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Transit / Re: Turbine Locomotives
« on: March 09, 2014, 09:46:22 am »
Many thanks for your reply Hijau. I found the jet trains fascinating with their B36 engines. "JPU" sounds about right to me!
The YouTube video you mention is an extract from "Union Pacific Turbines of the Wasatch" published by Pentrax. I bought a copy a few years ago. It's very comprehensive showing the locomotives being serviced, fueled and sanded followed by journeys over the Wasatch range hauling very long freight trains. During servicing the locomotives moved around the yards using an auxilliary diesel engine, which also acted as the turbine starter motor. The only thing that rather spoils the DVD is a superflous commentary along the lines of "...the turbines can travel at high speeds..." accompanied by a view of the turbine travelling at high speed.
Apparantly UP coupled two 8500HP turbines together but found that on entering a tunnel the train engine would flame out. They don't say why but I think it would be most likely due to air starvation.
They were very noisy indeed and a good indication of the sound level would be the YouTube video "F4 Phantom Engine Start Up and Take Off" Incidentally on the same page is
"Afterburner Takeoff Night mission F-4 Phantom II HYAKURI AB JASDF" which might interest you.
I'm certain that the GTEL's weren't fitted with afterburners but some of the dramatic flame-outs at start-up makes it look as though they were!
The UK gas turbines were developed by the Western Region of British Railways which at the time still had several members of the Castle Class steam locomotives in service. It wasn't long before the first gas turbine was nicknamed "Kerosene Castle" by the drivers.
Kind regards,
Blue Comet
The YouTube video you mention is an extract from "Union Pacific Turbines of the Wasatch" published by Pentrax. I bought a copy a few years ago. It's very comprehensive showing the locomotives being serviced, fueled and sanded followed by journeys over the Wasatch range hauling very long freight trains. During servicing the locomotives moved around the yards using an auxilliary diesel engine, which also acted as the turbine starter motor. The only thing that rather spoils the DVD is a superflous commentary along the lines of "...the turbines can travel at high speeds..." accompanied by a view of the turbine travelling at high speed.
Apparantly UP coupled two 8500HP turbines together but found that on entering a tunnel the train engine would flame out. They don't say why but I think it would be most likely due to air starvation.
They were very noisy indeed and a good indication of the sound level would be the YouTube video "F4 Phantom Engine Start Up and Take Off" Incidentally on the same page is
"Afterburner Takeoff Night mission F-4 Phantom II HYAKURI AB JASDF" which might interest you.
I'm certain that the GTEL's weren't fitted with afterburners but some of the dramatic flame-outs at start-up makes it look as though they were!
The UK gas turbines were developed by the Western Region of British Railways which at the time still had several members of the Castle Class steam locomotives in service. It wasn't long before the first gas turbine was nicknamed "Kerosene Castle" by the drivers.
Kind regards,
Blue Comet