Four O'Clock Factoid: Turbotrain

Four O'Clock Factoid is a daily feature on Track Twenty-Nine helping to get you through the workday with a bit of useless knowledge.

In an effort to improve passenger service in North America, the TurboTrain was introduced by Canadian National for runs between Toronto and Montreal in 1968. The train also began runs in the United States in 1968 on the New Haven Railroad. The train used gas turbine engines for propulsion and its lightweight, articulated design gave it a speed advantage over traditional trains in North America. The TurboTrain set the North American speed record for a production train at 170.8 miles per hour on December 20, 1968 on the Northeast Corridor between Trenton and New Brunswick.