Dual Fuel: Baldwin SP and Bunker C

[wallyworld]

I recently read that in 1960 Baldwin delivered Southern Pacific No. 5207 after its conversion to a dual fuel locomotive. It was reconfigured to burn Bunker C in addition to regular diesel fuel due to a projected refinery shortage. At that time SP still possessed their fueling facilities for steam locomotives although the engines themselves had been phased out of service.
My understanding is that according to the testing results, this reconfiguration produced increased horsepower due to the higher BTU content of Bunker C. It also operated under a full load with a clear stack. The engine was started up in regular fuel and a transfer valve was opened to switch over. Was this experiment ever repeated at a later date by another road and\or builder?

[jchnhtfd]

be interesting to know if it was repeated.

I can see two possible problems, though: Bunker C is pretty gooey stuff, and needs to be warmed to be pumped much of anywhere -- and nowadays I would be very doubtful of its emissions, since it is often high sulphur.

[oltmannd]

Bunker C is also residual fuel and has lots of junk in it that can make pretty quick work of the close tolerance in fuel injectors. RR diesels, EMDs in particular, will run on just about anything. SWRi has test engines and studied a whole range of fuels, #6 included (like Bunker C in wt, but is a distillate) with good results for many. The GEs wouldn't tolerate low cetane fuel, though.

[wallyworld]

The viscosity problem was addressed by preheating the oil through coils which were an intergal part of the engine cooling system. This raised the temperature of the oil up to 165 degrees. That is why they started on regular diesel fuel to, in effect, to heat up the oil with the cooling system before transfering the feed over to the oil tank. This engine also had a filtration system to remove dirt and foriegn matter. The process was reversed during shut down in order that the oil would not congeal in the fuel lies when the engine cooled down. The model in question was a Model RS6 and was tested on the Placerville Branch.

[Supermicha]

Its just hard for me to imagine that a diesel engine burns bunker c, an oil for firing steam engines...

[M636C]

The Union Pacific used Bunker C in several GP-9 locomotives in about 1959, at which time they were also using Bunker C in the GE Gas Turbines as well. These EMD 567C engines were started using light oil (diesel) and switched over to heavy oil when running and warm. This was not enough of a success on cost grounds, given the need to add and maintain heating coils and the increasing cost of heavy oil.

Peter

[Anonymous]

The corrosive nature of bunker C totally wiped out the entire fuel system.

[UPTRAIN]

Bunker C is just like what they put on asphault when they pour it...seems awkward for that to be done in 1960.

[kenneo]

SP 5207 construction number 73261 built May 1949, Eddystone, PA., model AS 6-6-1500. To the best of my knowledge, Baldwin never had an RS series model. The closest I can find are the R-615E "General Rocca" engines that went to Argentina.

The 5207 was sold to the McCloud River with the 5204, where it was numbered MCR 35 where it operated from 1964 until 1969 when it went to U.S. Steels Geneva Works, got a chopped nose and lived on into the early 1980's. I can find no information about a Bunker C conversion.

[wallyworld]

5207 was a Baldwin model DRS-6-6-1500/1 SC22-engine serial # 5196. C\N 74261
The delivery date was May 14, 1949. These are Baldwin designations.