BR - flying saucer?

[wintonian]

I have just discovered that BR in 1970 submitted a patent for a space vehicle to take us round the galaxy visiting all the other planets.

European Patent Office:
http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=1310990A&KC=A&FT=D&date=19730321&DB=&locale=

Wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_flying_saucer

Now it's not April 1st and it looks like there is a patent registerd, so is Wiki winding me up or did someone at BR forget to take their pills one day?

 

[starrymarkb]

Not really, the guy who designed it was under a contract where anything he designed was the property of his employers*, hence BR ended up with the rights to the flying saucer



*hence how IBM file 500 patents per day

 

[gordonthemoron]

what else did BR invent?

Tilting Train technology
Ring pull cans (allegedly)

anything else?

 

[starrymarkb]

what else did BR invent?

Tilting Train technology

That wasn't a BR invention, Talgo had tilt in the 50s, ableit passively through clever suspension*, BR were experimenting with active tilt, as were other manufacturers including Fiat and Bombardier. The BR tech was sold to Fiat and combined with Fiat's own prototype kit in order to perfect that.

*Talgo stock doesn't have bogies or indeed axles

 

[gordonthemoron]

*Talgo stock doesn't have bogies or indeed axles

I didn't know that