Caught this on Youtube a few minutes ago. Not sure if I had seen these in the past. My past is getting longer and longer.....LOL Union Pacific had these made by GE. One commenter asked if these had ever been made in O scale. I wonder if anyone here would know.
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Interesting in that they were designed to operate elephant style.
Very interesting, I wonder why it never continued. Maybe the high cost of the equipment. It seems like it was very efficient and maybe something they should look at again. With modern engineering, it could be an environmental wonder.
I think they were done in by that same reason that did in all other steam turbines: efficient at high speed, fuel hogs at low speeds and maintenance headaches...
BTW: The Great Northern used them for a bit after UP turned them back to GE. I believe GE just repainted them black. The GN ran them back-to-back.
Rusty
Not to mention that, for their huge size, each unit was only 2500HP, if I heard correctly in that cool movie. Prior to the same time those steam-electrics came out, i.e. late 1936 thru 1938, Electro-Motive Corporation was already delivering box-cab design diesel electrics with twin Winton 12-201A diesel engines at 900HP each, giving a twin unit MU'ed consist of totaling 3600HP (think Santa Fe 'Twins'), then the EA/E1 models, at 2000HP each (still with the twin 12 cylinder diesels).
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