Starting a diesel engine of almost any size in cold weather is going to be tough since diesels don't have spark plugs and a cold block is going to absorb a lot of the heat of compression needed for ignition.
There are several spectacular videos on you tube showing cold starting diesels. No links sorry but searching you tube on the topic should produce several clips on the topic.
Starting a locomotive in cold weather is extremely hard and your chances or starting it are very slim to none. Starting them in good weather is often a 50/50 chance they will start depending on the age.
Generally speaking if the locomotive was running the day before you shouldn't have too much trouble starting it. If you frequently shut down the locomotive and start it you should have a pretty good feel how long to crank it and when to stop cranking.
The newer locomotives and the locomotives you start by pushing the red button in the cab are far more advanced then the older ones and usually start right up even in colder weather.
Most railroads even short lines will keep their locomotives running all the time when the temperature starts to get towards freezing. Cranking a locomotive in freezing weather will run the batteries down in less than 10 minutes if you can't get it to start.
Starting a locomotive is a science. It is important to get it right the first time it starts to turn over and keep it going. If we had a locomotive that was hard to start we would spray 4 cans of starting fluid in the airbox. That usually started it right up no matter how cold it was.
First of all you shouldn't let the jacket water below about 45 degrees to avoid freezing as it only has rust inhibitor and no anti-freeze. Newer locomotives have an auto start system to do just that start the engine to keep it warm. There are a number of companies that furnish stay warm systems, the minimum would require shore power to run the immersion heater and circulating pumps. A more comprehensive unit would have a small diesel engine/generator to provide this power and run an air compressor to keep the brakes up and a charger to keep the batteries heated as well as charged up.
If its strill too cold one odf my favorite trick for EMD's is to open up the air box put some balled up newspaper in it, light it with a match, put the cover back on and hit the start button.
I was wondering, how easy or hard is it to get a locomotive started when it is cold outside? I've had to get a lot of diesel equipment started on cold days lately. I'm curious to see if railroads have trouble getting some of their equipment going on cold days.
I'm going to guess that newer locomotives (GEVOs, SDs, etc.) start easier, on say a 25 degree day, versus an older locomotive like a GP7, SW1, etc. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut I could be wrong...
Thanks!
Acela
The timbers beneath the rails are not the only ties that bind on the railroad. --Robert S. McGonigal
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