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The Bennie Railplane
 
George Bennie was born in Auldhouse, Glasgow, in 1892, the son of an engineer. In his youth, which was mostly spent in Rothesay, he began to show signs of his ability as an inventor.One of the first patents to bear the Bennie name was an ashtray for use at sea. No matter how far the ship would sway or list the Bennie ashtray would remain level.
In 1921, he turned his attention to a revolutionary new concept of public transport. His idea was to get railways off of the ground and into the air. Bennie believed that fast passenger traffic should be separated from the slower heavy goods trains.
 
You can see a short silent film here [filmed by James Anderson in 1931 in black and white] of the four-bladed propellor prototype of the Bennie Rail Plane in motion on the test stretch of track built in Milngavie. It was on the industrial site opposite the Burnbrae that has become almost derelict.
Bennie Railtrack Pictures