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Homepage/ News and Reviews/ Product Reviews/ ScaleTrains.com N-Proportion UP Standard Turbine

This locomotive is in line with ScaleTrains.com's "Rivet Counter" series and has many details for individual applications.

This locomotive is in line with ScaleTrains.com's "Rivet Counter" series and has many details for individual applications.

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The powerful and technologically innovative locomotive unique to Union Pacific is the latest N-scale product in ScaleTrains.com's high-end rivet counter series. The standard turbine is a marvel of the jet era with 4,500 horsepower. It was developed by Alco/General Electric to respond to the continuous drive of UP to obtain more powerful power. The version of ScaleTrains.com captures the appearance and spirit of the prototype in N scale, from the unique square air intake on the side to the characteristic roar of the turbine in the model equipped with digital command control.

history. In the years after World War II, Union Pacific used steam power as much as possible to cooperate with iconic behemoths such as 4-12-2, 4-6-6-4 Challenger, and 4-8-8-. 4 big boys. Drawing inspiration from jet aircraft at the time, UP called on Alco/GE to use turbine power in new locomotives. The manufacturer provided a demo model, no. GE 101, a double-ended gas turbine, is renumbered as No. Fifty tests were performed on UP in 1949. The engine produced twice the horsepower of the diesel engine at the time, leaving a sufficient impression on Union Pacific executives. They ordered 10 single-ended versions, the first of which was delivered in 1952.

In a gas turbine, instead of driving a piston like a diesel engine, the atomized fuel mist is mixed with compressed air in the combustion chamber. The fuel is then ignited and exploded at extremely high temperatures, rushing out of the combustion chamber and rotating the turbine blades. These blades rotate the drive shaft, which drives the generator to provide power to the traction motor on the locomotive shaft. This means that the turbine is more appropriately called a gas turbine electric locomotive or GTEL.

Although gas turbines produced far more horsepower than diesel locomotives of the time, they came at the cost of terrible fuel efficiency. A gas turbine uses approximately 600 gallons of fuel per hour at full load. But this is no problem for UP, because the turbine uses Bunker C oil, which is a cheap leftover oil from the fuel refining process.

These thirsty turbines meant that the 7,200-gallon main fuel tank of the locomotive could only travel about 200 miles before it needed to be refueled, so starting in 1955, UP began to equip them with auxiliary fuel supplies. Made from the operating device of the 18-C trailer of the decommissioned 4-12-2 steam locomotive and the water tanks of two of the trailers welded back to back, these trailers carry an additional 22,000 gallons of fuel, extending the range and practicality of GTEL .

So, if UP's GTEL is so successful, what happened to them? One word: plastic. As the plastics industry discovered new uses for Bunker C oil in the 1960s, and improvements in refining technology could extract more useful fuel from it, the cost took off like a jet plane. Since refinery waste could no longer be used to run the fuel-intensive turbines, UP scrapped them. No standard turbines are retained.

One-off. The N-scale UP standard turbine from ScaleTrains.com is an impressive-looking model. Wire grippers, etched metal windshield wipers and soft platforms, illuminated digital signs, silver-plated train line hoses and proportional couplers are all features that people expect to find on the HO scale model. The wire handle is close to the thickness of the scale, as is the ladder. The silver trucks use brake cylinders, and there is a diamond pattern texture on the rear platform of the locomotive.

I found the manufacturer's drawings for the dimensions of a standard turbine in Thos. R. Lee's book Turbines Westward (T. Lee Publications, 1975). Almost all the model dimensions I checked with calipers are consistent with the dimensions on the chart. The only inappropriate measurement is the length on the striker of the coupler. Since the overall length of the car body is accurate, and the model coupler must be longer to allow the model to pass through sharp curves, this is no big deal. In any case, they are only 7.5 inches apart.

When the first prototypes were delivered, they sucked air into the turbine through a series of square air intakes on the side of the engine. These are protected by stainless steel Farr grills. In 1953, the turbine did not. The 53's air intake was moved to the roof, and some side vents were plated. When this test was successful, other standard turbines were converted to roof air intakes at the end of 1953, and the grille was removed.

There are many beautiful photos of prototypes in Lee's book. The details and locations of the marks on our test models match them in appearance, with one exception. The prototype photo shows the last set of air intakes. There are 15 square panels on the side of 51-three vertical five rows. Our model does not. 51 There are only 12 panels in four vertical rows. This grille arrangement does match other standard turbines, including none. 53, 55 and 56, based on prototype photos.

Test run. Since our prototype is equipped with ESU LokSound 5 Micro dual-mode digital command control sound decoder, it can run on direct current or DCC. I first tested it on DC.

Locomotives equipped with audio usually require a lot of voltage to start. Our sample started with only 6.25 volts, and when I turned it up to 7.75 volts, it started rolling at a steady 1.6 mph. At the 13.5V maximum setting of our power pack, the locomotive pulls at a speed of 138 mph, which is more than twice the maximum rated speed of 65 mph of the prototype. The sound in DC is limited to the diesel auxiliary motor and turbine, which is as loud as expected.

Under DCC, I can control the sound better. Press function key 8 to hear the start sequence of the diesel auxiliary engine of the locomotive. The turbine starts when F3 is pressed. Other keys ring the bell, sound the horn, turn on Gyralite, etc.

Just like under DC power, on DCC, the starting speed of the engine is very slow, less than 1 mph. It also reached an excessively fast 119 scale mph at a speed step of 28, but a quick adjustment to configuration variable 5 (CV5, Vmax) reduced it to a more typical level.

On the prototype, the two trucks inside the locomotive are connected to the frame of the locomotive through span pads, while the two trucks outside are directly connected to the frame. All four are powered by traction motors. However, in order for the model to pass through the narrow 11-inch curve, its two internal trucks are free-floating, rotating from the front and rear trucks. This means that on the model, only the front and rear trucks can have gear towers to connect them to the motors.

Even so, the model locomotive provides considerable pull-bar pull, almost an ounce, equivalent to 23 free-rolling, moderately weighted 40-foot trucks traveling on straight and horizontal tracks. As a real-world test, I placed the turbines and tenders on our N-class Canadian canyon layout, and hopped on a dozen Canadian national coal gondolas from the bakers-not a typical load, but a towing capacity for the model A good test of it. The locomotive handled the 13-inch curve of our 2019 project layout, the Peco medium-radius turnout and the 1.9% gradient (up and down the spiral line) like a champion.

It's impressive inside and out. With its Rivet Counter series, Scale Trains.com sets the standard for fine detail and accuracy, and the company's new UP standard turbine meets that standard. This is an impressive model with a smooth power transmission system, and in DCC, the sound is equally impressive. If you model Union Pacific after the war, one or two turbines will be the perfect complement to your N-class roster.

Price: Locomotive only: DC model, $134.99; with digital command control and sound, $229.99. Tender with fuel: DC, US$179.99; DCC Voice, US$274.99 Manufacturer ScaleTrains.com 7598 Highway 411 Benton, TN 37307 scaletrains.com Era: 1952 to 1964 (incremental bidding in 1955) Road name: United Pacific (four Road number) Features-locomotive-detailed inside of the cab-ESU LokSound miniature sound decoder (digital command control models only)-five-pole oblique winding motor with dual flywheels-front and rear truck gears; internal trucks are free to rotate-illuminated Diode headlights, spare lights, spark lights and digital frame-minimum radius of 11 inches (18 inches recommended)-half-proportional knuckle coupler-separate use of horns, train line hoses, ladders and other details-steel wire grabbing iron-weight: 5 oz Tender-Etched metal running board-LED spare lamp-Scale joint coupler-Brake wheels, train line hoses, ladders and other details for separate application-Wire grab iron-Weight: 1 oz

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