Flight of the M-497

The search for high-speed passenger service began when the New York Central made history with the famous run of Engine 999. On May 10, 1893, the Empire State Express set the U.S. speed record of 112.45 mph. With these roots, it is no surprise that the railroad continued to be interested in providing its riders with high-speed, high-quality passenger service. On July 23, 1966, the New York Central conducted another experiment to discover those qualities of track and roadbed that would allow it to provide improved higher speed service. This time, they put a pair of surplus jet engines on top of a self-propelled railcar. The result of the experiment was a new U.S. rail speed record that has yet to be broken. Hank Morris and M-497 pilot Don Wetzel bring us the exciting true story of those historic speed trials.