What is a “gas-turbine” locomotive?
A. General Electric produced several species of gas-turbines, as did Baldwin. These locos were basically the same as a diesel-electric, except that the prime mover was a gas turbine. The only successful production models came from GE, all of which were sold to the Union Pacific. These came in essentially two types: – The first version was a 4,500 h.p. model introduced in 1949. The prime mover was a GE gas-turbine which turned a generator to provide current to eight traction motors. Wheel arrangement was B-B + B-B, the same as the later U50. – The second model went into production in 1958. It consisted of two car bodies, a lead control unit and a second unit containing a 10,500 h.p. GE gas-turbine. Each car body had two C trucks. At first, the two generators attached to the turbine were rated together at 8,500 h.p., later uprated to 10,000 h.p. Thirty large turbines were produced by GE. Compared to first generation diesels, these machines were reliable. They consumed huge amounts of “Bu
