British Rail GT3 facts for kids

GT3 was a very special experimental train engine. It was built in 1961 by a company called English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows. The main goal was to show British Railways how a new type of engine, called a gas turbine, could power a big train. Even though it had a super modern engine, GT3 looked a lot like an old-fashioned steam train, complete with a separate car called a tender. This tender didn't carry coal or water; instead, it carried diesel fuel for the gas turbine engine.

What Was the GT3 Locomotive?

The GT3, which stood for Gas Turbine 3, was a "prototype" locomotive. This means it was a test model, built to try out new ideas and technology. It was designed to pull trains on the main railway lines. The project to create GT3 started in the early 1950s, and it was designed by an engineer named J. O. P. Hughes from the Vulcan Foundry.

Building a Unique Train

The GT3 was constructed by English Electric, a famous engineering company, at their Vulcan Foundry. This factory was known for building many types of locomotives. The actual building of GT3 took several years, from 1958 to 1961. It was given the serial number D228 by Vulcan Foundry.

How Did GT3 Work?

Instead of a traditional steam engine or a diesel engine, GT3 used a powerful EM27L gas turbine as its main engine. A gas turbine works a bit like a jet engine in an airplane. It sucks in air, compresses it, mixes it with fuel, and then burns it. This creates hot gas that spins a turbine, which then powers the train's wheels.

The power from the gas turbine was sent to the wheels through a "mechanical transmission" system. This involved a gearbox and a flexible drive that connected to the middle driving axle of the locomotive. This was different from many other gas turbine trains that used electrical systems to transfer power.

GT3's Design and Features

GT3 was designed to look like a classic steam tender locomotive. This was quite unusual for a modern gas turbine train. It had a wheel arrangement known as 4-6-0, which means it had four small wheels at the front, six large driving wheels in the middle, and no wheels at the back of the main engine.

Here are some interesting facts about GT3:

• Driver Wheel Size: Its main driving wheels were about 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall.
• Length: The whole locomotive was about 68 feet (20.7 meters) long.
• Weight: The locomotive itself weighed about 79.80 long tons (81.08 metric tons), and its tender weighed an additional 44 long tons (44.7 metric tons).
• Top Speed: GT3 could reach a top speed of 90 miles per hour (145 km/h).
• Power: It produced about 2,750 horsepower (2,050 kW), which is a lot of power for a train.
• Pulling Force: It had a "tractive effort" of 38,000 pounds-force (169 kN), meaning it could pull very heavy loads.
• Heating: It even had a special steam generator to heat the passenger cars it might pull.

What Happened to GT3?

GT3 was an experimental locomotive, and after its testing period, it was returned to the Vulcan Foundry in 1962. Its gas turbine engine was removed. Sadly, like many prototypes, it was eventually scrapped. It was taken apart by T.W. Ward in Salford in March 1966. Even though it didn't become a common type of train, GT3 was an important step in exploring new ways to power locomotives.

Related pages

• British Rail 18000 (GT1)
• British Rail 18100 (GT2)