GE steam turbine locomotives

GE steam turbine locomotives
Union Pacific's General Electric steam turbine locomotives, circa April 1939
Type and origin Power type Steam turbine Designer General Electric Builder General Electric Build date 1938 Total produced 2
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0+0-6-4T  • AAR 2+C-C+2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 36 inches (910 mm) Driver dia. 44 inches (1,100 mm) Trailing dia. 36 inches (910 mm) Length 90 feet 10 inches (27.69 m) Width 10 feet (3.0 m) Height 15 feet 3⁄4 inch (4.591 m) Loco weight 548,000 pounds (249,000 kg) RPM range 12,500 Head end power Yes Boiler pressure 1,500 pounds per square inch (10,000 kPa)–1,600 pounds per square inch (11,000 kPa)
Performance figures Maximum speed 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) Power output 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) Tractive effort Starting: 86,500 pounds-force (385,000 N) Continuous: 32,000 pounds-force (140,000 N)–40,500 pounds-force (180,000 N)
Career Operators Union Pacific New York Central Great Northern Locale United States Delivered April 1939 Withdrawn June 1939 (UP) 1943 (GN) Disposition Both scrapped

The General Electric steam turbine locomotives were two steam turbine locomotives built by General Electric (GE) for Union Pacific (UP) in 1938. The two units were streamlined, 90 feet 10 inches (27.69 m) in length, capable of producing 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW), and reputedly able to attain speeds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h). Stylistically, they resembled UP's Pullman-designed M-10003 through M-10006 power units and contemporary Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) diesel designs.

The two locomotives were delivered to UP in April 1939, and they completed test runs and participated in a variety of publicity events for the railroad, including the grand opening of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's film Union Pacific, and an inspection by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. While the locomotives displayed excellent acceleration and could maintain schedules better than conventional steam locomotives, they were also unreliable and expensive to maintain. They never entered regular revenue service.

In June 1939, UP returned the locomotives to GE. By December 1941, the railroad had abandoned the project. In 1941, the GE steam turbine locomotives were tested by the New York Central, and they were operated by the Great Northern in 1943 during the World War II "power crunch" (a lack of sufficient locomotives to sustain regular operations) before being retired from service later that year. They were scrapped before the end of World War II.