UNION PACIFIC 4500HP turbine 57

UNION PACIFIC 4500HP turbine 57

Union Pacific had long sought the biggest and best locomotives available. The idea of lashing together four diesels to equal the power of a single steam locomotive was unappealing, so the search began for something bigger. General Electric had been building gas turbines for aircraft and proposed using something similar to create a more powerful locomotive. Union Pacific had discovered that the maintenance costs for a locomotive were largely independent of the locomotive's power output. Using a smaller number of more powerful locomotives would thereby save money.

It was a carbody unit with a B+B-B+B wheel arrangement, i.e. four two-axle trucks, with pairs connected by span bolsters. The turbine produced 4,800 hp (3.6 MW), of which 4,500 hp (3.4 MW) was available for traction. This power output was more than double that of diesel-electric locomotives of that era.

For starting, the unit’s auxiliary diesel generator would be used to power a set of windings installed within the gas turbine’s main generator, causing the generator to rotate. The main generator’s rotation would begin to spin-up the turbine, at which point diesel fuel would be used to start combustion. A steam generator would also be used to heat and liquefy the turbine’s primary fuel supply (heavy 'Bunker C' oil). When the turbine and fuel oil reached their minimum operating temperatures, the fuel feeding the turbine would be switched from diesel to the primary fuel.

This machine weighed 500,000 lb (230,000 kg) and was over 80 ft (24 m) long.

Units 51 to 60 were delivered to Union Pacific beginning in 1952. Nicknamed 'Big Blows' because of their high noise levels, these were essentially identical to the prototype except that they had cabs at only one end. The locomotive frame contained a 7,200-US-gallon (27,000 l) fuel tank.[1] In later years, the locomotives were equipped with 24,000-US-gallon (91,000 l) fuel tenders, which were first tested in October, 1955, behind one of the second generation turbines.

UP 57 was briefly converted to burn propane and was equipped with a pressurized tank car as a tender. This fuel burned cleanly but was more difficult to transport. No other conversions were attempted.[3]

Thank goes to Simulatortrain for the use of his trucks.

UNION PACIFIC 4500HP turbine 57
4500 getl
air intake.texture.txt 33 bytes
air intake.tga 768.02KB
cab interoir.texture.txt 35 bytes
cab interoir.tga 3.00MB
cab.texture.txt 26 bytes
cab.tga 768.02KB
getl grills.texture.txt 34 bytes
getl grills.tga 12.00MB
grill.texture.txt 28 bytes
grill.tga 768.02KB
grill2.jpg 115.02KB
grill2.texture.txt 29 bytes
propane conversion.texture.txt 41 bytes
propane conversion.tga 768.02KB
side screens.texture.txt 35 bytes
side screens.tga 768.02KB
turbine skin.texture.txt 35 bytes
turbine skin.tga 12.00MB
turbine57.im 4.23MB
windowscb-windowscb.texture.txt 53 bytes
windowscb.tga 192.02KB
4500 getl shadow
51-60shadow.im 77.92KB
• config.txt 5.99KB
turbine-art
carbody icon.texture.txt 71 bytes
carbody icon.tga 768.02KB
carbody thumb.texture.txt 73 bytes
carbody thumb.tga 24.02KB