British Rail No. 18000

British Rail 18000 was a prototype mainline gas turbine-electric locomotive built for British Railways in 1949 by Brown, Boveri & Cie. An earlier gas turbine locomotive, known as the No. 18100, was ordered from Metropolitan-Vickers from the Great Western Railway, but construction had to be delayed because of World War II. So, a second, being the 18000, was ordered from Switzerland. From then after, it operated on the Western Region of British Railways, doing express jobs from Paddington Station, in London.
== Overview ==
The GWR chose a gas-turbine locomotive because, at the time, there was no single-unit diesel locomotive of sufficient power available. The King class steam locomotive could deliver about 2,500 horsepower, and the LMS diesel locomotives could only deliver about 1,600 horsepower. And after allowing transmission losses, this would be taken down to 1,300 horsepower. Meaning that two LMS diesel locomotives would be needed to match a King class. 
No. 18000 had the A1A-A1A wheel arrangement, with the total horsepower of the gas turbine being 2,500. It had a top speed of 90 mph and was about 117 tons. It was in the black BR livery with a silver stripe going across the middle and silver numbers.
== Gallery ==
File:18000 Vienna.jpg
Category:Gas turbine locomotives
Category:British Rail locomotives
Category:A1A-A1A locomotives
Category:SLM locomotives
Category:Brown Boveri locomotives
Category:Experimental locomotives
Category:Unique locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Prototype locomotives