Will there ever be an RTL-4, or RTV? Lol.
if a siemens charger is at 125mph, a rebuilt turbo can go those speeds as well.
One of the only railfans who gives a crap about the MMA, despite not living IN the northeast.
Highly unlikely. A re-engined Turboliner would be oddball equipment with all the usual issues that go with that fact. The equipment would also not be interchangeable with other rolling stock so you would basicallly be dealing with fixed consists.
Gas turbine engines on the RTGs and RTLs were gas guzzlers but lightweight and cranked out a lot of hp. They are often used for helicopters and the Abrams tank. A diesel would be heavier and could not perform as well.
After that mess between Amtrak, the state of New York, and Super Steel Schenectady? I really doubt it.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
The problem (aside from all the bits and pieces of Turboliner IIIs being sold off) is that even the best modern high-speed turbodiesels don't have the power-to-weight ratio to serve as drop-in replacements for turboliner power. Meanwhile, the transmissions were designed and built for the higher shaft speed of turboshaft power, so still more expensive stuff would have to be provided either for direct power (perhaps via a Bowes-drive variant) or electric drive.
Interestingly, Allan Cripe followed up the TurboTrain project with a diesel version (which I recall he called the DMT) -- I never did see technical material on these, but I suspect they would have used at least some components in common with the high-speed version of the SPV-2000 (8V92-TA Detroits or something similar) keeping the hydromechanical drive. Whether that would prove attractive as a competitor now (with the development and tooling expenses of much more powerful Chargers and PRIIA 125-mph rolling stock largely costed-down now) is unclear to me.
For what it's worth, I think the last III at Bear ought to be preserved. Failing that, someone ought to at least try to bid for what's left of one or both the ones sent for terrorist-event training. Problem is, according to RyPN, Amtrak not only won't donate the train, they won't sell it, even to a museum, but seem insistent on scrapping it (probably for liability reasons).
If you or anyone or any group you know have 'pull' in government, I welcome you to set up efforts to obtain the thing, or at least extend its lease on life.
(Of course, there is that certain thing on its side that could be re-engineered with modern small-spool engines, if you want to revive a RTG... you could replicate many of the missing bits using what remains as patterns. Good luck finding anyone that would pay full price for the result, though!)
Overmod Interestingly, Allan Cripe followed up the TurboTrain project with a diesel version (which I recall he called the DMT) -- I never did see technical material on these, but I suspect they would have used at least some components in common with the high-speed version of the SPV-2000 (8V92-TA Detroits or something similar) keeping the hydromechanical drive. Whether that would prove attractive as a competitor now (with the development and tooling expenses of much more powerful Chargers and PRIIA 125-mph rolling stock largely costed-down now) is unclear to me.
Alan Cripe's Diesel Motor Train was shown in the April(?) 1959 issue of Trains (The "Who Shot the Passenger Train" issue). The UA Turbo Train was derived from that.
Erik_MagAlan Cripe's Diesel Motor Train was shown in the April(?) 1959 issue of Trains (The "Who Shot the Passenger Train" issue). The UA Turbo Train was derived from that.
Cripe was apparently pushing a modern version of the DMT after the days of the TurboTrains -- I believe he had a Web site but its content was kept out of the Internet Archive with one of those misguided robots.txt pages. It would be highly interesting to see how the concept evolved, particularly in light of the successful British introduction of the HSTs with Valenta engines.
I mean, if you can rebuild a t1, you can rebuild a turboliner.
ThamasTehTrainI mean, if you can rebuild a t1, you can rebuild a turboliner.
All it takes is money! Yours? If something was built by man, man can rebuild it - all it takes is money and the will to do it.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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