Rapido Trains Turbo PDC-28, Manual

6

PROTOTYPE INFORMATION

The TurboTrain was designed and marketed by United Aircraft Corporate Systems 

Center (later Sikorsky Aircraft) as a gas turbine-powered, high-speed intercity train. Each 

train was powered by four or five Pratt & Whitney ST-6 gas turbine engines, with an 

additional gas turbine providing auxiliary power. The Turbo featured a unique pendular 

suspension over articulated single-axle trucks, which allowed the train to tilt in curves. 

That feature, combined with the short Intermediate Car length, meant that the Turbo 

could travel much faster than regular trains on conventional track. It was a high-speed 

train without the need to invest in high-speed train infrastructure. 

The American Turbo operated mainly between New York and Boston between 1969 

and 1976, first for Penn Central and then for Amtrak. It also had a short spell as the pork 

barrel special – sorry, the Potomac Turbo – between Washington, DC and Parkersburg, 

VA. In 1971, a Turbo was repainted into DOT colors of white, red and black. It toured 

the United States from coast to coast that July as a means of introducing Amtrak to the 

nation. The train was open for tours at stations and ran in revenue service. It was met by 

large crowds and broadly positive reviews.

In Canada, the Turbo operated first for CN and later for VIA Rail Canada. It had a 

rocky start in 1969 but re-entered service in 1973 as “new and improved” nine-car 

train. It operated between Montreal and Toronto (and, for a time, between Montreal and 

Ottawa). The Turbo became the most reliable trains in the country, achieving on-time 

performance of 97% and availability of almost 99%. However, by 1982 there were just 

two trains remaining and it became too expensive to maintain a fleet of two. Sadly, the 

Turbo era came to an end in October 1982. Each and every TurboTrain was scrapped.

NOMENCLATURE 

The first thing you need to remember is that this train is not, and has never been, a 

Turboliner. Turboliners were built by ANF in France and later Rohr in the United States. 

Apart from being gas turbine powered, the TurboTrain and Turboliner have nothing in 

common. So if you remember riding the TurboTrain out of Chicago or Albany at any 

time apart from July 1971, you are remembering the wrong train. And if you saved up 

all your money to buy this model and your world has just come crashing down... Sorry. 

Go sell this model on eBay and then head to the Pancake House to drown your sorrows 

in some comfort food.

The train is referred to either as the Turbo or the TurboTrain. As you can see from the 

packaging and from these instructions, the two names are equally valid and we flip flop 

between them all the time. The American trains were referred to both as the Turbo and 

the TurboTrain. The Canadian trains were only referred to as the Turbo. CN actually 

tried to get its employees to drop the definite article and just call it Turbo (we have the 

internal memo), but everyone calls it the Turbo. Turbo Train (two words) is just wrong.