Bad train pictures

[Anonymous]

Coming into Flatonia yesterday and met one of those cool, loooonnnng rock trains heading towards San Antonio. For a long way before I met the train I could see a large billow of smoke. When I got to the train, the second locomotive was belching a lot of something in the air. When I went through the smoke it smelled like raw diesel. Was something wrong? I've never seen or smelled that before.

mike

[Anonymous]

Coming into Flatonia yesterday and met one of those cool, loooonnnng rock trains heading towards San Antonio. For a long way before I met the train I could see a large billow of smoke. When I got to the train, the second locomotive was belching a lot of something in the air. When I went through the smoke it smelled like raw diesel. Was something wrong? I've never seen or smelled that before.

mike

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

I know it, but I won't post it...

"Can you whisper it just between you and me?"

[:I]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

I know it, but I won't post it...

"Can you whisper it just between you and me?"

[:I]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mehrlich

Coming into Flatonia yesterday and met one of those cool, loooonnnng rock trains heading towards San Antonio. For a long way before I met the train I could see a large billow of smoke. When I got to the train, the second locomotive was belching a lot of something in the air. When I went through the smoke it smelled like raw diesel. Was something wrong? I've never seen or smelled that before.

mike

Unfortunately I can't tell you what, but can tell you two things - it wasn't normal and there are some people on here who will tell you it had to be a GE....

Now I will stay out of the fray.

Mookie

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mehrlich

Coming into Flatonia yesterday and met one of those cool, loooonnnng rock trains heading towards San Antonio. For a long way before I met the train I could see a large billow of smoke. When I got to the train, the second locomotive was belching a lot of something in the air. When I went through the smoke it smelled like raw diesel. Was something wrong? I've never seen or smelled that before.

mike

Unfortunately I can't tell you what, but can tell you two things - it wasn't normal and there are some people on here who will tell you it had to be a GE....

Now I will stay out of the fray.

Mookie

[Mikeygaw]

well, if it was a lot of smoke, it could have been an ALCO [:D]

[Mikeygaw]

well, if it was a lot of smoke, it could have been an ALCO [:D]

[M636C]

mehrlich

What you saw was probably a locomotive with a defective turbocharger, so that the engine wasn't getting enough air to burn all the fuel being injected into the cylinders. Unlike automobile gasoline engines where the fuel is usually sucked in with the air (even in cars with Fuel injection engines), the air and fuel supplies in a diesel are separate, and the fuel doesn't know if the air supply gets affected.

Another possibility would be a failed fuel injector leaking too much fuel into a cylinder, but this would be a series of separate "puffs" which isn't what you described.

GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

What you describe is that happening continuously, so a failed turbocharger, perhaps just running a bit too slow, is the likely cause.

Peter

[M636C]

mehrlich

What you saw was probably a locomotive with a defective turbocharger, so that the engine wasn't getting enough air to burn all the fuel being injected into the cylinders. Unlike automobile gasoline engines where the fuel is usually sucked in with the air (even in cars with Fuel injection engines), the air and fuel supplies in a diesel are separate, and the fuel doesn't know if the air supply gets affected.

Another possibility would be a failed fuel injector leaking too much fuel into a cylinder, but this would be a series of separate "puffs" which isn't what you described.

GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

What you describe is that happening continuously, so a failed turbocharger, perhaps just running a bit too slow, is the likely cause.

Peter

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

I see that all the time when the trains are just getting underway....

For a little while you can pretend they are steam loco's....ah who am I kidding.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

I see that all the time when the trains are just getting underway....

For a little while you can pretend they are steam loco's....ah who am I kidding.

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE:
GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

I see that all the time when the trains are just getting underway....
For a little while you can pretend they are steam loco's....ah who am I kidding.

And every now and then, all that unburned fuel burns, leading to a rather spectacular blowtorch effect. I believe there was just such a picture posted a while back.

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE:
GE and Alco engines are blamed for this smoking, because when they are accelerating, the fuel supply gets ahead of the air supply for a short time, and they smoke badly for maybe a couple of seconds. If you're there with a camera, it looks good.

I see that all the time when the trains are just getting underway....
For a little while you can pretend they are steam loco's....ah who am I kidding.

And every now and then, all that unburned fuel burns, leading to a rather spectacular blowtorch effect. I believe there was just such a picture posted a while back.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it did look cool, and maybe for a minute I wished it was steam, but it was just getting rolling, so maybe that was it. Like I said, it was one of those long rock trains and they sure are fun to watch come through the interchange.

mike

[Anonymous]

Yes, it did look cool, and maybe for a minute I wished it was steam, but it was just getting rolling, so maybe that was it. Like I said, it was one of those long rock trains and they sure are fun to watch come through the interchange.

mike

[Anonymous]

I have a stupid question. Why does Amtrak need 2 AEM7's to pull 5 coaches when I regularly see a single AEM7 pulling 7-8 coaches?

In the last 2 days I have seen this configuration 3 times.

[Anonymous]

I have a stupid question. Why does Amtrak need 2 AEM7's to pull 5 coaches when I regularly see a single AEM7 pulling 7-8 coaches?

In the last 2 days I have seen this configuration 3 times.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

well, if it was a lot of smoke, it could have been an ALCO [:D]

Bad Mikey, Bad Mikey. [}:)]

Go sit on the couch in the corner. (No talking to Kevin either.) [:p]

A few months ago I made a post about a GE unit setting at idle. It was the pusher on a loaded coal train but the train was stopped. The amount of smoke coming out of the GE was unreal for just setting at idle. You would have thought the unit was in run 8 going up a long hill.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

well, if it was a lot of smoke, it could have been an ALCO [:D]

Bad Mikey, Bad Mikey. [}:)]

Go sit on the couch in the corner. (No talking to Kevin either.) [:p]

A few months ago I made a post about a GE unit setting at idle. It was the pusher on a loaded coal train but the train was stopped. The amount of smoke coming out of the GE was unreal for just setting at idle. You would have thought the unit was in run 8 going up a long hill.

[Mikeygaw]

saw a NS GP38-2 in a yard with a yellow light... like one seen on construction veichles... flashing... what's the light for?

[Mikeygaw]

saw a NS GP38-2 in a yard with a yellow light... like one seen on construction veichles... flashing... what's the light for?

[Mikeygaw]

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174

what's it for?

[Mikeygaw]

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174

what's it for?

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174
what's it for?

It may not be all that "midget." The photo is a telephoto shot, and from that angle, everything is foreshortened. Looks like an airflow hopper or close relative.

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174
what's it for?

It may not be all that "midget." The photo is a telephoto shot, and from that angle, everything is foreshortened. Looks like an airflow hopper or close relative.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174

what's it for?

It's a center flow hopper,since it's a short car,possibly a cement car.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

the midget tank car in the middle of this pic...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=52174

what's it for?

It's a center flow hopper,since it's a short car,possibly a cement car.

[dharmon]

It's not a tank car, it's a covered hopper or something like it for bulk commodities it's got chutes on the bottom......something heavy though ..maybe cement.

[dharmon]

It's not a tank car, it's a covered hopper or something like it for bulk commodities it's got chutes on the bottom......something heavy though ..maybe cement.