upgrading older diesels

[Anonymous]

Has there bee any releases aboutupgrading the older diesel to meet the new enviromental rules coming up in the next few years? It would seem to me a waste to scrap out the older local fleet od GP-38, SD-40-2 etc especially if there are no new classes of switch engines cioming in the pipe

latrainman

[Anonymous]

CSX has equipped a good number of their older EMD units with standby engines. These are basicaly 100 to 200 HP generator sets that will keep the coolant above freezing, keep the air and battery charged. Here in Michigan, they have not been very succesful though. Grand Rapids alone has had several totaled out 645 blocks due to the inability of these "APU'S" to keep the blocks warm enough. Frozen and cracked blocks are the biggest evil, sometimes it just gets cold enough that the big engines won't even crank due to the cold.
Another shining example of "management" trying to save a buck. Sure, APU's might do just fine and dandy in Jacksonville Florida, but in the real world, I don't think so....
What they REALLY need to do is figure out a way to put anti-freeze in an EMD engine without ruining the crankshaft bearings.
If you have ever seen the cost of a rebuild of a 567/645, you'll know what I mean....
Todd C.

[Anonymous]

Sir, I do not work for a railroad. I may be misinformed but what I have read about on the APU's I believe it to be a good idea. It is a new technoligy. Given time I believe it will work.
TIM ARGUBRIGHT

[Anonymous]

No offense taken Tim, but how would you justify replacing a 645 at a cost of around $125.000 for the supposed savings of shutting down a locomotive in below freezing temps? Yes, I do agree that these APU's might be a first step in the right direction, but as we have them now, they have failed miserably...
I still think the way to go is anti-freeze in the cooling system. However, that is not practical with current designs, with the exception of the few "Caterpillar" rebuilds. For crying out loud, if EMD, and GE can coax 6000HP. out of a single prime mover, I think they should be able to figure out a sealed coolant system.
Todd C.

[Anonymous]

I am sure the Engineer's are working on that as we speak. I believe, when the engineer's first designed these engine's there were no envirmental laws. So they were designed with the thought that they would never have to shut them down. Now with these new emission rules, they are probably working on a sealed cooling system now.
TIM A

[Anonymous]

The K-9 systems work pretty well so far the biggest problem with them is that the crews and mechanical dept people havent been properly trained on them. I have seen them come in with the breakers turned off the engine control switch in the wrong position and other problems they are not fool proof but they seem to be a good system. I think the biggest problem is us railroaders ourselves we just hate change we have been burned so many times in the past that we look at anything new that we have to learn as bad. The APU engines themselves are little Kubota diesels some have air compressors but most that I have seen cross the pad don't have compressors. Tractor trailers have been using smaller versions of these systems for at least 15 years and they have been very successful with them.