The Original High-Speed Train Was Invented Over 100 Years Ago
But you might not want to step foot in it
Things were revving up for some Germans at the end of WWI. In particular, a man by the name of Otto Steinitz fancied himself with a solution to a long-term problem.
Trains go vroom vroom. But can they go vroom vroom vroom?
Otto thought he had the answer. While the phrase ‘planes, trains, and automobiles’ wasn’t yet invented, he figured he’d get a jump start on it by combining two of them.
Strap on a plane to a train to make it go vroom vroom vroom! Yea, that’s the ticket.
And so he did.
His initial prototype train plane — let’s just call it a traplanine because it’s easier — reached speeds of up to 97 mph (140 km/h).
Later on, with further developments, his first passenger version could only reach about 37 mph (60 km/h). Because of this and problems with manufacturing airplane engines after the Treaty of Versailles, interest in the machine slowly faded out.
