GT3: EE’s Brave Experiment
More closely resembling a steam locomotive than any modern form of traction, the origins of English Electric’s Gas Turbine 3 (GT3) lay in the early-1950s. However, by the time it was completed in 1961, experiments with BR’s first two gas turbine locomotives, Nos. 18000 and 18100, had already been terminated.
GT3 was built as a demonstrator at EE’s Vulcan Foundry between 1958 and 1961 to a design by J.O.P. Hughes. The unique concept combined a 4-6-0 locomotive chassis similar to a BR Standard 5MT and a tender built to carry kerosene fuel for the gas turbine and the steam heating boiler.
An EM27L gas turbine of 2,700hp was installed on the strengthened loco chassis, which was designed to cope with the greater torque of the power unit. GT3 weighed 123.5 tons and had a maximum design speed of 90mph.
Hughes’ idea was to make the mechanical aspects of the locomotive and transmission as simple as possible, to deliver easier maintenance, high availability, a low power-to-weight ratio and the ability to burn low-grade fuel, overcoming the inherent disadvantages of gas turbines for railway use – namely their high fuel consumption when running at less than full power.
The simple
