The TGV Turbo

In the 1960s well before the TGV days as we know them begun in 1981 SNCF first started to see the need to push the speed of trains on railways up because of increasing competition from the car. The first thing to be build was a train but instead of using a diesel engine which are very limited in their speed a gas turbine engine was used, such as the type used in helicopters. This gave it the advantage of speed. In fact this train holds the world rail speed record for a non electric at 192mph

However with the dramatic increase in oil prices in the 1970s meant that the turbo train was abandoned in favour of electricity. However the technology was not completely lost, it was sold to North America which lead to the production of the American turbo train