VIDEO: The Insane History of “Flying” Trains – From the Aerowagon to the Jet Train

For a brief moment in the 20th century, engineers dared to ask a dangerous question: “What happens if we put an airplane engine on a train?”
The result was an era of engineering hubris that produced some of the fastest, loudest, and most terrifying machines ever to ride the rails.
In our latest documentary feature, “Railway Icarus,” we explore the forgotten history of propeller-driven wagons and jet-powered locomotives. Utilizing AI-assisted visual reconstruction, we have brought these lost machines back to life to tell their tragic stories.
Here is a look at the engineering marvels featured in the documentary:
1. The Soviet Aerowagon (1921)
In the chaos following the Russian Revolution, Valerian Abakovsky built a high-speed wagon powered by an aircraft propeller. It was designed to carry Soviet officials across the vast country at record speeds. While it successfully reached 140 km/h, its story ended in a catastrophic derailment that claimed the life of its inventor.
2. The German Schienenzeppelin (1931)
Meaning “Rail Zeppelin,” this silver beast looked like an airship on tracks. Powered by a massive BMW aircraft engine and pushed by a propeller at the rear, it set a speed record of 230 km/h in 1931—a record that stood for 24 years. However, the danger of a spinning propeller in a crowded train station sealed its fate.
3. The American “Black Beetle” (1966)
Perhaps the most famous American experiment, the M-497 was a standard commuter car modified by the New York Central Railroad. Engineers strapped two surplus B-36 bomber jet engines to its roof. In Ohio, it hit 183 mph (296 km/h), setting a US rail speed record that still stands today.
4. The French Aérotrain (1974)
Jean Bertin’s vision was to eliminate the wheel entirely. The Aérotrain was a hovercraft train that floated on a cushion of air over a concrete “inverted-T” track. It was smooth, silent, and reached 430 km/h. Yet, despite its technical success, it lost the political battle to the conventional steel-wheeled TGV.
Why Did They Fail?
These machines were faster than anything on the rails today, yet they are all extinct. The documentary dives deep into the physics and economics that killed the dream of the “Jet Train.”
Watch the full visual history above to see these mechanical beasts in action.