Why did Alco PAs smoke like chimneys?

[SSW9389]

No one has mentioned this so I will. One of the primary reasons that the 244 engines smoked has been attributed to turbo lag. The engine was running too fuel rich. No one has said that the RD-2 turbochargers installed in the PAs was made by General Electric!

There is a description of the early development of the 244 engine in Richard Steinbrenner's The American Locomotive Company A Centennial Remembrance. See Chapter IX. Apparently the 244 engine was not fully tested before it was fielded by ALCO-GE in early 1946. ALCO and GE felt they needed to get something in the field to meet GM-EMD competition if they were to have any road locomotive business at all.

[spokyone]

Turbo lag is one reason diesels smoke. When i'm pullin stumps or a heavy load at top rev with my diesel pickup, the turbo can't force enough air into the cylinders, so it smokes like a bunch of crack heads stuck in a police evidence room.
Another reason is the quality of fuel. I notice that if i put in cheap diesel, it is a little bit dirtier.

Adrianspeeder

As I started reading your post, I thought, "He must drive a FORD" Then I saw your signature

[johncolley]

They smoked for the same reason a lot of other brands did, excess fuel for the load/acceleration. I was just as guilty as the next guy until I figured it out. It was too easy, and remember we learned on the switchers, to pull more notches on the throttle than necessary to get the acceleration. In those days (late '50's on)we were all still used to the smoke from the teakettles, and there was no emphasis on fuel conservation/air pollution, so, trying to get the job done, we pulled like heck on the throttle, and eventually pushed back when we got up to the desired speed. After a few years of getting the feel of load/ speed, I  got to where I used one notch over speed for acceleration, and picked up the load gradually. It was a lot easier on the equipment and the fuel consumption. Nowadays it is a point of pride to properly operate an expensive piece of machinery!

[caldreamer]

The FM Traimnasters only ran in one area. On the San Francisco peninsula during the day pulling commuter trains and as far south as San Louis Obisbo at night on freight service.  They had to be back for the morning commute so they did not roam far.  Among other duties was the local run to he Kaiser Permenente cement plant.

[switch7frg]

kenneo; The early GM 6-52 diesels  had a similar happening  . If you started off in a higher gear , engine would lug and then run backwards .  Not good on air filters. Plus panic the green horn driver. Respectfully, Cannonball

[johncolley]

Your comments on the F-M 'OP's are correct. One ship I was on had 4 of the 10 cyl same as the subs, 2 coupled to each shaft. If we were out 21 days you better believe we spent the 10 days in port scraping carbon out of all the intake and exhaust boxes along each side. They were 2 stroke engines and when the intake ports opened there was still enough cylinder pressure and exhaust back pressure to blow carbon back into the manifolds. But they ran great for the time at sea. A note, even today the atomic subs have a 12 or 16 cyl OP as a backup in case the reactor pile is shut down. jc5729