GS4

[2foot6]

Can anyone explain why the GS4 loco has 3  steam turbines? thanks Peter.

[Len]

Could you provide a reference to what you're asking about? I wasn't aware the GS4 had any steam turbines. The only turbine loco I'm aware of was the S2, a one of a kind built for the Pennsy.

Len

[Trainman203]

All of the SP GS classes, preceded by the original and little known GS-1 on the T&NO, were standard Super-Power design locomotives following parameters set 10 years before by the Lima Locomotive Works.

The N&W had a turbine flop called Jawn Henry, and I think the C&O had a turbine engine too.  The coal roads had a vested interest in sticking with coal fired power, even after the diesel had proved its superiority and had won the war.

OH.  I almost forgot.  The UP had a much later turbine locomotive, although it looked like an Alco PA instead of a steam engine.  It even had a tender from a retired Big Boy.

What are these three "turbines" you are talking about?

[Desertdweller]

I suspect the original poster was referring to turbo-generators mounted on the boiler.  These generated electricity for the radio, lights, etc.

[Trainman203]

Thst is probably it.  Without an excruciating  search I seem to recall the Daylight Engines having multiple dynamos for train electricity. Now, why so many, I can't say other than high power usage in the train.

[2foot6]

Thanks guys,I should write in Americian not Australian ,I did mean the dynamos or generators,but why three?Did they supply the train as well as the loco or just the loco.I thought most American trains had a power carriage in the consist.cheers Peter.

[Len]

Head-End-Power (HEP) wasn't real common when the GS-4 was hauling the "Daylight".

Now I know what to look for, a little digging found the GS-4's three turbogenerators were for:

1. Locomotive lighting, except for the MARS light.

2. Power for the GS-4's oscillating MARS light. Something not very common on steam locos of the day.

3. Control power for an electro-pneumatic brake actuating system on the "Daylight" streamlined passenger trains.

Len

[Desertdweller]

The use of "power carriages" (generator cars) in American passenger trains was fairly uncommon.  A few long passenger trains did use these to supply power for train lighting.

Train lighting generators in locomotives (HEP, head-end-power) was first used, I think, on Chicago commuter trains on the Chicago and North Western.  CB&Q Chicago commuter trains used dedicated generator cars, or combination generator-coaches.  Modern passenger locomotives have built-in generators for this purpose, and the electricity is used for train heating as well as lighting.

In the "Golden Era" of US passenger trains, passenger trains were lighted with electricity and heated by steam.
The steam was provided by the steam locomotive, or by train heating boilers in the Diesel or electric locomotives.  One of the identifying features of passenger Diesel locomotives was the heating boiler(s).

Some railroads used steam for operating air conditioning systems in passenger trains.  Milwaukee Road and Santa Fe used this system.

In large terminals, steam lines were provided at the track.

During the Golden Era, passenger cars carried self-contained electrical systems.  They carried lead-acid storage batteries on their underframes that were kept charged by generators.  These were powered by pulleys hooked to the axles.  The cars could be plugged into power cords when in a terminal.

Commonly, the air conditioning systems were electrically powered.  Also common in the Golden Era were air cooling systems that used blocks of ice carried in bunkers that had electric fans blowing air over them.

Les

[MilwaukeeRoadfan261]

As far as the question of if the train (the passenger cars) were supplied by Lima Locomotive Works in addition to the locomotive, that would be a no. The Locomotives (the GS-2, GS-3, GS-4-A [Running numbers 4430-4449 built in 1941], GS-4-B [identical to GS-4-A as I use the A and B designations to note the fact that the GS-4-B was merely a second order of 8 GS-4 class locomotives but with running numbers 4450-4457 built in 1942 and as such were often referred to as "War-Babies" as they were War-Time copies of an existing design], Gs-5 [identical to the GS-4 class engines but with roller bearings instead of friction bearings as on the GS-2 to GS-4 locomotives and carrying running numbers 4458 and 4459], and GS-6 [and the almost identical GS-64-77 class on the Western Pacific as the Western Pacific ones which Bachmann has modeled were originally supposed to be GS-6 class engines for the Southern Pacific but were sent to the Western Pacific by the War Production Board instead and were fitted with different oil feed systems on the Southern Pacific version] were all suplied by Lima while the passenger cars were supplied by American Car and Foundry if I remember my Southern Pacific Daylight history correctly. As for generator coaches, those are a more modern idea for steam hauled excursion runs if the train doesn't have a diesel behind the steam locomotive to provide power for the passenger cars as back in the day, as already stated, power for the passenger cars was provided either by the locomotives steam powered electric generator units (or Dynamos if you prefer to call them that) or by electric generators on the passenger cars connected the axle by a drive belt.

[2foot6]

Thank you every one for your replies,now I know why there is three generators.Steam locos in Australia only had one generator and as far as I know no steam was used for heating the cars.Most of the early passenger cars had batteries and a dynamo.for lighting ,some later long distance trains had power cars.Once again thank you for the answer to my.question. cheers Peter