What is this: Ive never seen anything like it before… Some kind of turbine or smething? Im assuming the box above the wheels with the huge steam pipe running to it is the drive source for the wheels?
Maybe try www.trains.com/community/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=111 (The TRAINS forum) for more luck, it’s out of my league!
It is a turbine loco. This is the only turbine that the PRR had, and it was the last attempt to save the steam era. Sadly, it was scrapped[V][:(] I had an o gauge model of this, but I recently traded it in for even more stuff.
Commonly known as “the Swoosh”. Built with Westinghouse to test the feasability of turbines it was sadly a one of a kind experimental unit. IT was often seen pulling the Broadway Limited from Chicago to Crestline Ohio. As I recall like most turbines it was very inefficient getting a train up to speed because of blow through in the turbine but once at speed was very economical and was capable of 100 miles per hour running with 12 cars or more. It was scrapped within five years of being built.
Thats sucks, It a gorgeous loco. What year was it buit?
yeah, it is a good looking loco. It was built in 1944. I wish it was still around[:(]
I understand the 6200 was extremely smooth riding, too, in spite of being a good deal heavier than most 8-coupled power (hence the 6-wheel leading and trailing trucks).
Regardless, it certainly was a pretty piece of machinery. Wish I had seen it “on the hoof”.
Chuck
This is one of those “why did they do that?” situations. The PRR had 1 and scrapped it shortly after puting it into service. Lionel made a model of it in 3 rail O and might have produced millions of the things.