GE steam turbine locomotives
| GE steam turbine locomotives | ||
|---|---|---|
Head end power Yes | | |
| Boiler pressure | 1,500 pounds per square inch (10,000 kPa)–1,600 pounds per square inch (11,000 kPa) | |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) |
| Power output | 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) |
| Tractive effort | Starting: 86,500 pounds-force (385,000 N) Continuous: 32,000 pounds-force (140,000 N)–40,500 pounds-force (180,000 N) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Union Pacific New York Central Great Northern |
| Locale | United States |
| Delivered | April 1939 |
| Withdrawn | June 1939 (UP) 1943 (GN) |
| Disposition | Scrapped |
The General Electric steam turbine locomotives were two
The two locomotives were delivered to UP in April 1939, and they completed test runs and participated in a variety of publicity events for the railroad, including the grand opening of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's film Union Pacific, and an inspection by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. While the locomotives displayed excellent acceleration and could maintain schedules better than conventional steam locomotives, they were also unreliable and expensive to maintain. They never entered regular revenue service.
In June 1939, UP returned the locomotives to GE. By December 1941, the railroad had abandoned the project. In 1941, the GE steam turbine locomotives were tested by the New York Central, and they were operated by the Great Northern in 1943 during the World War II "power crunch" (a lack of sufficient locomotives to sustain regular operations) before being retired from service later that year. They were scrapped before the end of World War II.
Background
Development of the General Electric (GE)
GE had hoped to deliver a prototype steam turbine locomotive to UP in 1937, but none were completed until December 1938, and were delivered for testing in spring 1939.[2][3][4][5] In total, the two prototype locomotives had taken almost two years to complete.[2]
Design
GE's new steam turbine locomotives featured streamlined bodies with an appearance somewhat similar to contemporary
The February 1939 issue of General Electric Review claimed that each of the steam turbine locomotives could attain speeds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) and that they had two times a conventional steam locomotive's thermal efficiency. The two units built for UP were streamlined and capable of producing 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW), and had been designed to operate together "elephant style", nose to tail. Fully loaded, each of the two locomotives weighed 548,000 pounds (249,000 kg). Each could produce 86,500 pounds-force (385,000 N) of starting tractive effort, and between 32,000 pounds-force (140,000 N) and 40,500 pounds-force (180,000 N) of continuous tractive effort, depending on the amount of cooling.[3]
Both of the locomotives had Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers, as well as specialized Bailey Meter Company equipment designed to automatically fire and regulate the boiler.[2][6] Each boiler regularly operated at 920 °F (493 °C) and 1,500 pounds per square inch (10,000 kPa) to 1,600 pounds per square inch (11,000 kPa), a boiler pressure higher than that of any extant steam locomotive and much higher than contemporary conventional steam locomotives.[5][6][7] The GE locomotives stored enough oil to give them an operating range of 500 miles (800 km) to 700 miles (1,100 km).[6]
The turbines were designed to operate at 12,500
Another notable feature was
The locomotives also used a
Operation
The locomotives were in operation for six months, among the shortest operational careers in recorded railroading.
During test runs, the locomotives displayed excellent acceleration and an ability to maintain schedules better than conventional steam engines, although they also had serious reliability problems and relatively high maintenance costs.
While UP retained interest in the concept of steam turbine locomotives for the next two years, in December 1941 it decided to end its agreement with GE.[8][9] Rail transport author Brian Solomon opines that this was due to the development of other types of locomotives, particularly the 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" steam locomotives, EMD E-units, and EMD FT freight diesels, as well as a potential personnel change in the railroad's motive power department in 1939.[8][10]
GE continued to work on its steam turbine locomotives after UP lost interest. In 1941, the New York Central tested them along its Water Level Route in New York. During the "power crunch" on American railroads caused by World War II, in 1943 the steam turbine locomotives were operated by the Great Northern between Spokane and Wenatchee, Washington.[8] By that point, they had been repainted a dark gray,[11] and renumbered GE-1 and GE-2.[8][9] According to a number of sources, including The Streamliner, they provided satisfactory service for GN.[8] By late 1943, the locomotives were retired from service and returned to GE.[9] They were scrapped before the end of World War II.[5]
Legacy
The GE steam turbine locomotives were both the first turbine locomotives to be built in North America as well as GE's only steam-powered locomotives.[2]
In the words of history professor and author Jeffrey W. Schramm, the locomotives "were the most ambitious and technologically advanced locomotives to have traveled American rails to that point."[7][12] UP historian Alfred Bruce described the design as "one of the most exceptional steam locomotives ever built".[5][8]
UP steam turbine locomotives #1 and #2 have been reproduced in model form by Overland Models.[13]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Solomon 2014, p. 59
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Strack, Don (July 2, 2014). "A History of Union Pacific Dieselization, 1934–1982". UtahRails.net. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Solomon 2014, p. 60
- ISBN 9780313330797.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Solomon 2000, p. 123
- ^ a b c d e Solomon 2014, p. 61
- ^ a b c Schramm 2010, p. 235
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Solomon 2014, p. 62
- ^ a b c Strack, Don (April 16, 2011). "The Steam Turbines, After Union Pacific". UtahRails.net Blog. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Solomon 2014, back cover
- ^ "GE Steam Turbine On The Great Northern". Big Bend Railroad History. March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ Schramm 2010, back cover
- ^ "Overland Models UP Steam Turbine Number 1 & 2". RC/GrabBag.com. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
References
- Schramm, Jeffrey W. (2010). Out of Steam: Dieselization and American Railroads, 1920–1960. ISBN 9780982131374.
GE steam turbine locomotive.
- Solomon, Brian (2014). GE and EMD Locomotives: The Illustrated History. Minneapolis, Minnesota: ISBN 978-0-7603-4612-9.
- Solomon, Brian (2000). Union Pacific Railroad. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI. ISBN 0-7603-0756-3.