Nostalgia & History > GTEL, Green River, Wyoming, 1968...

July 21, on a layover between eastbound 102, the "City of San Francisco", and westbound 105, "City of Portland". My folks and I had about four hours to kill between streamliners. I had no problem with that.

Seeing Big Blow 19 was a bonus. I hadn't counted on seeing any of the mythical beasts. Instead, I saw three that day. I believe the SD40 was providing hostling power, but the diesel in the GTEL may have been engaged... I don't know these machines operationally all that well. It was not making turbine noise, though... I'd already had a blast of that standing on the pedestrian walkway when another turbine passed under with a train!

Nothing else to comment. A little muggy, it rained, sort of cleared. Kodachrome doesn't like high sun or shadows, but I treasure these pics... and the experience... nonetheless.

~ BZ

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Thanks for sharing! Turbine 19 wouldn't last the year - it was retired in December 1968.

The SD40-2 was simply MU'ed to the turbine. The GTEL had its own internal diesel for hostling.

Typical power consists on the UP at the time called for at least 12,000 HP on the point. You could get that with 4 SD40-2s. Or with a GTEL and a single diesel. So a GTEL trailed by a single diesel was a farily common lash-up.

Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,

Rob L.

The GTELs had a Cooper-Bessemer "pony engine" somewhere in the 600 HP range (basically a GE 70-tonner powerplant) for hostling and running the air compressor.

Been told because of the noise and the high fuel usage, crews generally didn't "light the candle" on the turbine until they were tied onto the train and ready to pull and shut it down as soon as possible after arrival. Is this correct?

NZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/12 11:55 by NebraskaZephyr.

Very impressive shots Bobby!

Thanks for sharing
Franz

#1 is lit beautifully!...Glad you shared these treasures... Steve