15 Strange Transportation Ideas That Almost Became Reality
There have been several outstanding inventions in the history of transportation that have permanently altered humankind. However, for every successful innovation, such as the car or airplane, a number of novel ideas proceeded to the point of development before being shelved and before becoming widely used.
These lost modes of transportation provided insights into alternate eras where individuals might have traveled in ways that are strange to us today. Take a look at 15 odd transportation ideas that made remarkably good headway toward adoption before being disrupted from conception to reality by issues like practicality, safety, or economics.
Nuclear-Powered Aircraft
In the 1950s, both the U.S. and Soviet Union invested millions in developing nuclear-powered aircraft capable of remaining airborne for months without refueling. Engineers actually built and tested aircraft reactors, with the American program creating a modified B-36 bomber that carried an operational reactor.
Concerns about catastrophic accidents and radiation exposure to crews ultimately grounded these programs, though not before working prototypes demonstrated the technical feasibility of atomic flight.
Pneumatic Subway
In 1870, New York City briefly ran the first pneumatic subway in history, moving a passenger car down a tunnel beneath Broadway using air pressure. The concept’s technical feasibility was demonstrated by Alfred Beach’s 312-foot secret demonstration tunnel, which moved passengers via a large fan system.
Despite successful public demonstrations, political resistance and financial issues hindered the extension of the pneumatic system, allowing conventional rail to dominate urban transit development for the following century.
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Rocket Belts
The jet pack of countless science fiction fantasies came remarkably close to practical implementation in the 1960s when Bell Aerosystems developed the rocket belt for the U.S. military. These hydrogen peroxide-powered units successfully transported individual soldiers short distances and even appeared in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball.
The technology’s extremely short flight duration—less than 30 seconds—and inability to carry practical payloads ultimately relegated rocket belts to entertainment rather than transportation, despite their technical functionality.
Gyrocopters as Commuter Vehicles
The Bensen Gyrocopter gained popularity in the 1950s as a potential commuter aircraft that enthusiasts believed would soon fill suburban skies. These simple, affordable aircraft combined helicopter-like short takeoff capabilities with unprecedented affordability, leading to predictions of aerial commuting becoming commonplace by the 1970s.
Challenges with weather sensitivity, noise complaints, and the complexities of air traffic control systems prevented the personal gyrocopter revolution despite thousands being constructed and flown by private pilots.
Ford’s Flying Car
Ford made a significant effort to construct the Volante Tri-Athodyne, a mass-production concept flying car, in the 1950s. Ford experts believed this circular vehicle could transform personal transportation since it would use three propellers for vertical takeoff and landing.
Before giving up on the idea due to issues with the power-to-weight ratio and regulatory complexity that looked prohibitive for mass-market adoption, the company actually constructed scale models and carried out aerodynamic testing.
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Convair Model 118 ConvAirCar
The ConvAirCar represented one of history’s most advanced flying car prototypes, completing several successful test flights in 1947. This remarkable vehicle featured a detachable car with a dedicated flight module that owners could connect when air travel was desired.
The prototype crash-landed during its third flight due to a fuel gauge misreading rather than design flaws, spooking investors despite the pilot walking away unharmed. Development ceased despite the concept’s proven technical viability.
Hovertrains
In the 1960s, several countries including France, the United States, and Britain invested heavily in hovertrain technology as a faster alternative to conventional rail. These vehicles floated on cushions of air, eliminating friction and potentially enabling speeds over 300 mph without the expense of maglev infrastructure.
Multiple functional prototypes were built and tested at impressive speeds before funding dried up, leaving conventional high-speed rail and maglev systems to become the standards for advanced rail travel.
Ekranoplans
The Soviet Union developed massive ground effect vehicles called ekranoplans that flew just feet above water surfaces, combining aircraft speed with ship-like fuel efficiency. The most famous example, the “Caspian Sea Monster,” reached speeds of 400 mph while carrying 544 tons of cargo or troops.
These massive vehicles operated efficiently in a sweet spot between ships and aircraft. However, their sensitivity to weather conditions and operational limitations restricted them to specialized military applications rather than transforming civilian transportation.
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Supersonic Transport Networks
In the 1960s, multiple nations planned extensive networks of supersonic passenger aircraft connecting major cities worldwide with travel times cut by two-thirds. Beyond the famous Concorde, American manufacturers developed the Boeing 2707 with federal funding, while the Soviet Union created the Tu-144.
These programs anticipated dozens of supersonic aircraft serving global routes by the 1980s. Economic realities, environmental concerns, and the oil crisis ultimately restricted supersonic travel to the limited Concorde service rather than the envisioned global networks.
Automated Highway Systems
In the 1990s, the U.S. government partnered with automotive manufacturers to develop automated highway systems where specially equipped vehicles would link electronically and travel in high-speed platoons. A demonstration in 1997 showed eight fully automated vehicles traveling at highway speeds with no driver input, changing lanes and maintaining spacing without human control.
Budget cuts and the complexity of transitioning existing infrastructure ended this program, though many technologies developed later appeared in modern driver assistance features.
Personal Rapid Transit
Morgantown, West Virginia operates the only successful example of personal rapid transit, a transportation concept that many urban planners in the 1970s believed would revolutionize city movement. These systems feature small, automated vehicles running on dedicated guideways, providing on-demand service without fixed schedules.
Dozens of cities conducted advanced planning for PRT networks, with some breaking ground before abandoning projects due to technical challenges and cost overruns despite the fundamental concept’s proven viability.
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Coandă Effect Aircraft
Henri Coandă developed aircraft utilizing the aerodynamic principle now bearing his name, where air follows curved surfaces to generate lift without conventional wings. His 1910 Coandă-1910 represented the first attempt at a jet-powered aircraft decades before jet engines became standard.
Though technically viable, these designs proved difficult to control and optimize compared to conventional aircraft configurations, leaving them as fascinating alternatives that never reached widespread adoption despite their scientific soundness.
Pogo Helicopters
Several helicopter manufacturers developed “pogo” designs where the entire aircraft took off and landed on its tail before transitioning to horizontal flight. The Convair XFY Pogo actually achieved successful transitions between vertical and horizontal flight during the 1950s, demonstrating the concept’s viability for naval applications requiring minimal landing space.
The extreme piloting skill required for landing maneuvers and vulnerability during transition ultimately canceled these programs despite their successful demonstration of technical feasibility.
Moller Skycar
Paul Moller spent over 50 years and millions of dollars developing a practical flying car for the mass market. His M400 Skycar prototype conducted tethered flights demonstrating vertical takeoff and landing using multiple ducted fans.
Despite appearing on magazine covers and attracting significant investment, the Skycar remained perpetually “just a few years away” from production due to regulatory hurdles, power system limitations, and control system complexities that proved more challenging than initial projections suggested.
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Railplane
George Bennie’s Railplane system, tested in Scotland during the 1930s, featured propeller-driven carriages suspended from overhead rails above conventional train tracks. The system achieved speeds up to 130 mph during demonstrations and attracted international attention as a means of adding express service without building new rail lines.
The Great Depression dried up investment capital despite successful technical demonstrations, leaving a short test track as the only implementation of this unique transportation alternative.
The Perpetual Almost
These transportation curiosities remind us that technological progress isn’t linear or inevitable. Financial constraints, regulatory challenges, and practical limitations often determine which innovations reach widespread adoption more than technical merit alone.
Many concepts demonstrated technical viability without achieving economic practicality, while others simply arrived before supporting infrastructure or public acceptance could sustain them. Today’s emerging transportation technologies face similar hurdles, suggesting that some current prototypes may eventually join this fascinating collection of what-might-have-been vehicles that proved technically possible but commercially impractical.
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