Freightliner’s Turboliners

[kscarbel]

Freightliner completed the first “Turboliner” (serial 18-727) in September, 1965. The tractor was powered by a Boeing 553 aviation gas turbine. Boeing was a major gas turbine manufacturer during the 1950s and 1960s for applications such as minesweepers, power generation and propulsion, aircraft compressed-air starters, tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, and anti-submarine drone helicopters. The 553 gas turbine was paired to a modified Allison automatic transmission. The Turboliner was run for four years before being disposed of after the engine finally failed.

(In January 1966, Boeing decided in phase out gas turbine production and focus those resources on the 747 jumbo jet program, completing its last turbine orders in 1968)

In 1968, Pacific Intermountain Express joined Consolidated Freightways in operating a first generation Turboliner in regular service.

In May of 1971, Freightliner began building several White/Freightliner cabover tractors with gas turbine engines purpose-designed for heavy trucks. These trucks, with their distinctive 10-inch diameter exhaust stacks, were given the name “Turboliner II”.

The first tractor was powered by a Detroit Diesel Allison GT-404.

The second unit was powered by a Ford gas turbine, for Ford to test at their Arizona proving grounds.

A third yellow and black tractor, powered by a Detroit Diesel Allison GT-404, was assigned to Freightliner's own test fleet and used to transport parts between Portland and Pomona.

These trucks were followed by six more GT-404 units in November 1973, five for Consolidated Freightways and one for Goldston Transfer.

Roger Sackett, who headed the development team on the first Turboliner and was chief engineer for the last six Turboliner IIs, said the 2,400 pound weight savings (refers to the first generation Turboliner) provided by the gas turbine was not enough to offset fuel consumption of 2 miles per gallon.

From 1974 to late 1977, Detroit Diesel Allison conducted a field evaluation of the 300/310/325hp GT-404 and 390/400hp GT-505, placing trucks in the fleets of Consolidated Freightways, Greyhound, Ruan Transportation, Terminal Transport, GM Truck and Coach and Freightliner.

[h67st]

Those big twin pipes look great! I'll bet the sound was pretty unique from that turbine.

[Chuck P]

Those big twin pipes look great! I'll bet the sound was pretty unique from that turbine.

Back when I was a kid I subscribed to Overdrive magazine and I recall a back cover Peterbilt ad that offered a 33 rpm record of the sounds of their turbine-powered cabover.

Perhaps a writeup about the Pete is in order........hint, hint.

[h67st]

I still have that 33 rpm record!! It's clear flexible plastic...all scratchy now cause when I was a kid I listened to it over and over. I think I got it from Commercial Carrier Journal magazine.