1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Union Pacific 18: User:JeremyA· CC BY-SA 2.5
what is it?
The Union Pacific GTELs were a series of gas-turbine–electric locomotives built by Alco-GE and General Electric from 1952 to 1961 and operated by Union Pacific from 1952 to 1970.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 65 years ago, in 1961.
- 6.3 MW is about 75 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 38 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 25.3 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 18 years (1952–1970).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1961
- in service from
- 1952
- retired
- 1970
- status
- in service
- number built
- 55
- kind
- Gas-turbine–electric
- traction
- gas turbine
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Alco-GE, General Electric
- operators
- Union Pacific Railroad
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- 6.3 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- length
- 25.3 m
- weight
- 227 t
- nicknames
- "Verandas" 2nd Generation"Big Blows" "Bird Burners" 3rd Generation
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q868408, Wikipedia: Union Pacific GTELs (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.