MTH -UP "BABY"
4500 TURBINE LOCOMOTIVES- DCC EQUIPPED
New for 2010, MTH is proud to introduce the UP "Baby" 4500
turbine locomotives, with all the same detailing and features
of its bigger brother, the Veranda. Variable intensity smoke,
a broad range of sounds, turbine crew conversations, remotely
controlled couplers, operating Mars light, built in DCC decoder,
and die-cast metal construction, twin flywheel-equipped motors,
and four traction tires to provide pulling power all cumulate
in a model that rivals the prototype.
In the late 1940s, even as it was building diesels in partnership
with Alco, General Electric was experimenting with ways to apply
its aircraft jet engine technology to railroading. Its gas turbine
electric (GTEL) was basically a diesel engine with a large turbine
replacing the diesel as the prime mover. In a turbine, intake
air is compressed by spinning turbine blades and fed into combustion
chambers, where fuel is added and ignited, as in a jet engine.
The hot exhaust gases spin the blades of another turbine that
powers one or more generators, which produce electricity to
power diesel-type traction motors. Compared with diesels of
the period, GE's GTEL put three times as much power (4500hp)
in one locomotive, had significantly fewer moving parts, and
did not vibrate like a diesel. The major drawback was a voracious
appetite for fuel.
Undeterred by the failure of its steam turbine prototypes,
GE perused the development of a gas turbine engine, and in June
of 1949 UP added the prototype to their roster for further testing.
Locomotives #51-60 were then ordered by UP in March of 1951.
In their first year of operation the locomotives averaged approximately
4.2 gallons of total fuel per 1,000 gross ton-miles. Union Pacific's
president A.E.(Art) Stoddard referred to the locomotives as
"jet propulsion on wheels", claiming the turbine gas engines
"might well revolutionize American railroading". The Baby's
4500hp turbines demonstrated the locomotives ability to go faster
then diesel engines and appeared, at the time, to be the more
economical choice.
While not intended for passenger use, on occasion the gas turbine
4500 locomotive pulled in a streamlined passenger train after
a diesel engine would break down. Although the locomotive was
not designed for multiple unit operation, they were occasionally
double loaded, even through long tunnel routes where recalculation
of exhaust gasses could pose problems. After two years of testing
GE's prototype, the Union Pacific ordered its first ten GTELs
in 1951. The engines were designed to burn Bunker C oil, a byproduct
of petroleum distillation that was almost considered waste material.
The low cost of Bunker C more than compensated for the turbines'
high consumption, although the oil was so thick it had to be
heated to 240 degrees Fahrenheit to flow though the fuel system.
In 1955 auxiliary fuel tenders were added to the locomotives,
this additionally 24,000 gallons of oil allowed the train to
make longer runs, increasing monthly mileage.
Averaging around 10,000 miles a month (400 turbine operating
hours), the locomotive also contained a 250hp diesel engine,
which was used to bring the turbine engine up to its firing
speed of 700RPM. This allowed the engine to then run fans, pumps,
cooling motors, auxiliaries, and allowed the locomotive to move
around terminals when running light. Unfortunately, by the early
1960s, the turbines' use of Bunker C fuel had changed from an
advantage to a problem. The plastics industry had found new
uses for the former waste product and its price skyrocketed.
At the same time, the corrosive nature of the fuel led many
of the turbines to develop engine problems. The Verandas were
retired in 1963-64 in favor of newer 8500hp Big Blows, and the
UP's entire turbine program was finished by 1970.
Features Detailed Die-Cast Locomotive & Tender Bodies Die-Cast
Metal Chassis Authentic Paint Scheme & Cab Numbers RP-25 Metal
Wheels Mounted On Metal Axles Constant Voltage, Directional
Headlights Prototypical Rule 17 Lighting Detailed Truck Sides
Detailed Cab Interior (2) Powerful 12-Volt 5-Pole Precision
Skew-Wound Flywheel Equipped Motors (1) Scale Kadee Compatible
Remotely Controlled Proto-Coupler On Locomotive (3) User-Installed
Kadee Compatible Magnetic Couplers Detailed Handrails and Decorative
Bell Decorative Detailed Horn (2) Cab Figures Operating ProtoSmoker
System Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments On-Board
DCC Receiver Operates On Code 70, 83, & 100 Rail Curves
Proto-Sound 3.0 equipped locomotives can be controlled in command
mode with any DCC compliant command control system. While the
user won't have access to all of the incredible features of
Proto-Sound 3.0, independent control over the locomotive is
possible. This means you can continue to use your existing DCC
controller to independently control your other DCC equipped
locomotives in addition to your Proto-Sound 3.0 locomotive on
the same track at the same time. When using a DCC controller,
the following Proto-Sound 3.0 locomotive features are accessible:
F0 Headlight F1 Bell F2 Horn F3 Start-up/Shut-down F4 PFA F5
Lights (Number Board) F6 Master Volume F7 Front Coupler F8 Rear
Coupler F9 Forward Signal F10 Reverse Signal F11 Smoke On/Off
F12 Smoke Volume F13 Grade Crossing F14 Coupler Slack F15 Extended
Start-up F16 Extended Shut-down F17 Rev Up F18 Rev Down F19
Engine Sounds (On/Off) F20 Single Horn Blast F21 Coupler Close
F22 Feature Reset F23 Idle Sequence 1 F24 Idle Sequence 2 F25
Idle Sequence 3 F26 One Shot Doppler (On/Off) F27 Brake Sounds
(On/Off) F28 Cab Chatter (On/Off) Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital
Command System Featuring: Freight Yard Proto-Effects Unit Measures:12
3/4" x 1 3/8" x 2 7/16" Operates On 18" Radius Curves
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