Vought Airtrans

The Vought Airtrans was the rubber-tyred electric vehicle and guideway system that LTV's Vought division designed and built for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, where it carried passengers, employees and supplies from 1974 until 2005. Each car was about 21 feet long and 7 feet wide, with an empty weight of 14,000 pounds and a chassis derived from a large electric bus. Cars ran on concrete guideways, were steered by guide rails, drew three-phase power from conductor strips and could be coupled into two or three car trains. Passenger cars held 16 seated and 24 standing riders, while cargo cars carried conveyors for airport freight. DFW chose the design in 1971 after a simulation-backed bid, and the system was replaced by Skylink in 2005. Its technology was licensed in Japan, where Niigata Engineering later supplied similar people mover systems. Cars 45 and 48 survive in preservation.