Spence

Congratulations on your purchase. And I like your video!

In the words of my friend Ray Grant:   "The Aerotrain is cool, a bit silly, but definitely cool"  I agree with him, so much so that I two railed an entire set with all nine cars.  A lot of work, but in my opnion worth it:

John; That looks real good. I'm in the process right now of locating the xtra cars. The MTH web site shows them at various dealers. I like long trains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehEN3M94gmA&feature=c4-overview&list=UUAF1D4sTT3CttW5B_eeTlJw

Very nice Spence.

You got a tour?  Lucky!  Our local paper published the time when the Aerotrain would be passing through town, and my Dad took me down to the station to see it.

Does anyone remember the segment of the "Today" show, in which Dave Garroway introduced the Aerotrain to the TV audience?

I recently acquired one as well.  I found the comment about the alternate flashing taillights interesting, I didn't know that.  That wouldn't be that hard to build in.

I have a PS2 set and love it, but RadioRon is right about the wheels on the cars. Since the wheel sets are fixed there is a lot of drag when going around curves.  

I only have five cars, and the dual-motored engine doesn't seem to have any issue hauling them.  Perhaps with 8 or 9 cars, it might be a different story.  Is the older locomotive a single motor?  I saw someone talking about a single motored Aerotrain locomotive, but the MTH site appears to say dual motored for all the variations.

I've often had the same thought, but since I don't own an Aerotrain, nothing's ever come of it.  Hmmm...  Maybe I should start looking for one...

In any case, I took some photos with Dad's Brownie box camera that day.  I can't find any others at the moment, but here's my shot of the Aerotrain departing.  It's not the world's greatest picture (at eight years old, I still had a lot to learn about photography), but if you zoom in, you can just barely see that I caught the alternating lights in mid-cycle, with one light still dark.

Balshis

That is a GREAT picture!  Thaks for posting that!

Regarding the rear lights:  One was a red "end of train" light, the other was the back up light.  Note in Balshis's photo you can also see the rear coupler. I tried to duplicate this in my model:

Looks better with bumper and tail lights. 

Well, I've been pretty sure all these years that there were two flashing lights back there, but I guess there's no arguing with a photo.  Uh, except for Ace's photo.

Spence

That consist is way cool..I could watch that run for hours..that concept was way ahead of it's time considering all the Talgo's running around these days. A perfect mix of automobile, bus and train...a real wow factor! It looks like it has the front end of an Edsel..lol.

Bruce

ROTFLOL!

How did you "change the rear lights" 

Is the older locomotive a single motor?  I saw someone talking about a single motored Aerotrain locomotive, but the MTH site appears to say dual motored for all the variations.

 

IT's doal motor but the rear motor is on a single axle truck. I know someone who added 3 lbs of weight on the front truck for better operation to pull all the nine cars.

Good point, I did find the two-wheel rear truck kinda' odd.  FWIW, when I got mine the frame was actually bent a bit from shipping, it's just a flat piece of steel and easily deformed.  That was enough to lift the rear wheels slightly and make it hop down the tracks.As far as the rear lights,

I like the idea of some added weight, though I might not go for the full three pounds.

I'm not sure how I'd deal with the forward/reverse aspect back there on the other end without a lot of wiring between cars.

1) PRR Horseshoe curve says;

IT's doal motor but the rear motor is on a single axle truck. 

The rear truck also has two axles, in order to allow proper tracking, but the front wheelset is undersized to make it harder to see. Nevertheless, only the rear axle on the rear truck is driven:

2) PRR Horseshoe also asked;

"How did you "change the rear lights?"

The red lenses pop out as a single unit. I cut off one side and replaced it with a clear lens.  The clear lens has aluminum foil on the back, show only the red one glows.

3)  Dan986 said:

The observation car on the Aerotrain reminds me of the rear end of a 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon

It should.  The Aerotrain was designed by Harley Earl, the head of the GM design studios.  While the rear looks like it was lifted from the '54 Nomad,  I always thought the front was taken from train from Disneyland's "Tomorrowland, also a GM design. 

But only after it was allowed to breed with Gort from the original "Day the Earth Stood still"

4) I wrote an article in O Scale trains on converting the Aerotrain to 2 rail, but I made several modifications to improve its running characteristics and appearance which would apply to three rail as well;  It is Issue #59, Nov/Dec 2011. Its too new to be downloaded for free, but you can order a copy. See http://oscalemag.com/wordpress/covers-contents-1-59/

5) Among the modifications I made was too put in full width, fixed fender skirts:

Before:

After:

6) The two modifications I did not make (becuase of time constraints) were to add a swingout coupler to the nose (the PRR Aerotrain had to be pulled out of NYC Penn Station by a GG1, because of restrictions against internal combustion engines) and to figure out how to make that "Aerotrain" script emblem on the nose out of raised chrome plated lettering. Just like that 55 Nomad posted by Dan986. I'll pass on the mods suggested by Ace.

The Aerotrain nose design has some similarities with the hood profiles of 1960-61 Chevy and GMC pickups. I used to have a 1961 GMC.

We all remember the Aerotrains for their unique styling, but from what I've read they had a terrible rough ride and the passengers hated them.

The Aerotrain was designed by Harley Earl, the head of the GM design studios.

If Wikipedia is to be trusted, credit should go to Chuck Jordan, GM's Chief Designer of Special Projects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotrain_%28GM%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...tomobile_designer%29

http://www.joesherlock.com/nwsltr24.html

I always thought the front was taken from train from Disneyland's "Tomorrowland, also a GM design.

Quoting Wikipedia again:

"Disneyland had a scale version of the Aerotrain, known as the Viewliner, from 1957 to 1959 (see below). Since 1958 the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in Portland, Oregon has operated a scale, diesel-powered replica of the Aerotrain (dubbed the Zooliner) to transport zoo visitors."

Also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Viewliner

So no, none of the Aerotrain's styling was "taken" from the Disneyland ride.  It was the other way around.

See also:

http://www.designingdisney.com/calendar/jun/26

http://www.mydisneyblog.com/my...before-the-mono.html

I remember it as a Fomoco product.

Fred

Balshis

If Wikipedia is to be trusted, credit should go to Chuck Jordan, GM's Chief Designer of Special Projects:

I don't necessarily trust Wikipedia, but Joe Sherlock's article is excellent. I have it, and had forgotten that Chuck Jordan was credited with the design.  Thanks for the corection!

Harley Earl was the head of the GM Styling Studio, and Sherlock's web page shows a draft of a GM Press release with a photo of Earl greeting the woman (a GM VP's wife) about to christen the Aerotrain.  Earl was a fairly dominating figure in GM, so my guess is he would have had some role in the final design.

I have the UP version, City of Las Vegas. Did MTH make additional cars in all the road names produced?  Have not ever seen additional UP cars.

Speaking of the cars (coaches), does anyone know what happened to all of prototype ones?  As I understand it, the two locomotives are preserved with two coaches each at their respective museums (Museum of Transportation in MO & the National Railroad Museum in WI).  I assume that the cars unaccounted for were scrapped, would this be correct?

Love the MTH Aerotrain and the prototype.  I have the PRR version with seven cars.  It gets a lot of run time on my layout.

One of the coolest looking rear cars...

I think this train is great.  I had to have one when I saw it especially since I got to see the real version at the National Museum of Transport in St. Louis many years ago.

Great pictures everyone!!  The tail lights and bumper are a hoot!!

Alan

Well I guess finding the xtra cars is going to be a little more difficult than I expected. I called all 7 dealers that were listed on the MTH site as having the various cars but none of them do. They all said that the inventory are not updated very regularly. I found nothing on Ebay except 1 guy selling a PS2 with the addons but he's asking 1099.00.

Any ideas!!!!

Here's a PS/2 set for $330 and free shipping: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rail-K...;hash=item338462b4bd