I Came across this site Modern Mechanics and they have an article from a magazine called Popular Mechanics printed in feb 1950.
The Image you see on the front page reminds me of the Venus Project, purhaps this is where Jacque got his ideas from.
WHAT WILL the world be like in A.D. 2000? You can read the answer in your home, in the streets, in the trains and cars that carry you to your work, in the bargain basement of every department store. You don’t realize what is happening because it is a piecemeal process. The jet-propelled plane is one piece, the latest insect killer is another. Thousands of such pieces are automatically dropping into their places to form the pattern of tomorrow’s world.
The only obstacles to accurate prophecy are the vested interests, which may retard progress for economic reasons, tradition, conservatism, labor-union policies and legislation.
This is exactly what has happen and probably why this image is still just a sci-fi fantasy for our future 60 years later.
Also
Magnetic Trains in 1931
ELEVATED trains whizzing at tremendous speed from city to city, powered solely by electromagnetic lines of force, is the new and startling method of rapid transportation now being developed by German engineers.
A war against friction losses has long been waged by scientists; and this electromagnetic rapid transit project now promises to end the conflict. No wheels are to be used for traction. The cars are drawn forward, in one scheme by powerful electromagnets, in the other by huge solenoids.
The Idea has been around for nearly 80 years and yet there are very few around the world.
New Efforts May Harness SUN LIGHT (Oct, 1934)
blog.modernmechanix.com…
Putting Nature’s Power to Work (Aug, 1932)
blog.modernmechanix.com…
It’s Kind of sad we had solar power nearly 80 years ago and still very little technological progression in harnessing the power of the sun.
Unfortunately money make the world go round and it will always hold back out technological advancement