#3992· Turbotrein

UAC TurboTrain

🇨🇦 Canada ·built by United Aircraft· from 1968· early high-speed, gas turbine train

6 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. VIA TurboTrain 2 cropped: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US· CC BY 2.0
2. VIA United Aircraft Turbo Train 149 in October 1980 (36097424750): Marty Bernard from U.S.A.· Public domain
3. United Aircraft TurboTrain at Transpo '72: BengtM· CC BY 3.0
4. United Aircraft Turbotrain 1971: Sikorsky/United Aircraft· Public domain
5. A TurboTrain Dome Ride, 4 Photos (25922876130): railfan 44· Public domain
6. United Aircraft Turbotrain at New Haven Union Station, July 1969: Roger Puta· Public domain

what is it?

The UAC TurboTrain was an early high-speed gas turbine trainset manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) that operated in Canada between 1968 and 1982 and in the United States between 1968 and 1976. The TurboTrain was among the first gas turbine-powered trains in regular service, and one of the earliest tilting trains introduced in North America.

who runs it

Canadian National Railway Via Rail Amtrak New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Transportation Company Illinois Central Railroad

base stats

speed 275 km/htop speed
power 1.5 MWpower output
seats 322passengers
built 8made in total

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 58 years ago, in 1968.
Top speed is 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 9 minutes.
1.5 MW is about 18 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
131 m long: about 29 cars parked nose to tail.
Seats 322: 6 full city buses (~50 seats each).
Served for 14 years (1968–1982).

high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.

spec sheet

built: 1968
in service from: 1968
retired: 1982
status: retired
number built: 8
kind: high-speed train
traction: gas turbine
origin: 🇨🇦 Canada
builders: United Aircraft
operators: Canadian National Railway, Via Rail, Amtrak, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Penn Central Transportation Company, Illinois Central Railroad
top speed: 275 km/h
power: 1.5 MW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
electric system: (into Grand Central Terminal only)
formation: 9 cars per trainset (CN/Via), 7 cars per trainset (CN), 5 cars per trainset (Amtrak), 3 cars per trainset (New Haven)
length: 131 m
capacity: 322 passengers
Dutch name: Turbotrein

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q888445, Wikipedia: UAC TurboTrain (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.