Work on high-speed monorail transport ended abruptly in the mid-1930s, despite positive reviews.
In 1933, in the capital’s Central Park of Culture and Leisure. Gorky, an unusual structure appeared: a circular wooden overpass with a large-scale copy of the so-called Waldner air train. The designer is a philosopher, musician and self-taught inventor Sevastian Sevastyanovich Waldner.
The 2.5 m model developed a speed of up to 120 km / h. The blowing of the model at TsAGI confirmed the possibility of reaching a speed of 250 km / h, and theoretical studies showed that when driving over 300 km / h, the stability of the crew should be “extremely high”.
The full-size air train was supposed to accommodate 300 passengers. Two 530 hp engines promised a very significant speed of 250-300 km / h, even in modern times. For lightly loaded directions, an option for 80 seats was developed. The system was found to be highly resistant to snow drifts: the snow from the experimental overpass did not need to be cleaned off even when trams stopped in Moscow due to strong blizzards.
Work on the air train was canceled abruptly, despite positive prototype test results. The reasons for this decision were not disclosed. But, most likely, at the top they simply relied on aviation, and not on air trains.
