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home to over 28,000 classes that’ll teach you just about anything. In 1969, Britain set out to build a train
unlike any other. A high speed train that wouldn’t need to
run on a high speed railway. When everyone else was pouring billions into
constructing new smooth and straight high-speed rail lines, the British would instead design
a train that could reach incredible speeds on any kind of track. Even twisting and winding railways built a
hundred years earlier. Because this train would lean into corners,
like a motorcycle. And it promised to bring Britain’s antiquated
railways into the 20st century. It’s smooth, quiet, and an altogether delightful
experience. Everything that the developers and designers
told me that the train should do, it does appear to do, and does it exceptionally well. This was going to be the Advanced Passenger
Train, and in an era of automobiles and jet travel, it was going to save Britain's railways. In the 1960’s, Britain's railways were in
trouble. After declining for decades, there were fewer
people riding trains in 1965 than there were back in 1890. And rail lines around the country were shutting
down. The problem was, Britain’s railways were
slow and antiquated. Steam locomotives were still in use well into
the1960’s. And that stood in contrast against the exciting
freedom of automobiles and the speed and glamor of jet powered air travel. If British Rail was going to compete in this
new era, they’d need much faster trains. Because elsewhere in the world, high speed
rail was proving that it could win back passengers. Japan’s new Bullet Trains were an instant
success, carrying over 100 million passengers in just the first three years of service. But high speed trains need special tracks. Long, straight sections of rail and gentle
curves. And to get their bullet trains to work, the
Japanese built an entirely new high-speed rail line, constructing thousands of bridges
and tunneling right through mountains. For their TGV, the French would end up doing
much the same, building hundreds of kilometers of high speed track. But in Britain, there wasn't going to be any
new railway. For one, the country already had a vast rail
network. And with ridership declining, much of it was
underutilized. So the British set out to engineer a new kind
of high speed train, one that would run on Britain’s existing railways. But it wasn't going to be easy. Britain's 100 year old rail network was full
of twists and turns, and a train can only round a bend so fast before the ride becomes
uncomfortable. Because lateral forces can send items flying
off tables, or even knock passengers off their feet. The Japanese and French built their new high
speed railways with gentle, banked curves to minimize these lateral forces. But the British, would come up with a brilliant
alternative. Instead of building tilted tracks, they’d
engineer a tilting train. By leaning the rail cars into curves, like
a motorcycle, lateral forces on passengers could be minimized, or even eliminated altogether. And British Rail would pioneer the world's
first active tilting system. Unlike earlier tilting suspensions, it would
use computers and sensors to read forces, and hydraulic rams to actively tilt each rail
car. It took British Rail nearly two decades to
develop the technologies, but by 1979, they had built train unlike any in British history. It would be called the Advanced Passenger
Train. Driven by eight traction motors housed in
central power cars, the APT produced a total of 8000 horsepower, making it the most powerful
domestic train to ever operate in Britain. With its advanced braking system, the APT
could quickly decelerate from high speeds allowing it to work with Britain's outdated
signaling system. And with active tilting, it could round a
bend nearly twice as fast as any British train. And during testing in 1979, the APT hit 261
km/h, setting a new British speed record. One that would hold for another 23 years. Britain's new train, was going to revolutionize
its railways, and there were plans to build a fleet of over 50. But when the APT entered service as a prototype
on December 7th 1981, almost overnight it went from being heralded as the train of the
future, to the subject of intense media ridicule. The train was plagued by technical problems. Everything from frozen breaks to failed tilting
mechanisms. And on the third day of service, one even
broke down on the way from Glasgow to London. But most embarrassing, the tilt caused nearly
a third of passengers to become motion sick. So bad were the problems, that after just
a couple weeks, British Rail was forced to pull the APT from service. It would take another three years of development
and testing just sort out all of the issues. In the meantime, British Rail tried to fight
back against the negative press. Like in this promotional video featuring rattling
dishes and a cup of coffee on the verge spilling. The conventional service from Glasgow to Houston
is good. There’s not a patch on this. It’s smooth, quiet, and an altogether delightful
experience. Everything that the developers and designers
told me that the train should do, it does appear to do, and does it exceptionally well. But the press had already written the APT’s
obituary. The train had been put into service before
it was ready. Over 15 years and 50 million pounds had gone
into development. But designing a 250 km/h train to run on an
antiquated rail network proved too ambitious for British Rail. The APT was supposed to enter service as early
as 1976, but with so many novel features needing development all at once, the program was difficult
to manage. And it was plagued by technical hurdles, delays,
and in some cases, complete redesigns. And the APT wasn’t adequately tested, moving
from the experimental stage to a fully functional prototype after having run just 37 thousand
kilometers. Meanwhile, in testing their TGV, the French
racked up nearly a half a million kilometers. And even as the experimental APT was beginning
to prove itself, many within British Rail were hostile towards the program, preferring
conventional rail technologies over such a revolutionary leap. So British Rail split its resources and began
developing a more conventional, and not quite as fast diesel train without active tilting. Throw in labor disputes, quality control issues,
and wavering political support, and the entire program might’ve been doomed from the start. By 1980, Britain was in an economic recession. And with the APT program at risk of being
cancelled altogether, the prototype trains were rushed into service. When it was reintroduced again three years
later in 1984, the active tilt had been modified to reduce motion sickness and the trains proved
reliable in service. But none of that mattered. Because the APT could never operate to its
full potential, having to share tracks with slower trains and overhead electrical lines….that
weren't designed for higher speeds. The APT was held back by the very same outdated
rail network that it was supposed to overcome. With little will to develop it any further,
the APT was quietly removed from service in 1986. But there’s a final twist of irony in the
APT’s story. Because in 1982, British Rail sold patents
for its tilting technology to Italy’s Fiat, who were developing an active tilting train
of their own. In 2002, Italian designed tilting trains were
reintroduced to Britain’s railways. Today, they operate along the London to Glasgow
route, which is the exact same route the APT was once supposed to serve. Starting this YouTube channel has been one
of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Not a day goes by where I don't look forward
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This was interesting. Thank you