Steam & Excursion > Steam turbine

Couls someone out there tell me how a steam turbine loco works? How does the power get to the drive wheels? I am just curious, and sorry about the double post.

N&W and C&O got turbine-electrics, but PRR's S-2 turbine drove thru gears. Don't recall the ratio offhand-- maybe 15:1?

CPRR Wrote:
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> How does the power get to the drive wheels?

Varies on who built it, some like C&O and N&W had electrical traction motors but PRR used mechanical gearing to transmit,

"PRR received a Baldwin-built straight steam turbine where the turbine was geared down and directly connected to the drivers."

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/turbine/#web

Turbines thus far are generally fuel hogs that haven't been extraordinarily efficient. Coal dust caused problems for others,

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/steam/jawn-henry.html

Some research still occurs,

http://www.messiaen.demon.co.uk/trains/newsteam/modern15.htm

http://www.messiaen.demon.co.uk/trains/newsteam/modern26.htm

Thanks Coachyard, this is what I was looking for. Think it could be modelled in 1" or 1 1/2" scale?

Anything can be modeled. The problems it had for the big railroads will still exist on the model. Not to mention that you have to factor in the extra weight of the “out of scale” engineer that will be sitting on the tender. Which means if it was not fuel efficient to start with you may have to fire the heck out of it just to make it around the track without stopping to build up pressure.

ATSF2926