Elvas Tower: Sherman Hill Monsters and the End Of An Era! - Elvas Tower

Jump to content

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

Sherman Hill Monsters and the End Of An Era! Talking about the end of steam age and the first GTELs Rate Topic: -----

#1 User is offline   Henrique12 

  • Apprentice
  • Group: Status: Switchman
  • Posts: 3
  • Joined: 26-November 23
  • Gender:Male
  • Simulator:OpenRails
  • Country:

Posted 27 November 2023 - 11:59 AM

Ok Guys, Today I gonna talk about the UP GTELs and the end of the golden era of the Union Pacific.
Feel free to talk about trains with me on the comments too!
We are in Cheyenne ,Wyoming in 1959 ,Most part of the Steam fleet are now storaged at the side tracks ,near the Roundhouse or near the Depot.
You can just walk side by side of those monsters and finally notice what's going on, The end of the steam era!
Yes guys ,that would be a vision of the UP employees and the people of Cheyenne, Everyday the black and grey engines being storaged and more and more yellow ,blue, white and red engines passing in high speed on the lines, pulling the heavy freight trains or the fabulous Streamliners.
Now the old and memorable sounds were not there ,the whistle has gone and the black smoke with the chuffs sounds were replaced by the silencious F-7's Engine sounds.
The Only Black smoke that Can be noticed come from the GTEL Exhaust "stacks".
The Newer engines like the Big Boys and Late Challengers still works ,but not as it was yesterday, Now these massive locomotives are working as helpers for the EMD F Series, AlCo PAs and FAs and a lot of other Diesel Engines.
For Union Pacific ,This was the only task for all the years of 1959 until 1961.
The Old Locomotives, that started to work on the 20s ,now has also gone ,being cut in the Scrap Yards.
The Old Time has gone ,TTTs and SA-Cs can be found dying on the Storage tracks ,followed sometimes by false tenders, because some of the original Steam Locomotive Tenders has been taken to be used as Fuel Tenders to the GTELs.
The End of the Steam locomotives Started in the late 40s when the UP invested in a new kind of diesel engine, called Gas Turbine Eletric Locomotive(G.T.E.L.), This locomotive was easier to be used ,maintained and produced.
It has been made inspired on the old and Unsucessful Steam Turbine Eletric Locomotive, That worked for about 6 months in Union Pacific.
The First GTEL (UP 50) was tested and the tested showed that It had about 4,500HP.
In the 50s these locomotive were used in tests to make cheaper to mantain or to increase the HP, Like Use propane as fuel and use double turbines.
The First generation of the GTELs were retired in the early 1960s.
About the Steam ,most part of the Steam locos were scrapped or donated for museums, Starting this process in the early 1950s.
Unfortunalety most part of the UP Classes were completely Scrapped ,as MCs,SA-Cs,TTTs,MKs,MTs,Ps,CSAs,and the 4-12-2 (almost scrapped ,today we have only 9000)
An Interesting History is about the UP 3977, It was saved due a thing ,it was the only Challenegr that worked until the lae 1960s (1967 I think) In Snow Melter Service ,Using the MOW number as 900079.
After that ,It was donated and now it stays at North Platte ,Nebraska.
Well ,I Think Is about this ,I don't know if this text can be posted here ,but it was made to tell you about the history of these photos ,well ,thank you guys.

Attached File(s)


#2 User is online   Weter 

  • Member, Board of Directors
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: ET Admin
  • Posts: 6,981
  • Joined: 01-June 20
  • Gender:Not Telling
  • Simulator:ORTS
  • Country:

Posted 27 November 2023 - 11:21 PM

Wnat an exciting story! Thanks.
Too hurry decisions are often fault for ages.
Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users