GE explosion

[SD70Dude]

https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/train-catches-fire-explodes-in-wasatch-county

So what happened here?  I've seen my share of major locomotive failures over the years, but never anything quite like this.

[NP Eddie]

I also have seen anything like this in my 38 year career.

[seppburgh2]

Could the turbo had exploded due to accumulation of unburned fuel pooling in it? Or my other though the turbo bearings failed with all that kinetic energy having no place to go expect boom? I've seen failures at Hot Rod events where the motor has failure and all heck happens to the engine.

[BaltACD]

Maybe they were feeding it some Nitrus for a little more power - 

[Flintlock76]

I was going to ask "How the hell..." myself.

Suffice to say there's a first time for everything, whatever caused it.

[tree68]

I'm no expert on these new fangled locos, but based on a diagram I found, I'm going with the turbo letting go.

[M636C]

tree68

I'm no expert on these new fangled locos, but based on a diagram I found, I'm going with the turbo letting go.

 

But the exhaust stack is still in place. If there had been an explosion inside the turbo casing that would have most likely been at least displaced.

 

Assuming this is a ES44, probably an AC, what is missing from that photo is the air to air intercooler. One of the major differences between the Dash 8 and the Dash 9  and the ES44 was that the air from the turbocharger on its way to the cylinders was cooled by an air to air cooler rather than cooled by water which was itself cooled in the radiator. This made the intercooler bigger but allowed the waste heat to be discarded to the surronuding air directly rather than increasing the load on the radiator, very useful in hot conditions.

 

On the ES44, the intercooler is located between the turbo and the radiator, with its own cooling fans above. That is what seems to be missing in the photo.

 

If a lubricating oil (or less likely fuel) leak occurred in the turbo and the oil got into the compressed air from the turbocharger, it is possible that it might have been hot enough in the intercooler to cause an explosion.

 

Certainly a turbo explosion is unlikely to have affected the radiator so dramatically.

 

GE had a lot of trouble with turbos in the ES44 and redesigned it to avoid bearing failures, and they had a number of turbo fires where the oil got into the exhaust gases. They weren't nearly as impressive as this, but if oil got into the charge air, and caught fire, it might look like the photo.

 

The intercooler, just in front of the radiator might cause the radiator to be blown upwards if it exploded.

 

Peter

 

Edit: I just read the Newswire identifying the unit as an AC 4400. Perhaps oil leaked into the air intake filters behind the turbo and they let go, the mechanism beeing more or less as I indicated above. The turbo itself appears unaffected. I remember this happening on an Alco once where a fire occurred in the air intake as a result of a blowback through the turbo, if I recally correctly.

[jeffhergert]

Maybe gutting the mechanical department wasn't such a good idea after all.  Oh well, just pull a good one out of storage and call it good.

Jeff

[tree68]

Good overview.  Told ya I was no expert.

Thanks for the insight.

[rvos1979]

Found a few posts on Facebook about this, indications are that the engine ran away. Was turning 1500 rpm when it let go.........

 

Figure either the rack got stuck in full fuel, or the oil seal on the cold side of the turbo failed, and the engine ran on its own oil until destruction...........

[caldreamer]

Does anyone know the engine number for this poor locomotive.  REST IN PEACE GE LOCO.

      Caldreamer

[Electroliner 1935]

caldreamer

Does anyone know the engine number for this poor locomotive.  REST IN PEACE GE LOCO.

      Caldreamer

6381 from the photo in NEWSWIRE

[BaltACD]

Uncontrolled runaway sounds most likely.

[MMLDelete]

Don't you hate when that happens?

[tree68]

Lithonia Operator

Don't you hate when that happens?

Fred:  "What was that?"

Ted: (looks back along train) "I dunno, but it doesn't look good..."

[Overmod]

Poster on RyPN notes "the compressor is located in that area".

To me, an overspeed runaway is unlikely.  There is no visible damage over the engine itself, and in fact no visible damage to the folded-back doors.  When engines let go in overspeed the 'likeliest' things to depart are pistons or power assemblies -- remember the thread a few years ago with the piston assembly embedded in the roof as though shot from a gun?  If that took place it would have been entirely on the opposite side...

[Flintlock76]

BaltACD

Uncontrolled runaway sounds most likely.

 

Hmm, this just springs to mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSWMJxbxj7c  

(I wonder how many of the folks in that vid are using walkers now?  Jeez, 60 years ago!)  

[tree68]

Overmod

If that took place it would have been entirely on the opposite side...

I do believe those prime movers are essentially V blocks - could have occurred on either side.  But the damage is well aft of the prime mover.

[BaltACD]

Flintlock76

 

BaltACD

Uncontrolled runaway sounds most likely. 

Hmm, this just springs to mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSWMJxbxj7c  

(I wonder how many of the folks in that vid are using walkers now?  Jeez, 60 years ago!)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3dKbtGLM9g

[rvos1979]

Overmod

Poster on RyPN notes "the compressor is located in that area".

To me, an overspeed runaway is unlikely.  There is no visible damage over the engine itself, and in fact no visible damage to the folded-back doors.  When engines let go in overspeed the 'likeliest' things to depart are pistons or power assemblies -- remember the thread a few years ago with the piston assembly embedded in the roof as though shot from a gun?  If that took place it would have been entirely on the opposite side...

 

Runaways don't always create external damage, a friend had a truck engine run away about a month ago, no external damage. The internal damage, however, was impressive, so much that the block was not salvageable...........

[Shadow the Cats owner]

What you had there was the EGR cooler which is also water cooled going BOOM.  We had a couple do that way back when the EGR systems where new the EGR valve would stick wide open then enough oil and other crap would get into that area to be flammable then light off then explode and take off the cooler and part of the hood along with other parts of the motor in that area.  It makes one hell of a mess and looks like the engine exploded which it did but does not take out the turbo or stacks as it is a totally different system involved.  

[jeffhergert]

It's an old SP engine built in 1995.  A few days before that it had been reported to have a fuel leak.  A hose clamp was loose and had been repaired.  A comment said that loose clamp could be from over pressure in the fuel system.  Another said the turbo blew up.

The comments were probably made from initial observations reported in the field instead of a thorough investigation.

Jeff

[SD60MAC9500]

 

BaltACD

Uncontrolled runaway sounds most likely.

 

Unless you can plug the air intake. All runaways are uncontrollable..

 

[Randy Stahl]

I've never seen one blow up quite like this one...

[ChuckCobleigh]

Flintlock76

(I wonder how many of the folks in that vid are using walkers now?  Jeez, 60 years ago!)  

Based on latest numbers from my high school class, close to a third of them aren't using anything now, and we graduated four years later.

[tree68]

ChuckCobleigh

Based on latest numbers from my high school class, close to a third of them aren't using anything now, and we graduated four years later.

Probably the same for my class (68) - but back when I was researching addresses for the 20th, I couldn't find over half of them, yet we knew at least 14 were gone at that time.

[BaltACD]

ChuckCobleigh

 

Flintlock76

(I wonder how many of the folks in that vid are using walkers now?  Jeez, 60 years ago!)   

Based on latest numbers from my high school class, close to a third of them aren't using anything now, and we graduated four years later.

Attended my 50th 7 years ago - out of 214 that graduated 28 were no longer with us at that time.  Didn't notice anyone with a walker at the reunion - how many with walkers didn't attend - unknown.  How many more have succumbed in the past 7 years is also unknown.  There was a 55th reunion two years ago, I did not attend.

[tree68]

BaltACD

There was a 55th reunion two years ago, I did not attend.

The alumni at my school have gone to holding annual gatherings (as much as possible, of course) for those past the 50 year mark.  I haven't attended yet, but it will be a chance to see those who graduated around you, as opposed to just those you graduated with.  

[ChuckCobleigh]

BaltACD

Attended my 50th 7 years ago - out of 214 that graduated 28 were no longer with us at that time.  Didn't notice anyone with a walker at the reunion - how many with walkers didn't attend - unknown.  How many more have succumbed in the past 7 years is also unknown.  There was a 55th reunion two years ago, I did not attend.

My 55th got scrubbed by the bug. At 50th, two or three with walkers, one of whom left the next year. As of a few weeks ago, 90 out of 321 are known to have gone on, there may be more as we had about 60 "unaccounted for" at the 50th, which was surprisingly well-attended. We may be going to the combo reunions like Tree sooner than later.

[tree68]

ChuckCobleigh

We may be going to the combo reunions like Tree sooner than later.

About those exploding GE's....

My late mother's alma mater holds a alumni banquet each year, generally featuring several classes.  The recently graduated seniors also attend and are honored.

Mom always wanted to know who was left in her class, but the alumni association usually didn't know.  I attended with her the last time she went, and even though I didn't attend that school, I still knew more people than she did...

Has anyone heard any more about the incident in question?