Aérotrain Cab Resembles Cockpit of a WW2 Fighter Plane

The Aérotrain, a failed yet innovative 1970s transport prototype, is now seen as something of a denizen of retro-futurism. And perhaps it’s no great surprise that the vehicle’s cab more closely resembled the cockpit of a World War Two or early Cold War fighter aircraft than a traditional railway locomotive. Looking through the windscreen and canopy, above the Aérotrain’s retro instruments, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you were sitting in the cockpit of a Hawker Hurricane or an Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The vehicle pictured is the Aérotrain 02 prototype. Smaller than the 01 version, and resplendent in gleaming bare metal finish, the 02 was a sub-scale prototype of a vehicle that ultimately never made it into production. Operated by a two-person crew and powered by a small Pratt & Whitney JT12 turbojet engine, Aérotrain 02 was trialled on a now abandoned test track in France.