BUDD
GT-1/2 GAS TURBINE CARS |
BUDD "Turboliner" Gas Turbine test car - 1966 Archive: Bill Mangahas
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LIRR GT-2 test car Photo:
Richard Glueck |
Turbine test target Summer 1966 February 10, 1966 |
GT1 Turbine test page 1
March 24, 1966 |
GT1 Turbine test page 4 con't
March 24, 1966 |
February/March, 1966 Turbine Car
announcements |
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September 22, 1966 Turbine Car Initial run 9/12/1966 with NY State Governor
Rockefeller and LIRR President Goodfellow |
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Turbonaut Pass 10/9/1966
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October 20, 1966 Family Day (10/9/66)
Material above from "Long Island RAILROADER"
Courtesy archive: Al Castellli |
Gas Turbine GT-1 at Ronkonkoma wye
9/12/1966
Archive: Dave Keller |
Gas Turbine GT-1 interchanged at Reading New York branch Budd's
delivery siding, Red Lion PA 08/21/1966 on its way for the initial run
(9/12/66) and subsequent test runs on the LIRR.
Archive: Dave Keller |
GT-1 Turbine Ronkonkoma wye 1966
Photo: Steve Hoskins |
GT-1 Turbine, LIRR
C420 #214Ronkonkoma wye
1966 Archive: Art
Huneke |
Gas Turbine GT-1 view from Ronkonkoma
Avenue trestle
09/12/66 Archive: Dave Keller |
Gas Turbine GT-1 view W at Ronkonkoma station
platform 9/12/66 Archive:
Dave Keller |
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GT-1 Ronkonkoma view NE
c. 12/1966 laid up on the
north leg of the wye prior to the sheet metal
shed being
built for the 2nd turbine
Photo/Archive: Tom Harmon |
GT-1 at end of wye - Ronkonkoma - 1966 (W. J.
Edwards photo, Dave Keller archive)
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Gas turbine GT-2 Mineola Photo: Steve
Hoskins c.1970 the car is on the west leg of the old Mineola wye (The GT-2 was tested November, 1969 to December, 1970 Re:
John Scala) |
GT-2 Test Project Sign - Ronkonkoma - 54/1970
(Dave Keller photo and archive) |
GT-2 at end of wye in car house specially
constructed for it - Ronkonkoma - 5/1970 (Dave Keller photo and archive) |
GT-2 at end of wye in car house specially
constructed for it - Ronkonkoma - 5/1970 (Dave Keller photo and archive)
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GT-2 at end of wye in car house specially
constructed for it - Ronkonkoma - 5/1970 (Dave Keller photo and archive)
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Ronkonkoma Shed after the GT2
testing was over, the shed was used to store the TC80 “Moon Rover”.
Info: Dave Keller 1978 Photo: Steven Lynch
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GT-1/2 Propulsion diagram Budd Co.
Archive: Bill Mangahas
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GT-2 LIRR PRESS
RELEASE - June 29, 1970 Archive:
Gary Doster |
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GT-2 Test Car LIRR Press Release, July 29, 1970
- MTA Photos: Leon Hoffman |
Engineers check mechanisms of the GT-2 |
Mineola to Ronkonkoma Shakedown Run with
LIRR and MTA, Budd, and Garrett engineers assembled to observe the GT-2
performance. |
Leo F. Cronan, Assistant Road Foreman of LIRR Engineers
pilots the GT-2 on a daily test run. |
Preston Stringer, Garrett Corp
technician,
checking the recorder instruments. |
Preston Stringer, Garrett Corp., monitors
the vehicle performance. |
Frank Bremer, Garrett Corp., scans tape
of one of the
testing units onboard. |
Upon return an engineer, walkie-talkie in
hand,
attends to final details. |
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Garrett turbine car GT-1 was formerly BUDD experimental Pioneer III coach,
built in 1956, under serial number 3880. It was equipped with twin
gas turbines linked mechanically with wheels. Its period of testing on the
LIRR was from September, 1966 to May, 1967.
Budd Pioneer III lightweight truck as used in the original Pioneer III railcars. Note non-standard right-angle gearbox and disc brakes. Photo scanned from Budd Company promotional literature from
1958.
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LIRR
turbine car truck detail c.12/1966
Photo/Archive: Tom Harmon
Garrett turbine car GT-2 used the same car body as the GT-1, but
were equipped with an advanced electrical propulsion system. The unit was
third rail compatible. Its period of testing on the LIRR was from
November, 1969 to December, 1970. (Data courtesy of John Scala's
Diesels of the Sunrise Trail)
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TURBINE ELECTRIC
COMMUTER RAIL CAR - (fact sheet information)
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The first
gas-turbine powered rail car in the US. This car was used as a test
vehicle with two different
drive trains. As GT-1, it had a mechanical drive with torque converters.
In 1966/67 it successfully
demonstrated the practicality of gas turbine propulsion for railcars.
For service to Manhattan it was rebuilt for the GT-2 test in 1969/70 to
allow operation on third rail
power along with electric drive from the turbines. The electric drive
included one of the earliest
applications of chopper control. These successful tests led to the
development of the GT/E rail cars
in the middle 1970s.
Owner: Budd Company (Builder) and Garrett AiResearch
Capacity/Seated: 30; Length/Width: 85 feet long,12 feet 2 inches wide
Weight: 112,000 pounds with instrumentation and fuel; Buffing Strength:
800,000 pounds
Performance: Acceleration-1.95 MPH Per Second; Maximum Speed
Capability-100 MPH;
Rate of deceleration: 1.7 MPH PS; In emergency deceleration: 2.6 MPH PS
Propulsion: 4-150 HP DC separately excited traction motors (GT-2 Garrett
Prototype)
Control: Chopper voltage control from 300 HZ converter
Brakes: WABCO RT-2 control regenerative; Budd disc friction units
Power: Third rail 650 VDC; Turbo Electric 420 HZ rectified to 700 VDC
Trucks: Two Budd Pioneer 3 with air spring suspension
Wheels: 32 inch diameter class CR; Couplers: Type H tight lock
Signals: 3 aspect cab signal system; Heat/AC: 46 KW electric heat and 10
ton AC unit
Archive: NRHS
Library in Philadelphia Research: Mactraxx-Railroad.Net |
The use of Budd car #3880 was
interesting because this car was originally designed as a short/medium
distance coach and converting it into the GT-1/GT-2 self propelled test
car meant adding two cabs. This car was designed with side doors at only
one end. I for one found it interesting that the cab added on the
vestibule end was on the left side. I believe that this was done to allow
the head door to be used for platforms on the right side of the car. The
cab on the other end was placed on the right-hand side because the left
hand side on that end was occupied by the car's lavatory. Just as a small
detail, the height from rail/low platform to the floor of the train/doors
was 50 inches. It was that way with the normal M1's, and is the height for
the M3's and M7's. Research: Mactraxx-Railroad.Net |
GT-1
Turbine back home July 13, 1967 "Long Island RAILROADER"
Courtesy archive: Al Castellli |