British Railway Patented a Starship

[cambsy]

Just watched a YouTube video by Jago Hazzard, in which he says that British Rail patented a starship, in 1973, what happened, was that their technical department, had a decree that anything that came out of the Technical Department had to be patented, so one of their Technical bods, Charles Frederick Osmond, had come up with an idea of a Flying Saucer Starship. Using Fusion Nuclear Reactor, and other gubbins, there were also plans to have helicopter landing pads on top of stations for when everyone had an Helicopter and the railways were extinct, it was sure weird times back then, ive only gone on what the video said, so haven’t got more than basics, just think its fascinating what happened in the past on BR, I would be interested if anyone has got anymore on this and any other outlandish BR ideas.

 

[SargeNpton]

That Time Cold War Britain Patented A Flying Saucer

The flying saucer was actually invented in 1973... and then forgotten.

allthatsinteresting.com

 

[gordonthemoron]

I was led to believe, whilst working at BR in the 80s, that BR was largely responsible for LANs

 

[pdeaves]

Have a look at this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/british-rail-non-railway-projects.205823/ (start at post 9)

 

[Trackman]

Talking of helicopters, that reminds me, they came up with an idea of two helipads to ferry passengers to and from Picc/Vic.
There are concept drawings on the internet, the heliports were on the roofs.

 

[randyrippley]

Standard practice back then....tech company employees usually signed away as part of their employment contract all rights to anything they designed or invented in their own time.
Used to cause real problems for friends of mine who worked at Westlands

I think you'll find the chap who "designed" the starship did it in his own time - and then BR pinched the idea off of him. Wouldn't surprise me if he did it as a wind-up to show how stupid the system was.

 

[nlogax]

I believe tech companies getting their legal mitts over stuff invented by employees on their spare time is still a thing..I've certainly been subject to that clause in a previous employment contract. Difference is that these days employees can claim back a portion of any benefit the employer derives from your inventing efforts.

That said, the BR Interplanetary Express was hardly going to get off the ground (sorry).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

That said, the BR Interplanetary Express was hardly going to get off the ground (sorry).

Why not? It was hardly rocket science, was it?

Oh, hang on!

 

[randyrippley]

Why not? It was hardly rocket science, was it?

Oh, hang on!

A few years earlier and Riddles would have insisted on it being steam powered

 

[Merthyr Imp]

A few years earlier and Riddles would have insisted on it being steam powered

And painted black.

 

[Cowley]

And painted black.

I think the ring of the saucer would have been quite high too for ease of maintenance.

 

[Bevan Price]

There was a time when some companies would patent (or try to patent) all sorts of spurious "inventions", to try and deflect the attention of competitors away from what they were really developing.....
There may even be one or two including my name.......

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Does sound like something like a certain Wensleydale cheese-loving inventor might have come up with!

 

[WesternLancer]

There was a time when some companies would patent (or try to patent) all sorts of spurious "inventions", to try and deflect the attention of competitors away from what they were really developing.....
There may even be one or two including my name.......

Do you mean like putting the Italians off the scent of developing tilting trains for example?