
The Failed Race to Build the Hyperloop of the 1870s - kushti
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3059809/the-failed-race-to-build-the-hyperloop-of-the-1870s
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dredmorbius
There's also the Vactrain concept. Several variants were pursued from 1914 on,
with Robert Salter of RAND writing a couple of proposals in the 1970s.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain)

Salter, Robert M. (August 1972), The Very High Speed Transit System, RAND
Corporation

[https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4874.html](https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4874.html)

Salter, Robert M. (February 1978), Trans-Planetary Subway Systems: A
Burgeoning Capability, RAND Corporation

[https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6092.html](https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6092.html)

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Animats
There was much early enthusiasm for pneumatic propulsion, and some lines were
built. London had a working system, the London Pneumatic Dispatch Railway,
1865.[1] It could carry passengers, but was really for mailbags.
Unfortunately, the elevator hadn't been invented yet, and getting the mailbags
up from track level to post office level quickly was a bottleneck. Also, the
system leaked air at many points. (Good rubber gaskets are quite modern - oil
resistant rubber (Neoprene) dates from WWII. Early systems used oiled leather.
There were many early pneumatic and steam powered ideas that didn't work
because gaskets and piston rings weren't good enough yet.)

[1] [http://www.londonreconnections.com/2015/londons-lost-
pneumat...](http://www.londonreconnections.com/2015/londons-lost-pneumatic-
railway-the-worlds-2nd-oldest-underground/)

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cloudjacker
No matter what you accomplish, in America you will be remembered for being
penniless and broke.

~~~
noonespecial
A better lesson might be "work on what interests you but don't let it become a
Cause you're willing to martyr yourself for because in America, you'll be
given the freedom to do just that."

