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One of a pair of failures built by GE. To wit: Discussions between General Electric and the Union Pacific in 1936, due in no small part to the UP’s insatiable desire to increase horsepower and fuel efficiency, while using fewer locomotives to do the job, resulted in the start of a project to design and build a 5,000 hp, two-unit steam-turbine-electric locomotive. It should also be noted that this pair of locomotives was another of General Electric’s attempt to compete with General Motors’ (EMD’s) passenger diesels. On August 25, 1936, the UP Executive Committee formally approved a order for GE to build two units at $96 per horsepower, a total of $480,000 for the pair. The initial plan was for the new locomotive to run at speeds up to 110 mph while having a range of 700 miles without refueling. (The range was later downgraded to 500 miles.) The design that resulted more than doubled the thermal efficiency of a more-traditional, piston-powered steam locomotive. Each unit would be 87 ft. 10 in. long with a 2-C-C-2 wheel arrangement and 44-in. drivers. It had a 65/31 gear ratio and an 81,000 lb starting T.E. Additional specifications included a total loaded weight of 506,000 lb. with 318,000 lb. on the drivers. The boiler generated 1,500 psi steam at 920 °F. The steam was directed at a two-stage cross-compound turbine geared to two DC generators. These provided the needed electrical current to the six traction motors. Delivery was set for April 12, 1937—just a tad optimistic it would seem. • The boiler of unit no. 1 had to be rebuilt; • A generator had to be remodeled; • The traction motors had to be rebuilt; • The main turbine didn’t meet steam consumption requirements; • Excessive oxygen was found in the condensate, which could lead to unreasonable corrosion; • The superheater failed; • The high-pressure steam-reducing valve failed; • The capacity of the evaporator was inadequate; and, • The feedwater supply malfunctioned. Yet, hopes remained high. GE’s/UP’s personnel were optimistic that these and other problems could be overcome. At 1:20 P.M. on Saturday, April 1, 1939, the two-unit team-turbine-electric locomotive Union Pacific Road Numbers 1 and 2 (builders numbers 12136 and 12137) and nicknamed the “streamlined camels,” was considered finally ready for service and left Erie for delivery to UP. They were the only condensing steam locomotives built and operated in the U.S. Behind the two units were UP baggage car No. 4450 and ten NYC coaches. The crew stopped in Toledo, Ohio for the night. Sunday morning, the locomotive and ten cars left behind a section of the 20th Century Limited, arriving at Porter, Indiana, two hours and forty minutes later at 9:00 A.M. The ten coaches were left behind on a siding while the twin locomotives and the UP baggage car transferred to the EJ&E for the run to Chicago. Progress halted in South Bend, Ind. when a coupler’s knuckle broke on the rear of unit 2 releasing the baggage car. They didn’t arrive at West Chicago until 1:20 P.M. The Union Pacific finally took delivery of the two General Electric-built units in Omaha at 4:40 P.M. on Monday, April 3. A cryptic note, cited by Thomas Lee , purportedly from GE to UP stated “…the railroad understands that while locomotive units may be coupled and operated in multiple in forward position, and forward end to forward end, as may be necessary, units cannot be operated back end to back end.” This meant the locomotive units had to be turned at the end of every run, just like a traditional, piston-powered steam locomotive! What ensued was a frenetic two-month frenzy of testing. In late April, a special train made up of 4-4-0 (nee Virginia & Truckee No. 18 ) repainted as UP No. 58 in the lead, with turbines Nos. 1 and 2 following, and baggage car 4450, tourist car 4202 from The Challenger, six conventional heavyweight passenger cars and five old wooden cars. Known as The Paramount Special, the effort was a combined PR promotion of UP and Paramount to publicize Cecil B. DeMille’s film, “Union Pacific,” which was scheduled for its world premier in Omaha on Friday, April 28, 1939 [three years, to the day before I was born—HM]. The following two weeks saw The Paramount Special traveling the eastern half of the country, promoting the film. After a run from Omaha to Chicago, No. 2 was cut out and returned to Erie for repairs, rejoining No. 1 when its journey finally reached Erie. They continued on to Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, and finally Boston. In Boston, it was No. 1’s turn to fail. After No. 2 took over and wyed the consist oil was found flowing down from its roof. No. 2 had to be left in Boston for replacement of the heat exchanger. It was cannibalized to repair No. 1’s feed water heater. No. 1 then took the train to New York City. Failures and repairs continued throughout May. By early June, the units were dead at the East Los Angeles Shops and the head of UP’s motive power office, Otto Jabelmann’s, patience had run out. From Chicago, he wired GE, “…We will not operate locomotive until we are definitely assured of reliable and trouble-free operation..” On June 8, the locomotive left East LA Shops for Omaha with only 4450, the baggage/maintenance car, a coach, and a UP business car at 7:42 P.M. Problems with No. 2 while coming up Cajon Pass delayed their arrival at Salt Lake City until 5:15 P.M. on June 9. The unsatisfactory locomotives were returned to General Electric on June 17, 1939 , following only two months of use. When returned, the No. 1 unit had operated 720 hours while No. 2 had only 573 hours. No.1 had run 17,780 miles while, due to repairs, No. 2 logged an estimated 3,000 miles less. Renumbered GE-1 and GE-2 and repainted a dull gray-black, In contrast to their performance for the UP, after GE had accumulated another 40,000 miles of operation on its test track, (with the resulting modifications) they saw extensive, virtually trouble-free service on the Great Northern Railway during a motive power shortage. GN was able to run the enhanced units back-to-back, rather than front-to-back as the UP was forced to do. By late 1943, after almost a year’s service, the wheel treads were quite worn and in need of replacement. And after one of the units’ boilers became defective, GE-1 and GE-2 were returned by GN to General Electric and retired.
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