A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired upright and recumbent bicycles. As part of the Streamline Moderne trend, the term was applied to passenger cars, trucks, and other types of light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicles, but now vehicle streamlining is so prevalent that it is not an outstanding characteristic. In land speed racing, it is a term applied to the long, slender, custom-built, high-speed vehicles with enclosed wheels.
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In this Dossier
Streamliner in the context of Velomobile
A velomobile (/ˈvɛloʊmoʊˌbil/), velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but with a full fairing (aerodynamic or weather protective shell) and are not to be confused with purpose-built mobiles for speed records. Fully faired vehicles with two wheels are generally called Streamliners and have set many speed and distance records.
Though fast in their own right, velomobiles are considered much more suitable for the street than two-wheeled streamliners. Using three or more wheels can have advantages for everyday use, including the ability to stop and start unaided, better stability, cross-wind handling, etc., though there are arguments made that the multiple track machines (three or more wheels) have aerodynamic disadvantages due to the drag of the extra wheels and the surface contact points. In practice though, velomobiles continue to be close to their two-wheel cousins in performance.
Streamliner in the context of Hayes Truck
The Hayes Manufacturing Company, also known as Hayes, was a Canadian manufacturer specializing in heavy equipment vehicles. Founded in 1928 as Hayes-Anderson, Hayes developed custom trucks and off-road vehicles to expanded with the local forestry industry in Vancouver. Before World War II, Hayes had diversified into streamliner buses, while afterwards they expanded into on-highway semi-trailer trucks. In 1969, Mack Trucks acquired a majority stake in Hayes before ultimately being sold off to Paccar five years later. Hayes ceased operations in 1975.
Streamliner in the context of LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard
LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard is a 4-6-2 ("Pacific") steam locomotive built in 1938 for operation on the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. Its streamlined, wind tunnel tested design allowed it to haul long-distance express passenger services at high speeds. On 3 July 1938, Mallard broke the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph (203 km/h), which still stands today.
While in British Railways days, regular steam-hauled rail services in the UK were officially limited to a 90 mph (140 km/h) "line speed", before the Second World War, the A4s had to run significantly above 90 mph (140 km/h) just to keep schedule on trains such as the Silver Jubilee and The Coronation, with the engines reaching 100 mph on many occasions. Mallard covered almost one and a half million miles (2.4 million km) before it was retired in 1963.
Streamliner in the context of Grand tourer
A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed, long-distance driving with luxury specifications. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. Grand tourers are often the coupé derivative of luxury saloons or sedans. Some models, such as the Ferrari 250 GT, Jaguar E-Type, and Aston Martin DB5, are considered classic examples of gran turismo cars.
The term is a near-calque from the Italian language phrase gran turismo, which became popular in the English language in the 1950s, evolving from fast touring cars and streamlined closed sports cars during the 1930s.
Streamliner in the context of Landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for engaging the surface — typically land, but may also be the surface of a water body — when parking, taxiing, takeoff or landing. It was also formerly called alighting gear by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin Company. For aircraft, Stinton makes the terminology distinction undercarriage (British) = landing gear (US).
For aircraft, landing gear is the foundational part of airframe that supports the craft's weight when it is not in flight, keeping the fuselage at a clearance off the ground so it can avoid sustaining frictional/collisional damages. Wheeled landing gear is the most ubiquitous, used in almost all aircraft that perform conventional and short takeoff and landing, while skids or floats are used in aircraft that can take off and land vertically or operate from snow/ice/water. Landing gears from early aircraft are usually fixed, and remain protruded under the aircraft during flight, with no or only partial fairing coverage to reduce drag; while most modern aircraft have retractable undercarriages that fold into the fuselage during flight, which maximizes aerodynamic streamlining and allows for faster airspeeds and smoother flight control.
Streamliner in the context of NACA cowling
The NACA cowling is a type of aerodynamic fairing used to streamline radial engines installed on airplanes. It was developed by Fred Weick of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1927. It was a major advancement in aerodynamic drag reduction, and paid for its development and installation costs many times over due to the gains in fuel efficiency that it enabled. NACA won the 1929 Collier Trophy for its development.