[Moved from page 5 on 11 Oct 04 and expanded.]
BW/Baldwin/PRR Class T3 Oil-Fired Cab-Forward.
BW/Baldwin/Virginian 2-4-6-8-10-12 Multiplex.
The ELEGARNT (Elegant Energy-Efficient Elephant-Garratt)
12,000HP SD90MAC2.
ALCo-GE-BW FPA-1.
On this Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Page 7:
(23 Jan 06)
9,000HP GE-BW Turbine (B-B+B-B)-(B-B+B-B)-T.
(23 Jan 06)
9,000HP UP Turbine (B-B+B-B)-T-(B-B+B-B).
(23 Jan 06)
12,000HP GE-BW Turbine [(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)+(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)]-[(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)+(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)]-T.
(23 Jan 06) and
(25 Jan 06)
16,000HP GE-BW Turbine (C-C+C-C)-(C-C+C-C)-T.
(23 Jan 06)
20,000HP GE-BW Turbine (D-D+D-D)-(D-D+D-D)-T.
(27 Jan 06)
18,000HP GE-BW Turbine (D-D)-(D-D)-T.
(27 Jan 06)
PRR S3 6-10-6 Turbine.
(28 Jan 06)
PRR BH50T 2-D+D-2 Centipede Turbine #5821.
(30 Jan 06)
PRR HH2 1-D+D-1.
(28 Jan 06)
Shay Geared Handcar.
(30 Jan 06)
On the Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Continuation Page 8:
(03 Feb 06)
CP/MLW/BW Super Selkirk 2-10-10-4.
(03 Feb 06)
CP/MLW/BW Super Selkirk 2-10-10-6.
(03 Feb 06)
CP/BW Super Duper Selkirk (Auld Kirk)
2-4-6-8-10-12.
(05 Feb 06)
PRR/Baldwin/BW 8-8-8-8 Duplexii.
(09 Feb 06)
Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the
individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the
Guest Apocrypha Index).
(03 Oct 06)
Before I start, I should note that all this started with a secret project that is still unfinished and the next major development of the Berlinerwerke was their fabled DDP45:
For more about her and her family, see my EMD page.
9,000HP GE-BW Turbine (B-B+B-B)-(B-B+B-B)-T
(23 Jan 06)
The UP was not happy with their 8,500HP turbines; they were stressed to the limit
and it was not deemed safe to try to push them any further. George Ersatz
suggested to Ira that they look into a way of getting a slight boost in power with
much higher reliability. Ira came up with two tried and true 4,500HP turbines
back-to-back, trailed by a huge tender on 8-wheel trucks (funny that no one at the UP
remembers this one):
(23 Jan 06)
22/23 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"; I was unable to
contact Josh, Steve, or Stan.]
9,000HP UP Turbine (B-B+B-B)-T-(B-B+B-B)
(23 Jan 06)
As it turned out (as I was gently reminded by Karen Parker), the UP found a similar
way to upgrade power by hooking two 4,500HP turbines to either end of a standard
oil tender; Karen found this on page 31 of Turbines Westward by Thos. R. Lee,
published in 1975; a photo credited to the Union Pacific there depicts turbines X59 and
X60, semi-permanently coupled with a common tender to make a 9,000 HP locomotive.
The UP made modifications to 59's air intakes and designated it as the trailing unit
after experiencing difficulties in tunnels. The pair operated in this configuration
from Jul 1958 through the end of Nov 1958. Ultimately, the decision was made
to MU turbines with diesels when extra power was needed [thanks, Karen].
George and Ira knew all about this, of course, and were rather ticked, since it meant
no income for them; here's what they were up against:
23 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"; I was unable to
contact Josh, Steve, or Stan.]
12,000HP GE-BW Turbine [(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)+(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)]-[((A-1-A)-(A-1-A)+(A-1-A)-(A-1-A)]-T
(23 Jan 06) and
(25 Jan 06)
In an effort to better even that set, Ira cranked out this 12,000HP jobbie but George
just couldn't get the UP Motive Power people to take it seriously (I can't imagine why):
23 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"; I was unable to
contact Josh, Steve, or Stan.]
Ersatz ideas are not always appreciated, it seems.
16,000HP GE-BW Turbine (C-C+C-C)-(C-C+C-C)-T
(25 Jan 06)
Diligent searching in the BW files turned up UP Motive Power's reasons for rejecting
the 12,000HP turbine; not only was it just "too damn long" but they didn't like the
extra-long A-1-A trucks nor did they like the extra-large (and heavy) traction motors
to spread the 12,000HP across "only" 16 wheelsets. Never one to give up
easily, Ira set to work and came up with a locomotive that utilized newer, lighter, and
more-powerful turbines, higher-output traction motors in the standard frame, and the
advantage of heavier rails being laid on the UP system. Using a shorter C truck
with three traction motors spread the grand total of 16,000HP
across 24 axles, as well as shortening the overall length:
25 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
{My thanks to Karen Parker for the trucks and ideas.}
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"; I was unable to
contact Josh or Steve but finally heard from Stan. More information on the
status of the Paintshop should follow soon.]
Motive power was thrilled with this unit (their only concern was drawbar strength)
and placed an immediate order with the Berlinerwerke for a prototype.
Unfortunately, turbine bucket technology still wasn't up to the task and the incredible
reliability of diesel lcomotives soon led to cancellation of the whole project.
20,000HP GE-BW Turbine (D-D+D-D)-(D-D+D-D)-T
(27 Jan 06)
{the horsepower race proceeds apace}
Based on the favorable reception of the 16,000HP unit and the availability of
even more powerful turbines, Ira went ahead and laid out a 20,000HP loco on
D-type trucks (with radial steering - far ahead of their time):
26 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"
The disposition of this unit has proven difficult to ascertain.
18,000HP GE-BW Turbine (D-D)-(D-D)-T
(27 Jan 06)
{the horsepower race abates}
There's more! When poor George Ersatz walked the 20,000HP in to the office
of the UP's Chief of Motive Power in Omaha, the chief roared at George "No, NO,
NO!", so loudly that his voice could be heard on both coasts, unamplified!
The Chief sure did like that huge tender, though. Poor George beat a hasty
retreat, came back to the Berlinerwerke, and screamed bloody murder at Ira, who
was mortally offended. Things eventually simmered down and Ira cranked out
an 18,000HP design on single D trucks:
27 Jan 06 image by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III, after S. Karnes and S.
Lytle
on J. Moldover's "Railroad Paint Shop" - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on the picture for a larger image.]
[This image is based on the outstanding work of Steve Karnes and Stan Lytle on
Joshua Moldover's
"The Railroad Paintshop"
Unfortunately, by then the UP had had it with turbines and issued the specification for
giant double-engined diesels that led to the GE U50, ALCo C-855, and, of course, the
famed EMD DD-35 and, later, the DDA-40X Centennials. That effectively froze
the BW out of Omaha for a while but Ira had the satisfaction of seeing the basic D
truck (without radial steering) used under the EMD DD-series.
To inject an uncharacteristic note of historical (rather than hysterical) reality here,
Karen Parker reminded me that the GE U50s were built on the span bolsters and
B-B trucks of some of the original 4,500 HP turbines, and the U50Cs that followed
used trucks from some of the later 10,000 HP "Big Blow" turbines (thanks,
Karen). Further, lest you collapse scoffing at some of the above units,
Marre notes that the 30 8,500HP turbines, 1 through 30, were actually upgraded
to 10,000HP and sometimes were even run in pairs at 20,000HP!
(28 Jan 06)
PRR S3 6-10-6 Turbine #6106
(28 Jan 06)
When Altoona got wind of all this turbine activity, it called in George Ersatz to see if
their S2 6-8-6 could be improved upon. Ira got right on it, the PRR was
impressed, and a prototype of an extended S2 with an extra driver, more heating
area, heavier turbines and gearing, and ALCo lateral motion gear, was fabricated
(and how) by the Berlinerwerke. Since the Pennsy had no class for any such
odd wheel arrangement, they stuck with the S-class and called it the S3, road number
6106:
(27 Jan 06 photo by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
It proved to be quite a good runner but, as with the UP, turbines were no longer in
vogue and a production order did not ensue.
Speaking of turbines, Karen Parker, impatient to see what I would concoct, came up
with her own, a 6-6-6-6 duplex turbine! This is a magnificent effort and I
posted it to her section on my Guest
Apocrypha but feel it deserves to be repeated here:
(29 Jan 06)
(27 Jan 2006 image by K. Parker - all rights reserved)
Ya gotta hand it to Karen; this is one of the best yet; magnificent!
PRR BH50T 2-D+D-2 Centipede Turbine #5821
(30 Jan 06)
I recalled that when Pennsy Class BH50 Centipede #5821 was due to be scrapped,
George borrowed it and Ira installed twin (smaller) turbines; all I could locate was
this grainy old photo:
29 Jan 06 photo by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
It really wasn't worth the trouble; fuel consumption was still horrendous and the unit
ended up scrapped anyway.
PRR HH2 1-D+D-1
(28 Jan 06)
Long before all this, Altoona wanted a heavy electric drag freighter also capable of
decent speed out on the road, and asked George if their L5 1-D-1 could be used as a
basis. George brought the question back to Ira, who quickly worked up an
American version of the Swiss "Crocodile" 1-C+C-1, an articulated side-rodder with
beefed-up L5 components in a 1-D+D-1 configuration:
(28 Jan 06 photo by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Thumbnailed image - click on picture for larger image]
Like FF1 "Big Liz" and the ex-GN FF2s, the HH2 was one of the few Pennsy juice-jacks
to run with BOTH pans up. Putting the first driver axle outboard of the
jackshafts and traction motors lengthened the truck wheelbase but gave better
balance and riding.
The hoods were mounted on the driver trucks, which were articulated on a common
pair of drawbars, and the cab rode between the hoods just like the Crocodile.
Pennsy blind inner driver tires and ALCo lateral motion gear kept the long truck
wheelbase tractable and a prototype was erected and sent to the Altoona Test Plant,
where it passed with flying colors. It was quickly put out on the road as #9300
and, since the Swiss already used the name "Crocodile" and "Alligator" was the name
of a steam crosshead (and a medium had told the Superintendant of Motive Power
that there would someday be a long-snout ALCo RSD-15 of that name) and it had
been designed and built so speedily, it soon became known as the "Insti-gator"!
Widespread acceptance of the GG1 as a dual-purpose locomotive and adoption of the
E44 rectifiers soon left the HH2 an orphan.
Shay Geared Handcar
(30 Jan 06)
The Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern
Ontario has a most-unusual (amazing, even) historical RR artifact and
they aren't even aware of its significance! Without knowing what they
got, they acquired the only known surviving example of Ephraim Shay's
original geared handcar! Developed for mountainous logging
country, it enabled two brawny loggers to easily crank their way up (and down)
the steepest grades and still haul line cars with tools and supplies:
(30 Jan 06 photo by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
It wasn't very fast, but could it ever climb and lug!
Uh, oh! Those folks at Smiths Falls, in spite of their calling, have
no regard whatsoever for historicity! Look what they went and did to
the Shay handcar! Some yo-yo converted it to a tracklayer:
(30 Jan 06)
(03 Mar 06 photo by and © 2006 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
If you thought it was slow and had fantastic trac(k)tive effort before,
you should see it operate now!
My apologies to Smith Falls; that was NOT a conversion. They have a
rotating exhibit of handcars (wonder why no one there realizes?) - see
page 10.
(04 Mar 06)
[See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z
(1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga.]
I always wondered at the incredibly tight security at the Berlinerwerke during WWII;
now it can be told! See, for starters, the wild site of Sig Case,
Rails to the Stars - Steam in Space, files from the National Aeronautics and
Steam Administration and the tie-in to the Berlinerwerke V1 on
Apocrypha Page 2.
See also the HO (1:87.1) Berlinerwerke saga or the Z (1:220) Berlinerwerke-Z saga
and Berlinerwerke Guest Apocrypha (for taller tales?):
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR FREIGHT ENGINES.
LEWELLEN NORTHERN GARRATTS.
CSXT AC100CBW and NSC CB100W-10 10,000 horsepower locos!
Also, see the fabled BW DDP45 and other EMD engines EMD may never have dreamed of!
Because the Apocrypha and Guest Apocrypha indices exceeded the capacity of the
individual pages, they are now presented in full on a separate
Berlinerwerke Apocrypha Index (including the
Guest Apocrypha Index).
(03 Oct 06)
If you like this sort of nonsense, take a gander at Jim Wells' incredible 
and at the AW NUTS Magazine site, "A Publication of the A.W. N.U.T.S. Garden Railway Society".
If you are air-minded (take that as you choose), you must see the Lion Air site! I'd be Lion if I didn't warn you to keep your tongue in your cheek on this one!
Take your tongue out of your cheek and visit D. Dickens' The Patiala State Monorail Tramway site; whooie (and it's for real)!
THUMBS UP!
THUMBS UP! - Support your local police, fire, and emergency personnel!
S. Berliner, III
To contact S. Berliner, III, please click here.
of this series of Berlinerwerke Apocrypha pages.
© Copyright S. Berliner, III -
2006
- All rights reserved.
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