All the people that work at IL railway museum are are volunteers and deserve a great deal of credit and respect for the lawn tireless hours they put in to restoring and maintaining these trains and a lot of them run as well thank you very much for having a wonderful Museum my kids and myself have been there several times
Gerry Maloney "All the people that work at IL railway museum" Bottom of sign at 0:33 says pailway museum, it's not a railway museum cause then they would have trains instead of pails, duh.😜 "deserve a great deal of credit and respect for the lawn" So pail enthusiasts compliment them on their lawn and stay on the sidewalks.😜
Volunteered there some time ago, really enjoyed it. Diesels were my "thing", but it's a great place to visit even if you don't volunteer. Volunteering exposes you to what it really takes to keep these beauties running (for those that are used) and how rare much of this equipment is. Chatting with other volunteers teaches you things "right from the horses mouth", and nobody gets into railroading unless they really love it. Thanks to donors and companies that help with work that IRL needs to have done by outsiders too.
As a railroader i agree and i try to show great gratitude whenever my son and i go because they do it because they LOVE it and the people who come to admire railroad heritage and history.
X-18, sounds familiar.. Oh yes, My Grandpa use to work for Union Pacific and he told my dad when he was young a story about a giant train that would blow smoke from a turbine unit, this is it! My grandpa was once in command of this!!!! And it's the one that is preserved thats amazing, thanks for uploading this
My Grand pa used to work on them here in Salt Lake City. They were retired when my dad got on with UP but my dad had seen them run. Wish I could see them fire up and move down the rails.
As a Professional Fabricator since 1986 I can tell you that the time, effort, materials, and money that went into building just one of these monsters is mind blowing.😊
I think to me the most amazing part of a locomotive are the traction motors. The amount of stress on those motors to pull thousands of tons. They must have the best wheel bearings ever make. Amazing.
Union Pacific gas turban engines 🎉 powerful, loud and short lived when UP found out that lashing together 4-6 Diesel's did the same job at less the cost 🎉
This is one of the locomotives that I really wish UP would reaquire to restore for excursion service. Either this one or X-26 out in Ogden Utah. Just imagine one of these on a quadruple header with UP Challenger 3985, The Big Boy 4014, EMD DDA40X 6936.
I have to say, thank you so much for doing this. I make 3d models for games, and this is my current project. I live on the east coast, and cant easily access stuff like this. Because of you this is possible.
I just learned something new. At 14:36, there is a Farr Air Cleaner mounted on this Locomotive. I've only seen these on trucks, not locomotives. Nice video!
This was such a GREAT video! I wish that the interior of the locomotive was in better condition. However, this was still a treat to see what the cab was like in X-18. These loco's from the 50's & 60's are probably my favorite (visually)!!!!
I will have to film the other turbine in Salt Lake City and post a video. If I remember right, everything under the carbody was removed. We are lucky that they left most of the mechanical components in this one.
U did a great job showing me one of my favourite engine from inside ...atleast one should put to full restoration nicely painted cleaned in working order ...to show todays generation how advanced was union Pacific in 1960.s they were useing turbines as the jetliners of that time
These were examples of what did make America great. From the "can do" era. Today things are built elsewhere and technology is slowly disappearing because economists don't want to take risks. I wish a few more of these types of marvels could be restored for us all to admire and appreciate.
Thanks so much for this video. I'm so happy to see she isn't completely gutted. Sadly #26 in Texas is just a shell. :( It was rumored for a longest time that she was mostly in tack and even maybe some restoration. I doubt it would happen. But just having her AUX diesel engine in the A unit running would be enough to bring her to life again. The Turbines are still my favorite engine of all time. I wish UP would show some love to X-18, Like they have kept the DD40 running. Both are massive milestones in railroad history after the steam era.
I did a job in Bahrain in 1979 where the GE shop needed a first stage turbine wheel from an ancient unit. The gas turbine was in the Bapco Oil Refinery in Bahrain and it drove a hydrogen centrifugal compressor at the Platformer. I heard that the part came from an old locomotive in Texas in a museum. We referred to that type of gas turbine as a 5 bearing Frame 3. There were 2 identical units in Colombia driving generators in a plant in the jungle near Medallin. Now I wonder if they cannibalized #26 for the part needed in Bahrain.
The other Big Blow is in Ogden Utah at the Union Station. It's not this rough, but could use a good solid cleaning and some glass work. They won't let anyone tour the cab, so it's unknown what condition it's in.
It's a beautiful locomotive. It certainly would look good pulling the passenger train. Running it with the turbine would probably be out of the question, but I don't it would be too hard to drop a standard 16 cylinder in the locomotive. I know the small diesel engine was used for yard moves. Maybe the museum could get the engine running again and use it for special events.
Unfortunately only the mechanics who used to work on these locomotives can probably explain that. I really don't know much about how they work except the basics.
Ok I understand. They ended their service in 1970, so there should be some old heads around that worked on the Turbines that could provide that information, if we could just find out who they were.
Shane Singleton most of the turbine is there but with noise complaints it’s not likely. The diesel is froze so you would need a new one or a lot of money to get it running. Only two of the traction motors work and they have been hot wired to the diesel.
Just drop some Marvel mystery oil down in those cylinders and let it sit for a few days. She'll brake free at the first touch of the key ;) Seriously though that is very unfortunate about the diesel.
Shane Singleton it is, there’s been small talk about getting the a unit running and have the 3 car unit pull a few passenger cars. But this is very unlikely
What's the condition if the A unit? THat's really the only one that HAS to run for an excursion. This thing isn't going to be hauling more than a small handful of cars if that happens so it doesn't need 6000hp
I worked for GE Aircraft Engines for 31 yrs. This is not an aircraft jet engine. It is a Frame 5 industrial unit. Very tough, heavy and not as efficient as a modern day jet engine. I would love to see it restored also.
I worked at GE Aircraft Engines in Ontario, California, besides aircraft jet engines, we overhauled industrial units, like the LM-2500 and LM-5000, these were used in Navy ships and for generating electrical power. I'm sure the advancement in industrial turbines is far beyond the 1950 technology of what was used in the UP Turbines. I wonder what GE has now, in the way of turbines, that would make a good replacement for the unit in # 18 I'm sure the power, fuel efficiency , weight, emissions and probably even exhaust noise levels would be far superior to the original power plant
I congratulate you, finally a video that shows a lot of details that are not in sight, a long time ago I look for images of this locomotive in which the bogie looks with all its parts, especially the brake system. possibility of doing it at scale 1.5. very good the video and the stability of the camera
Now that was fasinating. I had no idea the wheels themselves COULD BE disattatched from the axel . Ive watched. " wheel axel" swith outs on video before. The mechanics of a.locomotive is something to behold too.
Thanks for this video. I never realized just how massive these beautys are. Also i didnt even know there were any left. And It looks to be in really really good shape.
I was there last weekend and talked to some of the volunteers about if she'll ever run again. They sais maybe on the diesel engine, but the turbine itself will never run again
But for the turbine to be in operation again,it would need to be rebuilt so they are more fuel efficient than they were in the late late 50s and 69s, as fuel prices are not the same like they were before the 70s. Fuel was much more cheaper back then
Depending on the weather I wonder how long it would take to bring such a machine up from a cold start. For one there is a regular 850hp diesel that's needed as an axillary power unit(APU)to heat up the bunker fuel for the turbine and to put around the yard at low speed hooking up cars and such.
Thanks for sharing. I have been there several times and it's always great looking over all that heavy iron. I for one would love to see all of it restored to new condition. The money is not there and they do the best that they can with the funds the visitors and sponsors provide. The railroads are the same as everyone else. As models become old and obsolete. The many become parts suppliers for the few, till there and no parts available to continue operating the few. Then it is time to scrape them. Some of the lucky ones cheat the cutting torch and are preserved for younger generations to at least see and sometimes touch.
Believe it or not the gas turbines used in this locomotive are still in use in other machinery around the United States. You could buy a rebuilt turbine tomorrow and drop it in this locomotive.
0:33 that :Other Museum" was in Kansas City! It closed in the 1980s! When i saw this engine at the IRM back in 2014, I thought it was going to start up and reverse!
Good video showing one of the old turbine. I can remember when it was here in Kansas City. While it sad that they will never rumble again, at least this one (and another on UP) survives.
Lovely video ,I think this lovely union pacific diesel should be restored to running condition ,union pacific is my favorite railroad company ,and I love to visit that lovely diesel in america one day 😊
They were very loud, not fuel efficient, and some, but not all, put out more smoke than a steam locomotive. Amtrak had some French-built turbine powered trains on their roster some years ago, the turbines themselves were much smaller, and more fuel efficient, but just as loud.
Inside the UP gas turbine: I've seen these old engines at The Old Town Rail Museum, Sacramento, Ca. The engine that really impressed me was the Cab Forward coal hauler with eight very large drive wheels!! I LOVE TRAINS!!!😁😁😁
The RUclips channel "AgentJayZ" deals a lot with turbine engines from almost any application. The guy who runs it might answer some questions *if you are polite*. He even shows and explains how they work in many of his videos!
Can someone clear something up for me? If it's a gas turbine then why does it have a diesel engine as it's prime mover? I thought that's what the turbine was for
The diesel engine was used for moving the locomotive around the yard, and other small moves like going to the locomotive shop. High horsepower locomotives tend to load up and move quickly making slow speeds jerky and difficult. I would imagine moving the locomotive 10 feet to spot it at a fuel station using the turbine was not easy. Turbines also consumed a lot of fuel, were noisy, and high maintenance. It was probably company policy to only use the turbine when coupled to a train. I often wonder how many cars the turbine could pull only using the diesel engine?
As Traveling Tom mentioned the diesel was the hostler engine for these locomotives and was located in the "A" unit. It was an approximately 250 hp unit so it was just enough to move the locomotive around yards and service facilities and make very "light load" moves. I do however have to disagree with the "jerky" characterization of low speed moves in large locomotives. Having electric final drives eliminates this. The difficulty spotting these at precise locations was the response delay of the turbine prime mover spinning up to turn the generator at the required power level. Gas turbines respond very slowly because of their large rotational inertia. Even current aeroplane gas turbine engines (jet engines) respond slowly - the industry standard is flight idle to full power in 15 seconds!! It's not an easy standard for manufacturers to meet. The turbine itself, as in all the UP turbine programs, is not an aero-deriviative engine as is common in similar applications nowadays (more recent gas turbine locomotives, naval ships, stationary "peaker" power plants, pipeline pumps etc.,) but is a "heavy frame" gas turbine. Even in its day this turbine was not a "cutting edge" machine even though the application was. It was designed to run on "bunker C" which is the residue from the refining process and is in fact often thicker than the crude oil that enters the fractioning process. It was, at the time these locomotives were being developed, a very inexpensive fuel which was a significant factor in developing these locomotives. This fuel has to be heated for it to flow, and on these locomotives that was steam heat from an auxiliary boiler. It was all the necessary auxiliary equipment required to support the relatively simple gas turbine which made these such complicated and high maintenance locomotives . Like all Gas Turbines of their day, and to a lesser extent those of today, they were very inefficient at low powers. At high power, above 90%, their efficiency starts to approach the specific fuel consumption values of a diesel which is why these locos always lead very heavy trains over the high speed domain of Sherman Hill. Ultimately these locomotives were "done in" by the rise in price of the Bunker C fuel. It would be wonderful if UP eventually re-acquired one of the preserved locos and restored it. Maybe after 4014 is done and UP is looking for another public relations project! I won't hold my breath though. I hope this helps you understand a bit more about these unique locomotives which really are historically significant machines. Thanks and Cheers Carl
Thanks for the history lesson on this bit of excellent machinery Carl. One thing I'd query though, how man traction motors did this thing have ? I notice with the video clip, the lead loco had 6 all up. Did the rear unit have any as well ??
@itchyver - sorry for the delay but I just saw your post. There were 12 traction motors on these GTEL locomotives, three per truck, two trucks per unit (A and B units, no traction motors on the tender). To power the A unit from the turbine powered generator there were huge power cables between the B and A units. 12 traction motors was the only way that the manufacturers could reliably put that much power to the rail - and just how reliable was that? Remember these were DC traction motors that were fundamentally late 50's technolgy and for the time a continuous 700 hp per motor was really "pushing the limits" of the technology. Even the celebrated and highly successful SD40-2 of the mid-70s put out little more than 550 hp per traction motor!! And it has only been in the last 15 years that a reliable 1000 hp per traction motor has been a realistic capability and that is a product of the AC traction motor technology. There was some "up-rating" of these locomotives with ratings sometimes being listed at 10,000 hp. That was a bit of a "numbers game" though as the 8500 hp rating was for operation at 6000 ft altitude and at 90F ambient temperatures. While the turbine could be pushed to this power level at lower elevations and cooler temperatures, with a associated reduction in their service life, the electric drive really was not up to the task. There were allegedly some discussion within the UP Engineering group of adding traction motors to the tenders to take advantage of the higher turbine rating and there are reports of 10,000 hp trials around Los Angeles that are said to have put traction motors on the tenders but these reports are uncorroborated in any of my hard-copy references. Whatever the truth may be by that point fuel costs had pretty much "finished off" these locomotives. There are also stories that these locomotives finished their service lives burning a heavy fuel oil, not light distillate like today's locomotives but much lighter than Bunker C. Again I have not corroboration in hard-copy references, although if true it would have been cost competitive at the end of their service lives and could have some technical advantages regarding the hot section of the turbine. An internet search under UP GTEL locomotive brings up a few decent articles, first off being the wiki, but there is still a lot of speculation about these locomotives and their capabilities as those who built and operated them have mostly passed away. I remember in the late 80s or early 90s Trains Magazine (I think) put forth a case discussion for a new generation of GTELS using aero-derivative engines. As with the original GTELs the proposed locomotives"fell apart" primarily on the electrical transmission but also on tractive effort. To utilize the power potential of an aero-derivative gas generator a new generation GTEL would need many 10s of tons of ballast otherwise the wheels would simply fruitlessly and uncontrollably spin at high power levels. And the power levels themselves were also a big problem, Outright high power levels were no longer a driving force in the locomotive market. Rather, railroads were more interested in modular capabilities (MU'ed operation to get high power levels) and tractive effort. Add to that by teh 80s even more than in the 60s specific fuel consumption drove operating costs. At full power a new aero-derivative gas turbine comes very close to, sometimes even matches a diesel engine. But schedule realities mean that even heavy loaded trains on high speed routes don't push their prime movers to 100% capacity often enough to make an economic argument for a new generation of GTELs. As much as we might like to see a new generation of GTELs it is highly unlikely for general service locomotives. Anyway, enough rambling. Thanks and Cheers Carl
Oof, that would not be a passenger train I would want to ride on for long. I've heard the noise from one of these just at idle shook near by buildings.
Restoration of #18 is a long time from now, the UP is finishing 4014, and more interest in restoration needs to be relayed to the UP regarding #18. The turbines were very loud and did shake buildings near the tracks. We will have to wait and see what happens.
they were called BIG BLOWS for a reason ,, and i have watched old films of these machines ,, the smoke they produced was absolutely insane they were LOUD in the manner of a jet airplane
No the diesel engine was just used for yard moves. Not sure how much it could pull using the diesel engine but by the size of the engine and generator maybe 10 or 15 cars.
The front locomotive contains the Diesel engine. The second unit contained the single turbine and generator. There was never more than one turbine installed.
Sadly most of it's guts have been removed making an original restoration nearly impossible, but, I imagine it wooould be possible to re engine it with a new modern engine and technology, Now that would be doable. I'm sure UP has a wreck somewhere they could scavenge for parts.
All the people that work at IL railway museum are are volunteers and deserve a great deal of credit and respect for the lawn tireless hours they put in to restoring and maintaining these trains and a lot of them run as well thank you very much for having a wonderful Museum my kids and myself have been there several times
tyvm everyone
Gerry Maloney
"All the people that work at IL railway museum"
Bottom of sign at 0:33 says pailway museum, it's not a railway museum cause then they would have trains instead of pails, duh.😜
"deserve a great deal of credit and respect for the lawn"
So pail enthusiasts compliment them on their lawn and stay on the sidewalks.😜
My dad has been volunteering at IRM for over 30 years, in Barn 4
Volunteered there some time ago, really enjoyed it. Diesels were my "thing", but it's a great place to visit even if you don't volunteer. Volunteering exposes you to what it really takes to keep these beauties running (for those that are used) and how rare much of this equipment is. Chatting with other volunteers teaches you things "right from the horses mouth", and nobody gets into railroading unless they really love it. Thanks to donors and companies that help with work that IRL needs to have done by outsiders too.
As a railroader i agree and i try to show great gratitude whenever my son and i go because they do it because they LOVE it and the people who come to admire railroad heritage and history.
X-18, sounds familiar.. Oh yes, My Grandpa use to work for Union Pacific and he told my dad when he was young a story about a giant train that would blow smoke from a turbine unit, this is it! My grandpa was once in command of this!!!! And it's the one that is preserved thats amazing, thanks for uploading this
That's awesome!! Well i'm a proud UP Conductor
My Grand pa used to work on them here in Salt Lake City. They were retired when my dad got on with UP but my dad had seen them run. Wish I could see them fire up and move down the rails.
As a Professional Fabricator since 1986 I can tell you that the time, effort, materials, and money that went into building just one of these monsters is mind blowing.😊
I think to me the most amazing part of a locomotive are the traction motors. The amount of stress on those motors to pull thousands of tons. They must have the best wheel bearings ever make. Amazing.
Watching this locomotive form the outside, make me so happy! Watching it from the inside, makes me so sad...
I can only think of one word whenever I look at these locomotives, AUDACIOUS!
I’m a fan of the Union Pacific turbines, their looks, their power, and I’m glad that one is preserved!
Actually 2 gen 3 turbines are preserved. Number 26 is on display in Ogden Utah. You are right, very cool locomotives indeed!
Union Pacific gas turban engines 🎉 powerful, loud and short lived when UP found out that lashing together 4-6 Diesel's did the same job at less the cost 🎉
This is one of the locomotives that I really wish UP would reaquire to restore for excursion service. Either this one or X-26 out in Ogden Utah. Just imagine one of these on a quadruple header with UP Challenger 3985, The Big Boy 4014, EMD DDA40X 6936.
I have to say, thank you so much for doing this. I make 3d models for games, and this is my current project. I live on the east coast, and cant easily access stuff like this. Because of you this is possible.
Great video have been here several time with my kids excellent museum this is 1 of my 2 favorites of giant union pacific greatness
I just learned something new. At 14:36, there is a Farr Air Cleaner mounted on this Locomotive. I've only seen these on trucks, not locomotives. Nice video!
This was such a GREAT video! I wish that the interior of the locomotive was in better condition. However, this was still a treat to see what the cab was like in X-18. These loco's from the 50's & 60's are probably my favorite (visually)!!!!
I will have to film the other turbine in Salt Lake City and post a video. If I remember right, everything under the carbody was removed. We are lucky that they left most of the mechanical components in this one.
We have number 26 in Ogden I believe... number 18 looks great, thanks for the detailed camera work.
U did a great job showing me one of my favourite engine from inside ...atleast one should put to full restoration nicely painted cleaned in working order ...to show todays generation how advanced was union Pacific in 1960.s they were useing turbines as the jetliners of that time
Do put it bluntly this is the last turbine in existence there is none other in the world this is the last one there is no other ones to be restored
These were examples of what did make America great. From the "can do" era. Today things are built elsewhere and technology is slowly disappearing because economists don't want to take risks. I wish a few more of these types of marvels could be restored for us all to admire and appreciate.
Thanks so much for this video. I'm so happy to see she isn't completely gutted. Sadly #26 in Texas is just a shell. :( It was rumored for a longest time that she was mostly in tack and even maybe some restoration. I doubt it would happen. But just having her AUX diesel engine in the A unit running would be enough to bring her to life again. The Turbines are still my favorite engine of all time. I wish UP would show some love to X-18, Like they have kept the DD40 running. Both are massive milestones in railroad history after the steam era.
X-26 is at the UT. ST. Railway museum in Ogden UT. don't know what condition it's in inside. My Icon.
I did a job in Bahrain in 1979 where the GE shop needed a first stage turbine wheel from an ancient unit. The gas turbine was in the Bapco Oil Refinery in Bahrain and it drove a hydrogen centrifugal compressor at the Platformer. I heard that the part came from an old locomotive in Texas in a museum. We referred to that type of gas turbine as a 5 bearing Frame 3. There were 2 identical units in Colombia driving generators in a plant in the jungle near Medallin. Now I wonder if they cannibalized #26 for the part needed in Bahrain.
Man locomotives have come a long way!!
The other Big Blow is in Ogden Utah at the Union Station. It's not this rough, but could use a good solid cleaning and some glass work. They won't let anyone tour the cab, so it's unknown what condition it's in.
I wish trains still looked like land-submarines instead of stretched out humvee's.
And how exactly does a P42DC look like a stretched Hummer, much less an SC-44 or F125?
I think the Union Pacific Railroad should reaquire UP Gas Turbine locomotive #18 and restore it to operating condition! What do you think?
It's a beautiful locomotive. It certainly would look good pulling the passenger train. Running it with the turbine would probably be out of the question, but I don't it would be too hard to drop a standard 16 cylinder in the locomotive. I know the small diesel engine was used for yard moves. Maybe the museum could get the engine running again and use it for special events.
Is it an old one?
He is so dirty .Aarrhhgg
Bottles ,papers.
I think if restored it could work.
Greetings from Switzerland.
Ana Maria Oliveira Yes I believe it is an old one. my guess would be its from the 1950s maybe
6:57 gives you date
David Vermillion thanks
Interesting Video, I just wish we had some audio, explaining the various parts of the locomotive and what they do
Unfortunately only the mechanics who used to work on these locomotives can probably explain that. I really don't know much about how they work except the basics.
Ok I understand. They ended their service in 1970, so there should be some old heads around that worked on the Turbines that could provide that information, if we could just find out who they were.
I would love to hear one of these units at full throttle.
You’d probably never hear anything else again lol
They called them the “big blow” for a reason
Sorry. I can't hear anything any more.
Would love to see an interior cosmetic restoration of this beast so we can see what it looked like when it was operational
Very cool. Like exploring the wreck of the Titanic. Have only seen this from standing outside, so thanks for this video.
It would be excellent if they could at least get the diesel prime mover running if not the turbine.
Shane Singleton most of the turbine is there but with noise complaints it’s not likely. The diesel is froze so you would need a new one or a lot of money to get it running. Only two of the traction motors work and they have been hot wired to the diesel.
Just drop some Marvel mystery oil down in those cylinders and let it sit for a few days. She'll brake free at the first touch of the key ;) Seriously though that is very unfortunate about the diesel.
Shane Singleton it is, there’s been small talk about getting the a unit running and have the 3 car unit pull a few passenger cars. But this is very unlikely
What's the condition if the A unit? THat's really the only one that HAS to run for an excursion. This thing isn't going to be hauling more than a small handful of cars if that happens so it doesn't need 6000hp
Shane Singleton I don’t know much I can look more into it. All I know as of now is the prime mover is frozen
THANK YOU! I have been trying to see what is inside the nose of these for a while!
I worked for GE Aircraft Engines for 31 yrs. This is not an aircraft jet engine. It is a Frame 5 industrial unit. Very tough, heavy and not as efficient as a modern day jet engine. I would love to see it restored also.
I worked at GE Aircraft Engines in Ontario, California, besides aircraft jet engines, we overhauled industrial units, like the LM-2500 and LM-5000, these were used in Navy ships and for generating electrical power. I'm sure the advancement in industrial turbines is far beyond the 1950 technology of what was used in the UP Turbines. I wonder what GE has now, in the way of turbines, that would make a good replacement for the unit in # 18 I'm sure the power, fuel efficiency , weight, emissions and probably even exhaust noise levels would be far superior to the original power plant
I congratulate you, finally a video that shows a lot of details that are not in sight, a long time ago I look for images of this locomotive in which the bogie looks with all its parts, especially the brake system. possibility of doing it at scale 1.5. very good the video and the stability of the camera
Thank you.
Awesome video. Thanks for not putting music up. 👍
Now that was fasinating. I had no idea the wheels themselves COULD BE disattatched from the axel . Ive watched. " wheel axel" swith outs on video before. The mechanics of a.locomotive is something to behold too.
Remember seeing them run in Cheyenne in the late 1950's.
Thanks for this video. I never realized just how massive these beautys are. Also i didnt even know there were any left. And It looks to be in really really good shape.
There is two left but the one in Ogden, Utah is pretty much empty inside.
I was there last weekend and talked to some of the volunteers about if she'll ever run again. They sais maybe on the diesel engine, but the turbine itself will never run again
Hard to say. Those gas turbines used in the locomotive are still used in other industries and are still being rebuilt so the opportunity is there.
But for the turbine to be in operation again,it would need to be rebuilt so they are more fuel efficient than they were in the late late 50s and 69s, as fuel prices are not the same like they were before the 70s. Fuel was much more cheaper back then
@@travelingtom923 hopefully that does happen
Depending on the weather I wonder how long it would take to bring such a machine up from a cold start. For one there is a regular 850hp diesel that's needed as an axillary power unit(APU)to heat up the bunker fuel for the turbine and to put around the yard at low speed hooking up cars and such.
I went there in 2018 with my son...maybe i'll show my UP employee ID and see if i can get access in there lol.
That would be cool
my icon's X-26,at the Ut. st. rail museum in Ogden UT.. yes, they should restore these locos.
I've been to Union Station. They also have I believe the first ever SP SD45 built, and the last D&RGW unit still in full D&RGW black and gold paint.
+Cardboard Silver yes they do!
Hope they get this beast brought back to life and motion
Adam Chancellor I think they will
Adam Chancellor let's hope they do bring it back to life
we'll see. when the turbine units were in regular service there were lots of noise complaints. those turbines are LOUD.
This really needs to be restored
Go ahead and send them a check.
Thank you for posting
You are welcome.
Thanks for sharing. I have been there several times and it's always great looking over all that heavy iron. I for one would love to see all of it restored to new condition. The money is not there and they do the best that they can with the funds the visitors and sponsors provide. The railroads are the same as everyone else. As models become old and obsolete. The many become parts suppliers for the few, till there and no parts available to continue operating the few. Then it is time to scrape them. Some of the lucky ones cheat the cutting torch and are preserved for younger generations to at least see and sometimes touch.
Believe it or not the gas turbines used in this locomotive are still in use in other machinery around the United States. You could buy a rebuilt turbine tomorrow and drop it in this locomotive.
@@travelingtom923 That would be very cool to see this locomotive in action for sure
0:33 that :Other Museum" was in Kansas City! It closed in the 1980s!
When i saw this engine at the IRM back in 2014, I thought it was going to start up and reverse!
Yeah, and moved to Ogden in 1987, and repainted in 1989.
What a magnificent beast
Very Good video!
Thank you!
Good video showing one of the old turbine. I can remember when it was here in Kansas City. While it sad that they will never rumble again, at least this one (and another on UP) survives.
7:52 I wonder if UP is missing a welder?
Looks to be an 8500 GTEL with the B unit. Later units did 10,000hp.
Lovely video ,I think this lovely union pacific diesel should be restored to running condition ,union pacific is my favorite railroad company ,and I love to visit that lovely diesel in america one day 😊
Richard Joganah I agree should be restored
I think that they may restore it
A good resting place; at the museum. Must have been really loud when running.
It really surprises me that there's a lot metal on earth to make this railway what it is nowadays
Does anyone know why the turbine engines were short lived, they didn't really have long service as compared to other trains
They were very loud, not fuel efficient, and some, but not all, put out more smoke than a steam locomotive. Amtrak had some French-built turbine powered trains on their roster some years ago, the turbines themselves were much smaller, and more fuel efficient, but just as loud.
been there , alot of great stuff to look at.
She is a spoiled one. She has new paint and everything.
Cool! It looks very unique!
Awesome work Awesome vehicle ..
dad says they started that diesel unit 20 years ago, I'll ask him more when I see him.
Ever get around to it
@@ethanspaziani5269 Not talked to him yet, He's a trucker, so it's hit or miss catching him.
Looks like quite a few parts are missing.
Inside the UP gas turbine: I've seen these old engines at The Old Town Rail Museum, Sacramento, Ca. The engine that really impressed me was the Cab Forward coal hauler with eight very large drive wheels!! I LOVE TRAINS!!!😁😁😁
Is there any footage of this magnificent machine running? UP was always ahead of the curve with monstrous locomotives that looked good to boot.
Yes there is a few DVDs on the Union pacific turbines. Here is some footage here ruclips.net/video/spngeetQfRI/видео.html
i cant imagine how loud it was in the cab.
It wasn’t loud at all. The Turbine was in the second unit with the exhaust facing up and aft.
Impressive video hopefully it can be restored
Somewhere there is a story about one of these getting held up and got stuck waiting under a bridge, melting the roadway above it.
Yes I remember seeing that!
I heard that Union Pacific Gas Turbine Electric Locomotive #X-18 used to run in the IRM.
The RUclips channel "AgentJayZ" deals a lot with turbine engines from almost any application. The guy who runs it might answer some questions *if you are polite*. He even shows and explains how they work in many of his videos!
Very cool! Thanks for posting this!😎👍👍👍😎
Belíssimo registro dessa varavilhosa locomotiva.
Existe alguma ainda em uso?
paulo ribeiro no
Nao, seria muito caro reparar uma e o barulho das turbinas seria tao alto que elas seriam proibidas de passar perto das cidades
Pretty good musuem no sound tho good video😀
Can someone clear something up for me? If it's a gas turbine then why does it have a diesel engine as it's prime mover? I thought that's what the turbine was for
The diesel engine was used for moving the locomotive around the yard, and other small moves like going to the locomotive shop. High horsepower locomotives tend to load up and move quickly making slow speeds jerky and difficult. I would imagine moving the locomotive 10 feet to spot it at a fuel station using the turbine was not easy. Turbines also consumed a lot of fuel, were noisy, and high maintenance. It was probably company policy to only use the turbine when coupled to a train. I often wonder how many cars the turbine could pull only using the diesel engine?
Traveling Tom thank you. It was confusing me that it had two different engines. I understand now.
As Traveling Tom mentioned the diesel was the hostler engine for these locomotives and was located in the "A" unit. It was an approximately 250 hp unit so it was just enough to move the locomotive around yards and service facilities and make very "light load" moves. I do however have to disagree with the "jerky" characterization of low speed moves in large locomotives. Having electric final drives eliminates this. The difficulty spotting these at precise locations was the response delay of the turbine prime mover spinning up to turn the generator at the required power level. Gas turbines respond very slowly because of their large rotational inertia. Even current aeroplane gas turbine engines (jet engines) respond slowly - the industry standard is flight idle to full power in 15 seconds!! It's not an easy standard for manufacturers to meet.
The turbine itself, as in all the UP turbine programs, is not an aero-deriviative engine as is common in similar applications nowadays (more recent gas turbine locomotives, naval ships, stationary "peaker" power plants, pipeline pumps etc.,) but is a "heavy frame" gas turbine. Even in its day this turbine was not a "cutting edge" machine even though the application was. It was designed to run on "bunker C" which is the residue from the refining process and is in fact often thicker than the crude oil that enters the fractioning process. It was, at the time these locomotives were being developed, a very inexpensive fuel which was a significant factor in developing these locomotives. This fuel has to be heated for it to flow, and on these locomotives that was steam heat from an auxiliary boiler. It was all the necessary auxiliary equipment required to support the relatively simple gas turbine which made these such complicated and high maintenance locomotives . Like all Gas Turbines of their day, and to a lesser extent those of today, they were very inefficient at low powers. At high power, above 90%, their efficiency starts to approach the specific fuel consumption values of a diesel which is why these locos always lead very heavy trains over the high speed domain of Sherman Hill. Ultimately these locomotives were "done in" by the rise in price of the Bunker C fuel.
It would be wonderful if UP eventually re-acquired one of the preserved locos and restored it. Maybe after 4014 is done and UP is looking for another public relations project! I won't hold my breath though.
I hope this helps you understand a bit more about these unique locomotives which really are historically significant machines.
Thanks and Cheers
Carl
Thanks for the history lesson on this bit of excellent machinery Carl. One thing I'd query though, how man traction motors did this thing have ? I notice with the video clip, the lead loco had 6 all up. Did the rear unit have any as well ??
@itchyver - sorry for the delay but I just saw your post.
There were 12 traction motors on these GTEL locomotives, three per truck, two trucks per unit (A and B units, no traction motors on the tender). To power the A unit from the turbine powered generator there were huge power cables between the B and A units. 12 traction motors was the only way that the manufacturers could reliably put that much power to the rail - and just how reliable was that? Remember these were DC traction motors that were fundamentally late 50's technolgy and for the time a continuous 700 hp per motor was really "pushing the limits" of the technology. Even the celebrated and highly successful SD40-2 of the mid-70s put out little more than 550 hp per traction motor!! And it has only been in the last 15 years that a reliable 1000 hp per traction motor has been a realistic capability and that is a product of the AC traction motor technology.
There was some "up-rating" of these locomotives with ratings sometimes being listed at 10,000 hp. That was a bit of a "numbers game" though as the 8500 hp rating was for operation at 6000 ft altitude and at 90F ambient temperatures. While the turbine could be pushed to this power level at lower elevations and cooler temperatures, with a associated reduction in their service life, the electric drive really was not up to the task. There were allegedly some discussion within the UP Engineering group of adding traction motors to the tenders to take advantage of the higher turbine rating and there are reports of 10,000 hp trials around Los Angeles that are said to have put traction motors on the tenders but these reports are uncorroborated in any of my hard-copy references. Whatever the truth may be by that point fuel costs had pretty much "finished off" these locomotives. There are also stories that these locomotives finished their service lives burning a heavy fuel oil, not light distillate like today's locomotives but much lighter than Bunker C. Again I have not corroboration in hard-copy references, although if true it would have been cost competitive at the end of their service lives and could have some technical advantages regarding the hot section of the turbine.
An internet search under UP GTEL locomotive brings up a few decent articles, first off being the wiki, but there is still a lot of speculation about these locomotives and their capabilities as those who built and operated them have mostly passed away.
I remember in the late 80s or early 90s Trains Magazine (I think) put forth a case discussion for a new generation of GTELS using aero-derivative engines. As with the original GTELs the proposed locomotives"fell apart" primarily on the electrical transmission but also on tractive effort. To utilize the power potential of an aero-derivative gas generator a new generation GTEL would need many 10s of tons of ballast otherwise the wheels would simply fruitlessly and uncontrollably spin at high power levels. And the power levels themselves were also a big problem, Outright high power levels were no longer a driving force in the locomotive market. Rather, railroads were more interested in modular capabilities (MU'ed operation to get high power levels) and tractive effort. Add to that by teh 80s even more than in the 60s specific fuel consumption drove operating costs. At full power a new aero-derivative gas turbine comes very close to, sometimes even matches a diesel engine. But schedule realities mean that even heavy loaded trains on high speed routes don't push their prime movers to 100% capacity often enough to make an economic argument for a new generation of GTELs.
As much as we might like to see a new generation of GTELs it is highly unlikely for general service locomotives.
Anyway, enough rambling.
Thanks and Cheers
Carl
I’ve been there and seen that exact same loco!🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃
Sooooooooo badass
It sure is.
I would love to see one of these “Big Blow” locomotives in action, just imagine the diesel sounds and that Turbine!!!!!❤
even the trains were beautiful back then.
I made Union Pacific gas turbine # 18 to operate in Mexico before returning to it's display in the Illinois railroad museum.
9:08 ah yes. The ever important shitter.
UP-18 should be restored to working condition and they can send it back to the museum for the railroad days so it can pull passenger trains.
Oof, that would not be a passenger train I would want to ride on for long. I've heard the noise from one of these just at idle shook near by buildings.
csx
Restoration of #18 is a long time from now, the UP is finishing 4014, and more interest in restoration needs to be relayed to the UP regarding #18. The turbines were very loud and did shake buildings near the tracks. We will have to wait and see what happens.
they were called BIG BLOWS for a reason ,, and i have watched old films of these machines ,, the smoke they produced was absolutely insane they were LOUD in the manner of a jet airplane
Aperture Science I agree it would be cool if it was restored
Thanks for good video👍😄😄😄
That Turbine is huge. The sound must have been screaming. SKF made the bearingboxes...
Cool video! Iv seen that one.
So did the diesel engine work in tandem with the turbine?
No the diesel engine was just used for yard moves. Not sure how much it could pull using the diesel engine but by the size of the engine and generator maybe 10 or 15 cars.
Frank Whittle's locomotives then, minus some traction motors? At least they saved one, but weren't the big ones Do-Do's?
The "Big Blows" are worthy of restoration and preservation.
beautiful monster
would love to see UP take this one back and use it in their heritage fleet. even if they had to use a different turbine engine
IYAAYAS up has one that run getting new paint job for next month with big boy
does that gas turbine locomotive run or is it a static piece
static piece obviosly
awesome,tyvm
Little if any of this engineering (in design and construction) was assisted by computers, all slide-rule math. What an accomplishment.
How’d you even get in there?
I CANT BELIEVE THEY LET YOU GO UP THERE
This is ran off gasoline not diesel right?
It runs off a thick oil called Bunker C.
Why are the traction motors removed?
Lots of copper in them.
Big train and Nice from sweden.
The cab is basically just an Alco FA
But shortened
Wheres the actual turbine? Was it removed from the B unit?
they rip it out
Amazing how many folks don't know what the "Electric" part means. Usta rewind traction arms, replaced fields, great fun set brushholders.
how did you get to go in the cab? did you get special permission?
Yes the museum was closed at the time and they said if the door was open I was welcome to film.
You forgot to bring a flashlight this time Tom. Lol.
Yes that would have helped!
Does it run on diesel fuel or kerosene?
The turbine runs on no.5 oil
Amazing
Was the main turbine and generator removed and replaced with a Diesel engine?. i see the two small turbines are missing too.
The front locomotive contains the Diesel engine. The second unit contained the single turbine and generator. There was never more than one turbine installed.
Why dont they fire it up?
Did you see the inside of it?
@@bnsfbandit9807 oh, its screwed up?
@@fiberrabit8229 they took it off silly
Looks in good enough shape to fire it up and put it to use, and only the UP could and some day would do it.
emdman1959 Spaziani hope they do
Sadly most of it's guts have been removed making an original restoration nearly impossible, but, I imagine it wooould be possible to re engine it with a new modern engine and technology, Now that would be doable. I'm sure UP has a wreck somewhere they could scavenge for parts.
Waw, it's a big train. Is this not operating?
Ngak bang ini uda lama di dikomisi