This just came in on consignment in a local HS. It is 1 of 80. It’s brass, with custom paint as shown in a few books I have and is also weathered (very nice). So this would be my first brass unit. The shop said it would not be a problem to install DCC and sound. So one question is, WHAT SOUND did these puppies make?? I’ve got two the Lionel Verandas and the sound great. My next all important question is… Is it worth $2,500???
$2500 seems a little steep. I have seen them much cheaper online. I have seen NIB Overland 3 unit gas turbines go much cheaper than that.
Edit: I had the verandas on my mind. Depending on the paint and who the manufacturer is, that might not be such a bad price, especially if you can get some sound and DCC for free from the hobby shop.
Thanks for the quick reply. Always nice to have you all to bounce info of off, especally as I’ve not been into the hobby of late (and never into brass before) Keep in mind it is custom painted and weathered, and it’s NOT the Gas Turbine, it’s the coal. The shop also said they would do a DCC install (approx $200) worth but I didn’t know what sound was available. {I may have gotten to excited and forgot some of the details LoL}
I would say it would some specific steam sounds like pop valves, it might have injector but alo maybe water pumps. You’d probably have a turbine whine.
If any sound units have a steam turbine in them available that should work.
Not sure on the whistle or horn it would have more likely a horn.
Who is the importer on this model? That will have some bearing on pricing.
I was thinking that the Lionel Verandas might be a good option (for the sound install). But not sure you can get that… And they have a horn. Infact, they sound outstanding what with that jet engine sound (Ex Navy and worked on the F/A-18’s) so it was cool to hear them UP Turbines “wind up”
Smitty, on the box it says #659 OMI: 1/80
And with all due consideration, if it is a reasonable price, I would MUCH rather buy from them.
You haven’t mentioned the scale?
OOps, LoL… HO Is there any other!!! (Loco ducks as the audience pelts him with rotten fruit)
Just as an aside, I do have a nice Xmas set up in G!
Pardon me, but methinks there’s a misunderstanding here!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the UP nightmare was a coal-burning GAS TURBINE - no boiler, no water pumps or injectors, no pop valves, and certainly no steam whistle. Just lots of problems with turbine blade erosion, and no possible way to clean up the exhaust to meet present-day emission standards for particulates.
From what I have heard, it sounded very similar to the 8500hp 3-unit oil turbine.
The steam turbo-electric locos were Chessie’s problem children and N&W’s Jawn Henry.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
From what I’ve been reading, (Strack, VOL I Diesels of the Union Pacific 1934 to 1982) the tender contained storage space for 61 tons of nugget coal and equipment needed to crush/process the coal to a flour-like powder to allow the coal to then be pumped as a fluid to the B unit.
So we got some crunching sounds it would seem… LOL
I for one would NOT like to be operat’en this thing when a fan blade gave way. That was always a priority when I was working with the F/A-18’s. ANY chip or notch was always taken care of ASAP. I can see how pulverized coal would just strip them down in no time flat.
Geez! They musta been using Anthracite! Soft coal shoulda worked okay. [swg]
Wayne
The UP Coal Turbine used pulverized coal in place of the bunker C fuel of the 8500 class and other gas turbines, so they should sound pretty much the same - like a jet engine. The idea was to reduce some of the corrosion problems they experienced with the gas turbines. Unfortunately this didn’t work. The problems of the stray uncrushed piece of coal damaging the turbine blades, not to mention the complications of crushing the coal ensured that the #80 (later #8080) would have a short life on the UP.
-George
You will need a sound chip in the cab unit too. The coal turbine produced a total output of 7000HP, but that included the output of the 2000HP diesel engine in the PA cab unit.
UP built the B unit from a former Great Northern straight electric locomotive in the Omaha shops, starting in September of 1959. The 5000HP turbine was like those used in the 4500HP units.
It only ran 21,664 miles in revenue service and less than 11,000 of those miles were run using coal.
Enough of the history lesson, the important thing for you to consider is if you have large enough radii on your layout for that monster to negotiate. The real unit was 215 feet long. I saw one of these in brass about ten years ago and it’s huge, but it would be awesome on a layout.
I model in N scale and have one of the 8500’s. It’s the star of the show, pulling 40 plus car freights. My layout was on a tour during a regional convention several years ago. I can’t remember how many people were surprized that I’d run brass on a daily basis. It ran for four hours straight.
I believe the one you are looking at is an Ajin build, so it is a top notch model. Overland doesn’t seem to screw around when it comes to their models. All of their turbine models seem to be highly sought after (try finding one for sale on the “net”). Some of the Overland 3 unit turbines I have seen on eBay have at times pushed $2000, and some of those were not painted.
The sound issue should be quite interesting. I wonder what Brian Marsh planned to use for sound in the aborted Tower 55 model of the 3 unit gas turbine.
I’ve got two Veranda’s and two Big Boys so this is going to fit right in with keeping the radii at a min of some 28 on the mains. I’ve got a test track set up and they all have the ability to take 18 inch, but boy does it look funny! 26 inch would be ‘ok’ if I had to in a pinch and 30 would be cool. But the real problem I have is with the Walthers Heavy Weight passenger cars!!! Them suckers don’t turn at ALL! And anything but a #8 switch and they moan and groan…but I digress.
So I guess $2500 is ball park for this baby… I’ve not gotten laughed off the board and no private e-mails telling me they have some land in Fla for sale LoL. I believe the MSRP some 10 years ago was $1800. And that was not painted or with any DCC. I know it’s not a steal, but then it’s not something you see everyday either. Heck, only 80 of them made!
So it’s looking like bread and water for a month or so…
If you decide to go for it, and have them install the sound, be sure they put an Alco sound unit in the cab. Both units ran together, unlike the oil fired units. The diesels in those were just for moving around the yard.
Multi unit turbines look so cool.
Sweet GTE MLS1621! “IF” I go ahead and get the CTE I’ll be sure to request the PA sound in the A unit. They did say they would do the DCC and sound for it. Then I will be looking for that GTE [:P]