Gas Turbine Locomotive, GT3, at Moor Park, London
In the late 1950's, the English Electric Company began looking at the possibilities of using a gas turbine engine to power a railway locomotive. To test the theory, a prototype locomotive was built using a 4-6-0 chassis with tender - making the finished item look like a futuristic steam engine. It was christened GT3 (which stood for Gas Turbine 3 - there having been two previous gas turbine locomotives built for the Great Western Railway). The locomotive was tested at Rugby Testing Station and later ran trials on the London Extension. Here we see GT3 as it storms past Moor Park on the Metropolitan/Great Central line with an train of empty coaching stock. Sadly, GT3 came too late and British Railways committed themselves to using diesel and electric motive power. GT3 was broken up in 1963. See on Route Map