The New York Central M497 (nicknamed the Black Beetle by the press) came about when the railway was experimenting with high speed trail travel in 1966. Two second hand GE J47 jet engines were installed on the roof of an RDC car and several runs were conducted on the straight level mainline track east of Butler, Indiana, resulting in a speed record of almost 184 mph, a record that still stands today. It was decided that the setup was not practiacal for commercial service.
Perhaps they'd seen too many Wile E Coyote cartoons ?
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