Union Pacific Gas Turbine Engine - With Proto-Sound 2.0

By 1958, the Union Pacific Railroad had already incorporated several turbine engines on their roster with very satisfactory results. Though these earlier turbines lives were short-lived, the U.P. began taking delivery over the next ten years of 30 Super Turbines that each averaged 12,000 miles per month. The 178' long three-unit consist was made up of two powered units and a fuel tender. The A unit housed the cab, control units and an 850 horsepower diesel engine while the B unit included the turbine, exhaust blower, compressors and two 3500 horsepower generators. The diesel engine in the control unit allowed the turbines to be shut down during yard maneuvers when the turbine was apt to consume huge quantities of fuel. The turbine unit's air intake could gulp 320,000 cubic feet of air every minute while generating incredibly hot exhaust gasses of more than 850 degrees fahrenheit. In fact, the gasses were so hot that the U.P. issued strict orders not to idle the turbine under bridges out of concern that the gasses could weaken their structures. What distinguished the Super Turbines more than even their length was their incredible noise. The huge turbine ommitted exhaust noise not unlike that of a jet engine thus earning the engine the nickname "Big Blow". The U.P. lived with the noise by accepting the incredible power the turbine motors generated. Each unit could muster 8,500 horsepower when first delivered. Subsequent modifications bumped the rating up to 10,000 horsepower. Unfortunately, the huge engines proved to costly to maintain despite their high horsepower benefits. Retirements began in 1968 and by 1969 the last of the Super Turbines had been traded back to General Electric for newer locomotives like the U50C. Recapture the power and performance of the Big Blow on your O Scale model railroad with the 2011 RailKing version of this incredible locomotive. Equipped with intricately detailed ABS body and precision flywheel equipped motors, this massive model will quickly prove its mettle as your freight hauling locomotive of choice. Fully equipped with Proto-Sound 2.0 and loads of enhanced detail, you simply won't find a more exciting locomotive to operate. Did You Know? The insulated fuel tender used on the Big Blow was equipped with six electrical heating elements on each side. The heaters were needed to heat up the fuel oil prior to use so that the fuel's viscosity was sufficient to flow through the turbine's combustion chambers.