British Rail 18000

British Rail 18000 was a prototype mainline gas turbine-electric locomotive built for British Railways in 1949. It was built by Brown, Boveri & Cie. It was ordered by the Great Western Railway in 1940, but construction was delayed by World War II. It spent its working life on the Western Region of British Railways, operating express passenger services from London Paddington station.

British Rail 18000
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British Rail 18000 at Didcot Railway Centre on 6 August 2011
Power type Gas Turbine-electric
Builder Brown, Boveri & Cie and
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Order number GWR Lot 372
Serial number BBC: 4559
SLM: 3977
Build date 1949
UIC classification (A1A)(A1A)
Wheel diameter Driving: Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value).
Idling: 3 ft 2 in (965 mm)
Locomotive weight 115.18 long tons (117.03 t)
Prime mover Gas Turbine
Traction motors Four
Transmission DC generator
DC traction motors
Power output 2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
Tractive effort 31,500 lbf (140,000 N)
Train heating Steam generator
Power class BR: 4
Nicknames Kerosene Castle

Preservation

The locomotive is preserved at Didcot Railway Centre.


British Rail 18000 Media