Union Pacific Gas Turbines Documentary (HD)

union pacific has long been known as a champion of superpower the 4664 challenger locomotive was first used by union pacific and up was the only railroad to operate 4884 big boys the world's largest steam locomotives [Applause] up stayed on the cutting edge of new technology by experimenting with turbine-powered locomotives we begin the turbine story with an extremely rare general electric promotional film from 1938 america's first steam electric locomotive without question the most forward-looking design of motive power since the beginning of railroading it represents the cooperative efforts of union pacific and general electric engineers to do what had never been done before they put a high pressure turbine electric power plant to work on the railroad now steam and electricity work together on a new transportation job steem traditionally the source of locomotive power electricity the smoothest most flexible and quietest means of transmitting that power doing twice the work of a conventional steam locomotive per pound of fuel everyone who had an opportunity to see this locomotive as it was being assembled in the factory marveled at the small size of the steam turbines that furnish its power 5000 horsepower from four of these little machines they turned more than 12 000 revolutions a minute and besides all the power for the traction motors they generate enough more for all the requirements of a 12-car pullman train speaking of innovations the new boiler used in this locomotive comes in for its share of glory too it holds only 50 gallons of water and is designed for rapid steaming starting cold you can raise the steam from zero to full pressure within 15 minutes firing has begun automatically at the touch of a button and during operation the rate of firing increases and decreases automatically with the load one of these two armature direct current generators supplies the power for the driving motor it is driven by the turbines through a gear reduction of ten to one an alternating current generator is also connected to the main generator shaft furnishing power for train air conditioning traction motor blowers and other accessories the variety of the equipment involved and the diversity of the problems encountered and their solutions all have made this one of the most outstanding engineering developments in well a good many years of course many were sure it couldn't be done they said what use the boiler feed water over and over condense high pressure steam with air on a mobile unit no it never had been done so general electric tackled it when all the equipment had been assembled and the ge works at erie they had a locomotive unit 90 feet and 10 inches long this in itself is something of a record for size and remember we're talking now of only one unit two of these make up the five thousand horsepower that union pacific needed to climb the two percent grades in the rockies and to attain speeds up to 125 miles an hour on the level behind these veins on the sides of the locomotive are the air-cooled condensing units the veins open and close automatically admitting the right amount of air to provide the proper condensing rate under all conditions wide variations of load outside temperatures ranging from 40 degrees below zero to 115 above atmospheric conditions ranging from sea level to mountain passes eight thousand feet above putting the big cab onto the trucks is all in the day's work for the lifting cranes in this shop for years they've been helping assemble electric locomotives some of them veritable giants of the rail but none quite as big as the new steam electric finally came the great moment for the new baby to see the light of day its unusual length call for extraordinary care in moving it from the assembly floor to the test track thorough checking of the power plant and electric control is completed the first unit is ready for the running test but wait an event as memorable as this in the story of american railroading calls for appropriate christening ceremonies so mr walter janke assistant to the general mechanical engineer of the union pacific steps up to do the honor and unit number one moves away under its own power general electric's four mile test track at erie which is laid with heavy rail was used of course for the initial proving ground many of the electric locomotives in operation throughout the world have been put through their places on this track believe it or not this is the engineer's view from the cab of a steam locomotive and here on this relatively short stretch was a good place to try out the brakes which include electric brakes in addition to air brakes six of these big traction motors are used to drive each of the 2500 horsepower units when the engineer applies his brakes the motors automatically become generators sending electric current through this special water cooled resistor which reduces the speed of the train smoothly and easily following the light locomotive test runs were made with a train of loaded coal hoppers having a weight equivalent to that of a heavy passenger train then thanks to the cooperation of the new york central arrangements were made to use the main line between erie and dunkirk for more exacting running tests here with a train of seven cars one 2500 horsepower unit easily reached the 80 mile speed limit on this section of the road people commented on the modern apparatus they marveled at the almost complete absence of smoke and steam remember the steam electric's exhaust is condensed and returned to the boiler to be used again and again it's this feature and the high efficiency of the power plant that enable it to get 700 miles between stops for fuel and water general electric sales chief eo shree transportation vice president h.l andrews and many more of the company's executives came to see the test run and president swope was there seen here in company with manager emmett of the erie works the men responsible for every phase of general electric activities all eager to see the newest in railroad motor power research director coolidge vice president allen vice president barnes of the new york district and now for a ride engineering vice president muir leads the way up into the engineer's cab acceleration is swift smooth electric no vibration no pounding of rail motor power that's easy on the road maintenance budget and that pleases passengers even the company's board of directors turned out to see this new king of the rails chairman of the board owen d young was there recognizing this to be a real milestone in his company's progress and b e sunny 80 years young c.e wilson executive vice president climbs aboard and now approved by its builders including babcock and wilcox and bailey meter who also furnished important equipment it's ready to go to work so mr walter yannick veteran locomotive engineer of the union pacific takes his place at the controls ready to put the new locomotive into revenue service first to chicago and then over the line he knows so well to los angeles just 70 years ago the construction of the union pacific was completed the final link in the first transcontinental railroad a pioneering enterprise if there ever was one this year the company turns to the steam electric for handling its important passenger schedule a distinctly new type of motor power the two steam turbine locomotives were numbered one and two they were completed in december 1938 each developed 2 500 horsepower there were six powered axles and four unpowered axles on each unit up tested them in passenger service from january to june 1939 the tests were considered a failure due to numerous mechanical problems and up returned the locomotives to general electric after world war ii ended general electric teamed up with alco to build a gas turbine electric demonstrator locomotive this was the first american attempt to use combustion gases to drive the turbine directly instead of using steam the locomotive was completed in november of 1948 painted dark green and numbered 101 it made break-in runs on the nickel plate and pennsylvania railroads the following june it was repainted into u.p colors renumbered up-50 and delivered to union pacific for 21 months of testing the double-ended unit produced 4 500 horsepower and rode on eight axles mounted in four two axle trucks this broadside view of number 50 was taken at san bernardino california the santa fe shops can be seen in the background when the demonstration was completed in april 1951 it was deemed a success and up placed an order for 10 production units the 50 was returned to ge and dismantled the first 10 production units were built by general electric from january 1952 through august 1953 and were numbered 51 through 60. they were almost identical to demonstrator number 50 but had cabs on only one end each unit was equipped with a 4500 horsepower turbine prime mover and eight powered axles in four two axle trucks general electric promoted its new locomotive design in this 1956 advertising brochure despite ge's marketing efforts union pacific was the only railroad to place a fleet of turbine locomotives into regular mainline operation the new turbines were initially assigned to pool freight service between ogden utah and green river wyoming the route took them through the scenic weber and echo canyons the smoke and cinders are coming from a nearby steam engine fuel tenders were added to the turpins beginning in 1955 when they became available from retired steam engines addition of the fuel tenders extended the range of the turbines and they began running east of green river first to cheyenne wyoming and later to council bluffs iowa the fuel tenders improved performance of the turbines in another way when operating without tenders turbine fuel was stored in the power unit as fuel was burned the locomotive's weight decreased causing a corresponding decrease in traction this problem was solved after the tenders were placed in service by adding a fixed weight to each locomotive providing a constant weight on the driving wheels the pulling power remained uniform as we see while pacing turbine number 54. the original turbines ran for approximately 10 years until they were gradually retired between april of 1962 and june of 1964. union pacific was so pleased with the performance of the first 10 turbines that had ordered 15 more from general electric they were built between march and october of 1954 and numbered 61 through 75 also rated at 4 500 horsepower with eight axles they were similar to the first 10 units but had a covered walkway along the sides instead of a full width car body this feature led to them being nicknamed veranda units here's a good view of a veranda veranda turbine 71 leads a train of perishables over the devil's gate bridge in utah's weber canyon the smoke from a steam helper can be seen in the distance the way to transport perishables in the 1950s was in solid blocks of these pacific fruit express refrigerator cars these wooden cars for hauling livestock were also a common site in the 1950s this is echo canyon in utah turbine 71 pulls into the service track at cheyenne wyoming between runs first the sand reservoirs are filled looks like it needs a little more a set of f units arrives on the next track the 71 pulls forward for water an auxiliary diesel engine provided power for moving around the yard when the turbine was not running the early turbines needed water because they were equipped with steam generators to heat the low-grade fuel so it would flow freely next the 71 backs up to the fuel standpipe [Music] so [Music] in the turbine's early years a common fuel of the time called bunker c was used later union pacific switched to a modified number six heavy black fuel oil as trains got longer and heavier up began adding diesel locomotives behind the turbines here's a rare double header in echo canyon two veranda turbines each followed by two diesels [Music] a veranda and two gp 9b units roll through echo canyon here we see turbine 70 being started up at los angeles electricity from the auxiliary diesel engine generator set is fed to one of the main generators causing the turbine to spin black exhaust from the auxiliary engine can be seen at the rear of the unit near the steam generator when the turbine reaches 700 rpm it is started on diesel fuel when it reaches 5500 rpm 80 percent of its maximum speed it is switched over to the heavy fuel oil heated to 240 degrees by the onboard steam generator gas turbine electric locomotives are similar to diesel electrics except for the prime mover in a turbine power plant incoming air is first compressed to about six times atmospheric pressure it then passes into combustion chambers where atomized fuel is injected the mixture burns and the expanding exhaust gases pass into a turbine where they turn the turbine wheels and drive shaft the shaft drives the compressor and delivers power through reduction gears to the main generators from that point on operation is identical to diesel electric locomotives the exhaust gases escape through a stack in the roof electricity passes through control circuits to drive traction motors mounted on the axles the exhaust is angled toward the rear to keep it away from the air intakes which are located on the roof just ahead of the exhaust the result is improved performance while passing through tunnels we see the veranda model one last time making a forward and back run by for the company photographer at the east end of east yard in los angeles the veranda turbines operated for about 10 years and were retired between august 1963 and april 1964. in 1955 union pacific announced that it was ordering a new model of turbine electric that would become the world's most powerful locomotive each locomotive would consist of two units plus a fuel tender and be rated at eight thousand five hundred horsepower the leading a unit would contain the control cab and the auxiliary diesel engine generator no steam generator would be needed because insulated tenders would be used the b unit would carry the turbine prime mover and the main generators to provide electricity to the traction motors on both units the original plan was to number these locomotives in the 7000 series like this model but the plan was changed and they were built with numbers 1 through 30. general electric built this series of 30 turbines between august of 1958 and june of 1961 the a units were numbered one through thirty while the b units were numbered one b through thirty b these locomotives generating eighty five hundred horsepower from a single prime mover set a record which stands to this day like the big boys the turbine locomotives had their own nickname on the u.p railroaders called them big blows because of the large volume of very noisy exhaust they produced the sound could best be described as a roar without the wine of a jet airplane engine a sparkling clean turban number two basks in the afternoon sun at cheyenne wyoming [Music] turbine 14 pulls a train through the yard at green river wyoming we're standing on the pedestrian bridge over the green river yard as turbine 2 pulls in [Music] there's snow on the mountains as turbine 11 pulls a train into green river and later moves to the service track [Music] so [Music] snow is falling as turbine 11 heads back to its train in the yard number 11 is back on the road again just outside green river following behind is sister turbine number nine with another train interstate highway 80 is visible in the distance these spectacular clips are just east of echo utah this train includes some aging outside braced wooden box cars working alongside the steel cars that were rapidly replacing them utah's weber canyon is the site of these twin bridges and twin tunnels this black and white pacing footage gives us a good look at the details of engine 3 as it moves past the camera so so [Music] ah moving through echo canyon this train has a block of railway express agency cars some of them are refrigerator cars with ice hatches open on the roof [Music] [Music] [Music] several east coast cars are on this train here's some black and white footage taken in cheyenne wyoming an eastbound train is arriving passing under the colorado and southern bridge at the west end of the yard up kept its locomotives clean inside and out turbine 3 pulls into the service track alongside several steam engines only a few of the early 8 500 horsepower turbines had the opportunity to serve alongside steam power by the time the last turbine was built all up steam had been retired after servicing turbine 3 is back on its train and heading east so here's turbine one hauling tonnage westward on number three track approaching dale junction wyoming another westbound approaches dale junction west of dale junction are the well-known hermosa tunnels [Music] this train is moving empty highway automobile carriers on flat cars this scenery could provide inspiration to any railroad modeler behind turbine 23 are two gp-30s turbines occasionally made their way to los angeles here at the east end of east yard turbine 30 the last of the series rolls past the camera with two diesels an sd24 and an sd24b so here's the builder's plate on turbine number 30. we're standing on the passenger platform of up's east los angeles station as turbine 30 and the two sd-24s pull an eastbound freight out of the yard here's another look from the opposite side of the track back in ogden utah turbine number one is getting ready to start up but turbine startups don't always go [Music] smoothly in 1962 union pacific undertook construction of an experimental turbine electric locomotive to burn pulverized coal instead of fuel oil like the gas turbines this locomotive consisted of two units plus a tender this experimental locomotive was completed at up's omaha shops in october of 1962. the units were numbered 80 and 80 b a turbine power plant from one of the early gas turbines was modified and upgraded to 5000 horsepower for this project a diesel engine in the a unit provided two thousand additional horsepower between the two units there were 14 powered axles and four unpowered axles the a unit was rebuilt from an alco pa it had been numbered up607 before being modified and renumbered up-80. the b unit was built on the frame of great northern electric locomotive 5018 which had originally been constructed by general electric in 1947. here we see gn 5018 in service on stevens pass in washington state after great northern discontinued electric operation in 1956 the 5018 was retired and union pacific acquired it in 1959 for the coal turbine project here we see the bee unit under construction at up's omaha shops the b unit carried the turbine power plant and the main generators this is the tender which had served with challenger steam engine 3990. this experimental locomotive ran in freight service for 20 months like the steam turbine electrics of 25 years earlier the coal turbine was considered a failure it was put into storage and was finally stricken from the roster in march of 1968 on the other hand the gas turbine locomotives were very successful but because of the rising cost of their low-grade fuel and the expense of maintaining their unusual mechanics up eventually replaced them with diesels the last turbines were retired between august of 1968 and february of 1970. but diesels could never match the power and majesty of union pacific's mighty turbines you

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Id: ru6wX1xN-so

Length: 44min 33sec (2673 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 18 2021