Why did this romantic train and it's principles of design, that were the wave of the future...just like the small car trend that Japan and Europe first adopted, get passed over happening here in America? Some of the reasons are fleshed-out here at this website (at the bottom of this section click the forward arrow to find out more), but lets get back to this fabulous fantasy that Harley Earl turned into fantastic fact by creating the Aerotrain. It was so futuristic, it's still running ahead of schedule today in America. All of the evidence presented in this section of the website supports this perspective. Is it a good thing, at the dawn of 21st Century, that General Motors built its most modern train, ever, almost fifty years ago? This is the epitome of  unplanned obsolescence, but to keep things on a lighter note, maybe a new era of rail travel will begin again someday in America? 

Revolutionary in concept but not radical in construction, this train was built of components already proved in the rail and bus field (not surprisingly, this tender start is exactly how a low priced Corvette was originally brought to life in volume production). The cost and performance of the Aerotrain was aimed at making passenger business profitable for railroads. Only three of these trains were ever built, and two have held the test of time and can be seen at American train museums.

Click below to examine Mr. Earl's unique book written on design in industry

First two pages, below, show a Case History on the Aerotrain and were taken from Harley Earl's 1956 design book, The Look of Things.

Today's General Motors has a corporate responsibility to uphold this important American history. 

HJE at another introduction of one of his "dream products" of transportation