George Bennie Railplane
George Bennie: The Railplane #
Official LNER poster (1929): See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
George Bennie began the railplane concept in 1921 and the experimental car was built between 1929 and 1930, designed with the assistance of engineer Hugh Fraser. The car was built by William Beardmore & Company.
Location: Milngavie, Glasgow, Scotland #
The 426ft (130 m) elevated test track stood immediately east of Main Street, Milngavie, above a London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) siding to Burnbrae Dyeworks. Today it’s just east of the Kelvin Timber premises.
Location in 1930 #
Aerial view of the test track. © Copyright: HES (Aerofilms Collection)
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George Bennie (on left) is demonstrating a model of the railplane to dignitaries. University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections, GB248 DC 85/3/9
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University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections, GB248 DC 85/3/20
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University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections, GB248 DC 85/3/29
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Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common
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Bennie’s vision of transport for the future - and the harsh reality #
Between 1929 and 1930 George Bennie built a trial stretch of track with one railplane car at Milngavie near Glasgow as a demonstrator. He invited potential clients to sit in the comfortable carriage and take a ride along the short track. The railplane ran along an overhead monorail, with guide rails below. The power was supplied by propellers attached to on-board motors, front and rear.
Bennie’s plan was to build the overhead gantries above existing railway lines. A speed of 120 miles per hour (193 km/h) was claimed, although it could never be tested and confirmed. His railplane would offer fast passenger and mails and perishable goods service. Each car on the railplane could carry a maximum of forty-eight passengers.
George Bennie could not obtain the financial backing he required to develop his transport system. Sadly, the derelict prototype railplane and supports were sold for scrap in 1956.
Footage courtesy of YouTube (British Pathé archival footage of the George Bennie Railplane, 1930)
This plaque is located near 123 Main St Milngavie postcode: G62 6JA, on the shed where his Railplane car was built and survives as part of Kelvin Timber. By Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65986223
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George Bennie (1891-1957) #
- Born: 29 August 1891 at Auldhousefield, Harriet Street, Pollokshaws Glasgow.
- Family: Second of four children of John Bennie (co-owner of an engineering firm Star Engine Works and general/hydraulic engineer) and Elizabeth Gillespie (his second wife).
- Raised: At the family’s mansion, Auldhousefield.
- Marital Status: Never married. records suggest that he lived in a shared household in SW1 London around 1939.
- Military Service: Enlisted in the Army Service Corps in October 1914 as a shoesmith during WWI; served in France. Awarded the 1914 Star as a result of early service.
- Royal Flying Corps: Transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in March 1916 as an Air Mechanic; with formation of the RAF in 1918, continued as a Fitter (Aero Engines).
- Recreation: He was a keen golfer and donated the Bennie Trophy for the Bute Amateur Open Championship. He also liked sailing and owned a 25ft motor launch named Devonia.
- Patents: Applied for UK patent for the Railplane in 1921. Granted in 1923.
- Inter-Counties Ltd: The company that was backing the Railplane ousted George Bennie in May 1936.
- Bankruptcy: Declared bankrupt in 1937, with debts of around £5,061 and contingent liabilities over £22,000.
- Death: George Bennie died on 19 November 1957 (or 20 November, in some records). The records are not clear, he either died in a nursing home or St Elba’s Hospital in Epsom, Surrey.
Sources #
The Railplane
Biography: George Bennie