The Turbines Are Coming! The Turbines Are Coming!

[C855B]

Emergen-sea! Everybody to get from streets!

Just received notice that the Scale Trains GTEL8500s are in and will ship starting Monday. I don't know where I am in the queue (received notice about an hour ago), but will post upon arrival.

[robert3985]

The turbines are already at the Echo Yard, West End.  Been there for many years....

(1) - GTEL UP Turbines at Echo Yard, West End:


I won't be buying any of these new turbines, but they look like excellent models.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[up1950s]

When they make 1 or 2 I will be happy , till then I still have my number 3 .



Note pre 1960 ( some steam still in use ) no Union Pacific on the nose .

[EspeeGoldenState]

When they make 1 or 2 I will be happy , till then I still have my number 3 .



Note pre 1960 ( some steam still in use ) no Union Pacific on the nose .

They ended up doing 1 in HO, I'd be surprised if they didn't in N scale, but only they know. I'm curious if they will at some point offer the tenders for purchase separately.

I wont be getting mine until the 4th, still unsure why I did other than the cool factor.

Chris

[Nato]

                 I will go to a very Happy Emoj instead of my usual neutral not taking sides one. Probably my last model railroad purchase for awhile till Mr. Wallet and Ms. Bank Account self replenish . Yes I ordered two of the Super Dooper Riveted Counter ones, not exactly cheap even with the Scale Trains Early Order Discount. I know they won' t have the instrument panel in the cab that lights up in sequence on start up like the HO one reviewed in MR, but hey that's ok. Now to put my two Overland Brass ones like those in Robert 3985' s photo up for sale (good by old friends). If they do number 26 in N which is only one of two preserved and is at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden at the former Union Station, then I may just break my no purchase for awhile rule, or get a non RC one. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah. 

[EspeeGoldenState]

                 I will go to a very Happy Emoj instead of my usual neutral not taking sides one. Probably my last model railroad purchase for awhile till Mr. Wallet and Ms. Bank Account self replenish . Yes I ordered two of the Super Dooper Riveted Counter ones, not exactly cheap even with the Scale Trains Early Order Discount. I know they won' t have the instrument panel in the cab that lights up in sequence on start up like the HO one reviewed in MR, but hey that's ok. Now to put my two Overland Brass ones like those in Robert 3985' s photo up for sale (good by old friends). If they do number 26 in N which is only one of two preserved and is at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden at the former Union Station, then I may just break my no purchase for awhile rule, or get a non RC one. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah. 

What do you mean if they 26? They are doing both 18 and 26.

https://www.scaletrains.com/products/rivet-counter-n-union-pacific-gtel-8500-horsepower-big-blow-turbine-26

Chris

[robert3985]

When they make 1 or 2 I will be happy , till then I still have my number 3 .



Note pre 1960 ( some steam still in use ) no Union Pacific on the nose .

I'm gonna take an educated guess that the year of the photo is 1958, and #1 is the only GTEL Turbine on the system so far, and it's pulling its first train out of Cheyenne, headed west to Ogden.  I'm betting the PR Department wanted some photos of an out-going Big Boy next to its new successor, Big Blow, and this is one of 'em.

I could be wrong...but I doubt it.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Nato]

    If they are doing 26 in N I was not aware of this. One of the two numbers I ordered is 18. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[C855B]

https://www.scaletrains.com/collections/rivet-counter-n-big-blow-turbine/products/rivet-counter-n-union-pacific-gtel-8500-horsepower-big-blow-turbine-26

[x600]

Good and Bad news.
Good news first. Scaletrains were at WGH Show here in W Washington this weekend. And they look fantastic. They had 3 sets on display but only only 1 powered unit. The other were Test shots from production.
After a conversation with one of our club members Sat, they brought the only operating unit they had on display to our layout to give it a test run today.
We set it up in the Yard with a plan to send it out to the main to pick up a 45 car train of reefers already on a train.
The "hostler diesel" sounds cool and would move the 3 units at a reduced speed.
The turbine sound is the bomb. spooling up and then settling in , it is really cool.

Bad news- The A unit would not run with the B and tender. Sort of a speed match issue or might be some other programming glitch.
After messing with it for a while the test run was canceled with assurance that the problem would be tracked down and fixed.
The 3 unit set never made it out to the main but it sounded cool running up and down the yard, so I can't comment on the pulling power.

OK news- They have units ready to ship, but they are going through them to locate any QC issues. They Are really nice models.
Nice guys, too, although after I asked if they were doing any undecs so I could do a Lackawanna, they gave me that look, some of you know the one, and they stayed away from me.
Oh well, no Big Blows over the Poconos this time.

You gotta admire the moxie of a company whose first venture into N-Scale is a 3 unit turbine......
Greg O.

[peteski]

You gotta admire the moxie of a company whose first venture into N-Scale is a 3 unit turbine......
Greg O.

Well, the founders are experienced industry insiders, so I think they do have some idea what might sell and what won't.  BTW, their first venture into N scale were containers. This is their first N scale locomotive (which they already successfully produced in H0 scale).

I also think that these models of a rather unique locomotive set will sell not just to UP modelers, but to many collectors who just like owning unusual models. Plus the brass version of this models was highly sought after and cost much more than this model, which not only has details just as good or better, but it will actually run well and have sound/DCC decoder.

[Albert in N]

  This makes more sense.  I thought the thread would be about an N scale version of the Lionel 3-rail 027 Pennsy S2 steam turbine.  Lionel made lots of them years ago and a lot of us old men have owned at least one.  However, only one prototype was built and used.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRR_S2

[reinhardtjh]

This makes more sense.  I thought the thread would be about an N scale version of the Lionel 3-rail 027 Pennsy S2 steam turbine.  Lionel made lots of them years ago and a lot of us old men have owned at least one.  However, only one prototype was built and used.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRR_S2

BLI did the PRR S2 in a brass/plastic hybrid.  Some may still be available at retailers.  <http://www.broadway-limited.com/prrs26-8-6turbine.aspx>

[C855B]

... The A unit would not run with the B and tender. Sort of a speed match issue or might be some other programming glitch. ...

This was the problem with the production samples delaying delivery from their original November target. Given I ordered non-sound units, fingers are crossed that most of the issue is decoder programming, or is something more easily compensated with conventional non-sound decoders.

It just dawned on me the HO version comes with a 21-pin decoder connection. So what about N? I'll guess I'll know soon enough.

[CBQ Fan]

I am hoping Kleins will stock these.