Norman Bel Geddes Database
Job 245, Streamlined Railway Train, 1930-1933
Summary:
Increased passenger comfort was Geddes’s principal objective in this 1931 design. Planned amenities included conditioned air, swivel armchairs, three-quarter size beds rather than berths in sleeping cars, and a full in-train telephone system. Geddes introduced material and maintenance improvements as well. Aluminum bodies increased train speed, and lowered car heights reduced the risks of tipping. All projections were enclosed in a smooth shell of metal and glass, and cars were connected with telescoping bellows to eliminate vacuums. Modern materials reduced overall maintenance needs.
Geddes's high-speed, light-weight "train of the future" was a design featured in Horizons (job 237).