Internal Combustion Locomotives

Union Pacific 18
Description: | D-E Turbine A Unit 8500 GTEL |
Equipment Information
Union Pacific 18 is an example of the most powerful locomotive ever built in America. Rated at 10,000hp, it consists of the cab unit; the main power unit containing a turbine engine, similar to a jet engine, numbered 18B; and a tender to carry fuel for the turbine. These locomotives were designed specifically to pull freight trains between Omaha, Nebraska and Ogden, Utah and 18 is one of only two preserved. Their poor fuel economy and high maintenance costs of the turbine led to their retirement in the late 1960s.
Click here to see the listing for 18B, the main power unit for the turbine.
Click here to see the listing for the turbine’s tender.
Builder: General Electric
Year Built: 1960
Model: 8500 GTEL
Horsepower: 8500
Length: 165ft 11in
Width: 10ft
Height: 16ft
Weight: 849248 lbs
Brakes: 26L (Loco) / AB (Fuel Tender)
Engine: Cooper-Bessemer (A unit) / Gas-Turbine (B unit)
Motors: 12 GE 752E4
Trucks: GSC
Description: A-unit with gas-electric hostler engine
Arrived: 1993
Condition: Incomplete / cosmetically restored / not operational
Click to return to Internal Combustion Locomotive roster
Click to return to main roster page