To Montlhéry to catch a Train!

I wouldn't have gone to the Autodrome Heritage Festival at Montlhéry this year but was attracted to
go by a train that was celebrating its 50th anniversary of having been tested there.

The Aerotrain Experimental 01 at Montlhéry in 2015 at the Autodrome Heritage Festival

My fascination with this train had started a few years back when on train journey from Paris to Bourges I had seen a strange structure that looked like a monorail running alongside the conventional line.  This year when driving along the A19 autoroute I noticed again the same structure.

Views of the Aerotrain line from the A19 autoroute.  They cut through the line when building the autoroute.

A few searches on the internet revealed that this structure was a line that had carried a very futuristic experimental train in the sixties and seventies.  Apparently the engineer Jean Bertin had built four trains of which one still existed.  Pictures of the trains showed them to be something out of a fifties or early sixties Sci-Fi novel.   I wanted to see one and then my wife Jane told me that one was going to be at Montlhéry in June so I had to go! The pictures of it and facts from the exhibition are shown below.

Driver's view of the train controls

With the train suspended on a cushion of air created by a couple of Renault Gordini engines the car travelled at great speed powered by a helicopter engine and aircraft propeller.

But there were also some nice cars at Montlhéry......

Alpine Renault A362 Paul Ricard racing school car from the early seventies but based on the 1968 F3 car and powered by a Renault Gordini R12 engine.

Renault Gordini powered Martini single seater

Another Martini single seater

Jaguar C Type in Ecurie Ecosse colours in the Montlhery paddock...

....and out on the Montlhery banking

Alpine Renault A110 rallye car

Ford Capri RS on the Montlhery banking

I would be seeing more of these Ford Capris and Escorts later in the weekend.

Mk1 Ford Escort high on the banking

Peugeot on the banking

Motor cycling legend Jim Redman at the circuit

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.