1932-12-09 — Page 25

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9. 1932,

THE BENNIE RAILPLANE

INSTITUTE TALK

TRIP TO CANTON VISUALISED

A most interesting talk on the Bennie Rallplane, the invention of a Glasgow engineer, was given before an appreciative audience last evening, at the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, by Professor W. Brown, M.A., B. Sc., who illustrated his paper with lantern alides.

Mr. P. T. Farrell, who presided, thanked the lecturer, after which a discussion took place as to the merits of the Bennie Railplane. Among those who took part in the discussion were Mr. C. J. Black burn, Mr. F. P. R. James and Mr. F. C. Weller.

Introducing his aubject, Professor Brown said:

Most of the papers read before this Institution of Engineers and Ship- builders are contributed by men who aro engaged in the practice of one other of the many branches of en- or gineering. Their authors, naturally and rightly, find their themes in their own daily life. The records they compile, the problems they discuss, the views they bring forward, the suggestions they have to offer, ariee from their own every-day experience, And it is precisely

the close relation. ship

with

profesulonal practice that' maken such papers of vital interest, and giver weight to the opinions ex pressed in them.

The paper, or lecture, which I have the honour to submit to you this evening is rather an exception to the general rule. For myself, I am not now engaged in, nor have I any closo connexion with, practical engineering. and my subject, the Bennie Raliplane, han hardly yet renched the stage of established practice, Thin novel method of rapid transportation is just emerging from the stage of invention and experiment, and the interest of it lies not in the present or the past,- for it has no paat and very little of a present, but in its potentialities for the future.

A Working Model.

The idea of the railplane originated in the fertile brain of Mr. George Benalo, a well-known Glasgow en- gineer, who has several other invon- tions already to his credit. In a nor- thern suburb of Glasgow, Mr. Benplo has had a full-scais demonstration rail-plane truck erected over a short longth of disused railway slding, and in his city office he has a wonderful working model in which all the opora- tions are controlled electrically from a witch-hoard.

The full-scale car has accommoda- tion for twenty panuengora but with ordinary seating instead of arm-chnirs It could take double that number.

an alloy of aluminium which,

The body is largely of duralumin, with virtually the same strength as mild steel, but only one-third of its weight, years in the construction of aeroplanes has come into general use in recent and airships.

With motors and all equipment the car weighs only about four tons, and thus it has a carrying capacity about equal to its untonded weight. Cons trast this with an ordinary railway- tram, where all the passengers and their haggage may weigh only six or seven per cent. of the empty coaches!

The car is suspended from an over- head monorail supported un crostics. he track-wheels are of special de- "sign, running with the minimum of resistance on roller-bengings, and em- buying a novel idea of air. Beanie's La esinunate nuwe, a solid ring of rul ber inside the tyre. The samo device has been successfully tried-out London, though thus far only on trai some of the underground railways in- ing wheels, and not on driving-wacels

which have to transmit torque,

on

The track-wheels of the railplane have no function but to support the car, and run quietly and smoothly. They are used for neither driving nor bruking. in the case of the runway locomotive, the pull it can give to the tram is proportional to the weight pressing the driving-wheela

against to rain. The fractive ettori can be augumented temporarily, by using sand to increasu the coufficient UI

ection, and it may be reduced al-

most to zero if irum any cause the rait beconten slippery. But in the Bennie mil-plane the condition of the rail makes no difference to the run- ning, and ddhesive weight is of no value, as the car is driven, not through the track-wheels, but by means of air.

screws.

Striking Advantages.

Thin more of propulsion bas kome striking advantages. Starting up is very smouli; the ausence of all jerk- ing is decidedly attractive. Also, the reverant of iné propellers, which can be done easily and almost instantane- ously, makes

All modern railway work involves civil, mechanical, and electrical en gineering. The proponed Bennie Rail- plane includes all these, and adds

very gentle but elec. sonte neronautical interest, as it uses

live bruke. Brake-shoes, acting not air-propellers as its means of propul on the wheels but on the track-rail, Mion.

hope then that what I have and on an inverted rail on the under- to say, and the lantern-pictures I have do of the track-girder, provide more to show, may prove of general in vigorous and positive braking. These terest to the considerable variety of friction brakes can be operated by engineers in this nudience. I have hand and also by power, and the eles- the initial advantage over most of trical application of them can iso made you, perhaps over all of you,-of automutic, controlled by tho. signals having met the inventar, Mr. George along the track Hennie, (during my repeated visits in Glasgow in 1931), of having discussed the railplane with him, or having scen the splendid working-model in his city Office, and inspected the full- acale demonstration line in running

order.

Previous Talk.

Exactly eight months ago this even- ing, I gave an informal talk on a railplane to the engineering students at the University. I sent news. paper report of it to Mr. Dennie, and a covering letter in which I mention ed the possibility that I might, L- wards the end of the year, be asked to give a similar lecture to this Ina- titution. With a view to this, i - d him to send me as much technical data as he could, facts and figures of all sorts rointive to materials, dimensions, weight, costs, powers, re- cords of performance and efficiency; anything and everything that might enable me to offer an interesting and instructive paper to an nudience of technical inen, and to answer intelli- gent questions in a satisfactory man- ner.

takes its power from the

The demonstration line in Glasgow tramway system, which operates on adjacent

direct current at 500 volts. The air-

are under the series-paralel controi serewn, one at each end of the car,

usual on tramways.

14

Each motor has a normal rating of 60 horse-power, but is capable of a very large-overload over shart periods. The usual propeller speed is about 1,200 revolutions per inmate, and this should give the car a linear speed on the level of about 120 miles an hour. The demonstration line only a very short ere, and it is im practicable to get up any high speed, in fact not.more than 25 or 30 miles an hour. But the figure of 120 miles per hour claimed for normal running conditions may be readily accepted, as it is based on the very accurate knowledge of air-resistance and pro- poller performance obtained from auroplane experience and

research, Aero-dynamica has now become al-'

most an exact science.

Internal Combustion. Mr. Bennie acknowledged my letter, Wherever electrical energy, either and promised to write later with re- D.C. ar, A.C. is readily available i gard to the points I had raised. Thus cheap rates, the Beunie Railplane far, however, no fresh information has would naturally make use of it; but reached me, and in submitting what in the absence of such, high-speed follows I'am largely dependent my interupl-combustion engines of the recollections of what I heard and "nero" type could be used instead, saw in Glasgow over fifteen months with no important difficulties in ago. I trust however that the in- weight or efficiency. terest of novelty may compensate for any deficiencies that may be observed as regards technical details.

The Bennie Railplane. Developing his theme the lecturer continued:

Such a car as is here used, of Right weight, and suspended from an over- head rail, would be liable to away a strong good deal, especially in wind. It would also swing out through a big angle when rounding a curve at high speed. Then La dencies are however controlled by horizontal wheels, attached to the underside of the car, which came into contact with a guide rail.

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The ceaseless demand for improved transport, with greater speed, infety, comfort, and economy, has directed the evolution of railway trains, au- tomobiles, steam and motor-ships, air-

On an ordinary railway, where the ships and aeroplanes, to their present propulsion depends on the adhesion of zemarkable stages steel wheels un smooth steel Ench of these means of travel has its gradient of 1 in is considered own special advantages and alta rather steep, at least where high tions, and ench is a comp average speeds are called for, On a per mlis.

dized parts. Also, the ground would of commencing the fourney practical- Where speed in the prime

conser

Double Line Bonnie Railplans £10,- be very little disturbed by the erec-ly at any moment without the neces tion, the aproplatie is an cany

very steep gradient the tractive effort

¡tion of a rail-plano overhead. Ins-kity of consulting a time-table, Would It has the further morit that no

no track must be enormously increased while 000 per mile. need be constructed for it, and in the force of adhesion is appreciably These are the costs of now and in- tend of cuttings and tunnels and em- do much to attract passenger traffic. this respect it

it resembles the ship tint diminished. It is claimed for the dependent construction, but one of the bankments there would be merely a

For Kowloop-Canton? Bennio Railplane that gradients up to chief Ideas of Mr. Bennie is that his succession of small concrete founda- ploughs the pathless ocean. But in 25 present no serious difficulty., over-head ines should be built along tions to support the trestles, while It is interesting to speculate on the though improvements are continually

and above existing railways and even between these points, streams, roads, chances of seeing some day a Bonnie being devised, it cannot yet be said |

May Bo Reversed.

roadways. The rail-plane would then oxisting railways, and agricultural Rail-plane running between Kowloon, that the aeroplane is by any means The care of the Dennie aero-railway be used for the conveyance of passen-land would remain undisturbed. and Canton, over the existing Tal-. free from danger, and there are still could he run in alther direction with gera and light freights at high speeds,

way. The only region In which a With regard to the cost of main- largo deviation would be necessary while the roads and railways would taining a rail-plane service, it should would be between Yauuiath and many travellers who, with ample op equal cone, Lut not with equal effi- portunition, are unwilling to trust ciency. The propellers are less effl still carry the heavy goods at be reailsed that for a given route the Skatin, and over that section the sero-. themselves to the thrills of flying.

cient when running in reverso. Hence dinary speeds. This acparation Long-distance trains In highly do- It is intended that the cars should fast traffic from slow trame he re-high speed of travel means that only line could fellow very approximately veloped countries provide luxurious normally run in one direction only, gards as of vital importance, especial- a small number of cars would be re- the route taken

by the motor rondi accommodation, with an average and thin involves the provision of a ly in a highly-developed and congest-Jennie discussed with me hour: The journey between the terms

about one hour. Sust Iancu v approximately sixty miles turn-table, or a loop, at Icast at every ed country like Britain. Of course, Bennie discussed with me the prob- would"

per hour, while the passenger-plane of

the rail-plane track would need to de-able service if a rail-plane line were terminus.

opinion of many competent today can give quite remarkable tal claim made for the Beanie viate from the road or railway wher-rected between Glasgow and Edin-judges the Bennie Railplane system comfort, and an average speed about Railplane system is its remarkable over there are sharp bends, or over-burgh, a distance of about fifty miles. Is both mechanically and economically A car, accommodating say 40 passen sound. The stage of invention may double that of the fast train.

cheapneas, bath for construction and bridges, or tunnols. for maintenance, in comparison with

Rers, could do this journey in 20 be regarded Iminutes, and could be back" at the the inventor and his associates are as practically over, and As regards frosh construction over starting-point, ready for second out- of cons. ordinary railways. The following com- parative Agures for costs

undeveloped country, it ward-trip, in little over

one hour (now mainly concerned with advertise- truction are supplied by the inventor, hitherto

should be observed that very

mont and propaganda. The large tttle Hence, only seven Car would be number of interested enquiries they Double Track Railway £60,000 per levelling would be necessary, as mo- necessary to maintain normally a ten- have received from governments and derate variations of ground-level minutes service, capable of conveying transport companies in many parts of Double Track Tramway £30,000 per would be balanced by using treatles each way about 240 passengers per the world encourage the hope that at

of different heights, and these tres- hour. Thin high-frequency of service, Double Line Tube Rallway $800,000 tlos could be built-up from standar- and the possibility for the traveller distant date the system may be

widely adopted.

To indicato in the fewest words the character of the Bonnie Railplane, we might call it an attempt to combine the speed of the aeroplane with the safety of the train. Hence the name "rail-plano". The now carrier is like an aeroplane that cannot fall, at any speed or at no speed; though it has no wings, and in appearance resem- blos rather a small airship.

mile.

mila.

!

Ground Work Minimised.

of

In the

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