Parked locomotives

[BNSF_Conductor11]

 I'm a conductor with the BNSF out of Los Angeles, we have about 150 engines parked indefinitely just outside of the yard, i was wondering if anyone knew if any other class 1's are starting to bring any of their engines back into service? Thanks 

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Some roads are pulling older power out of storage to cover the sidelining of some new GE power because of the well-known turbocharger problems on the GEVO engines.

[oltmannd]

NS announced a couple of weeks ago that they were returning equipment to service. ...about 9,500 of the 35,000 freight cars and about 200 of the 700 locomotives stored. Check Railway Age web site "breaking news" section for more.

[Awesome!]

CSSHEGEWISCH

Some roads are pulling older power out of storage to cover the sidelining of some new GE power because of the well-known turbocharger problems on the GEVO engines.

What is the problem with the turbochargers?

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Awesome!

CSSHEGEWISCH

Some roads are pulling older power out of storage to cover the sidelining of some new GE power because of the well-known turbocharger problems on the GEVO engines.

What is the problem with the turbochargers?

One of GE's suppliers provided a less than optimum batch of turbochargers and they have been flying apart in rather explosive fashion, with some shrapnel tearing through the hood sides.

[klahm]

Turbo stack fires in Dash 9-44s, turbo disintegration in GEVOs, GE seems to be cursed when it comes to exhaust energy recovery!

[creepycrank]

klahm

Turbo stack fires in Dash 9-44s, turbo disintegration in GEVOs, GE seems to be cursed when it comes to exhaust energy recovery!

Its ironic that GE is having these problems as they practically invented turbo chargers for aircraft engines. I have a book with a picture of an airplane with a GE turbo mounted on its Liberty engine to try to set an altitude record. That was in 1919. During WW 2 , B17's, B24's, B29's, P47's and P38's all had GE turbos. During the war the steam turbine operation in Lynn, MA got the assignment to develop axial jet engines and I suppose all their turbo experts were transferred there as piston engine aircraft engines were on the way out. I think that the turbo for the 244 and 251 ALCO engines were designed by GE. They shouldn't have trouble getting advice from the jet engine group at Evendale. The manufacturing group got a little careless.

[enr2099]

 I've noticed a few CN SD70M-2's having turbo problems as well. Not as explosive as the GEVO's, but  they're putting out thick clouds of black smoke. BTW, most of our GEVO's are back and repaired.

[HERBYD]

how are the gevo250 engines holding up.i understand the  L250 inline engines are having trouble spooling up during manuvering. are there any problems with the power packs. i like the idea of the power packs eaven better than EMDs the  GE250  should BE A WINNER.

[samfp1943]

BNSF_Conductor11

 I'm a conductor with the BNSF out of Los Angeles, we have about 150 engines parked indefinitely just outside of the yard, i was wondering if anyone knew if any other class 1's are starting to bring any of their engines back into service? Thanks 

Danny: 

       WELCOME! 

     Always glad to have another professional join us. I'm sure your insights will be welcome. Parked engines in this neck of the woods woud be a problem.  ( Specifically, about MP 226 North of Wellington,Ks. on Transcon)

[BNSF_Conductor11]

 Thanks for the welcome i appreciate it.

[BNSFwatcher]

As a BNSF shareholder, I do hate to see the parked locomotives.  Most of them are EMD "Jimmy Junkers", with a few older GEs mixed in.  The "downturn" in business has been a blessing to our MOW forces.  They are working "full-blast" welding, inspecting, and upgrading our lines.  The business, in the past few years, up here on the "Hi-Line" has taxed the physical plant.  Just when we got breathing room, MRLs Mullan Tunnel caved in.  So much for a break...

I do hope that someone invents a rail welding rig that can replace the current "Thermite" system, for on-site work.  Two, to three, hours for a "Thermite" job is hard to take.  No wonder dispatchers retire early!

Bill Hays  --  [e-mail]

[BaltACD]

BNSFwatcher

As a BNSF shareholder, I do hate to see the parked locomotives.  Most of them are EMD "Jimmy Junkers", with a few older GEs mixed in.  The "downturn" in business has been a blessing to our MOW forces.  They are working "full-blast" welding, inspecting, and upgrading our lines.  The business, in the past few years, up here on the "Hi-Line" has taxed the physical plant.  Just when we got breathing room, MRLs Mullan Tunnel caved in.  So much for a break...

I do hope that someone invents a rail welding rig that can replace the current "Thermite" system, for on-site work.  Two, to three, hours for a "Thermite" job is hard to take.  No wonder dispatchers retire early!

Bill Hays  --  [e-mail]

I find it refreshing that the Carriers are keeping their maintenance efforts going during this period of economic downturn and reduced traffic levels.  In prior times, at the first hint of economic downturn, the first thing cut was the MofW maintenance budget which lead to the downward spiral that afflicted the carriers prior to the implementation of the Staggers Act.

[Grumpy Hogger]

The parked locomotives are even effecting the classs !'s iabove the border cause in Canada CP has Units stored serviceable  in Montreal and Calgary but they also are not returning any of these units to service eventhough there is a power shortage here. I'm a Hogger out of Toronto Canada for this railroad and I have seen power coming in and turning right around leaving on the next train with out nothing more than adding water to the fridge and if lucky trimming the cabs and also running dead units in the consist and running only one unit on a 6000-7000 ton train and watching the fuel guage drop 500 gals account working to hard instead of returning any units

[BNSF_Conductor11]

 i have noticed that your railroad uses one unit on trains, that is bizarre to me because even if we are taking empty intermodal  equipment BNSF puts 2 units on the head end.

[Tugboat Tony]

BNSFwatcher

As a BNSF shareholder, I do hate to see the parked locomotives.  Most of them are EMD "Jimmy Junkers", with a few older GEs mixed in.  The "downturn" in business has been a blessing to our MOW forces.  They are working "full-blast" welding, inspecting, and upgrading our lines.  The business, in the past few years, up here on the "Hi-Line" has taxed the physical plant.  Just when we got breathing room, MRLs Mullan Tunnel caved in.  So much for a break...

I do hope that someone invents a rail welding rig that can replace the current "Thermite" system, for on-site work.  Two, to three, hours for a "Thermite" job is hard to take.  No wonder dispatchers retire early!

Bill Hays  --  [e-mail]

 As a BN share holder you should love to see stored units. The longer units are stored the less they are wasting on maintance and fuel costs. this is simple asset utilization. On the UP we have around 1700 units stored. We have quit storing them for now; but we are still about 200 units "fat" that we can store and keep trains moving efficiently. In my own opinion.  I'm a share holder for the BN and UP i LOVE to hear about stored cars and units while seeing carloadings picking up. Get more use out of what we have.

[RetGM]

If you are anywhere nesr Baltimore, and over 50 years old, you should recall that the Western Maryland did not do what you state, but would turn up the MOW work during a downturn, knowing that the business would come back and move better on infastructure that was improved durng periods of leRetGMss use by revenue traffic.  In those pre-68 days, planning was for the long run, not just the Quarterly profit much loved by the bean counters who are (trying) to run RRs today...

[frontierfan]

I am a mechanic for CP in ST. Paul MN and they are pulling 16 GE,s out of storage and putting sd60,s in long term storage

[Grumpy Hogger]

Well for one thing they like putting one unit on the big trains and trying to see how far we can go with them before stalling but another thing I've noticed is that when using one unit  the fuel guage drops a lot faster than with 2 units or even 3 units and even though the economy has started to slowly recover there isnt anty suggestions that any units stored servicable are coming out any time soon

[eolafan]

I've been seeing signs of formerly stored units being brough back into service lately on trains through Aurora.  While grafitti is very rarely seen on BNSF road units as they don't typically sit idle long enough to be significantly "tagged" I am now seeing quite a bit of "tagging" on road units on all sorts of trains through here, making me believe the tagged units have been in storage for a while somewhere.

[Last Chance]

creepycrank

klahm

Turbo stack fires in Dash 9-44s, turbo disintegration in GEVOs, GE seems to be cursed when it comes to exhaust energy recovery!

Its ironic that GE is having these problems as they practically invented turbo chargers for aircraft engines. I have a book with a picture of an airplane with a GE turbo mounted on its Liberty engine to try to set an altitude record. That was in 1919. During WW 2 , B17's, B24's, B29's, P47's and P38's all had GE turbos. During the war the steam turbine operation in Lynn, MA got the assignment to develop axial jet engines and I suppose all their turbo experts were transferred there as piston engine aircraft engines were on the way out. I think that the turbo for the 244 and 251 ALCO engines were designed by GE. They shouldn't have trouble getting advice from the jet engine group at Evendale. The manufacturing group got a little careless.

 

 

 

I think you mean Superchargers. (Maybe it is the same thing, I dont know.) That was a time of war. No emissions or engine choking "Green crap" anywhere in sight.

If you sit down with a tool box and reduce ANY internal engine down to the very basics just enough parts to run properly (WITHOUT COMPUTER CONTROL....) you are going to find yourself with a monster spawn capable of taking three of your choo choos out of service.

 

I will admit that there are other considerations besides supercharging and turbo charging. I come from a time where engines roared or made music when driven correctly. Not this nuetered emissions choked stuff that needs a computer prone to burning up to work it all.

 

The more you over think something, it is easier for it to fail.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

BNSFwatcher

  [snip] I do hope that someone invents a rail welding rig that can replace the current "Thermite" system, for on-site work.  Two, to three, hours for a "Thermite" job is hard to take.  No wonder dispatchers retire early!  [snip]

Already been done - Holland's 'Mobile RailWelder' is an electric flash-butt rail welder mounted in the back of a box-type 'straight' truck on Hy-Rail wheels.  It's been around for almost 30 years now, and I recall that the basic technology was developed in and imported from the Soviet Union. 

For more details, see this link to website of rail welding history:  http://www.hollandco.com/rail-welding-services/images/History%20of%20Railwelding%28PDF%29.pdf 

Photos: http://www.hollandco.com/rail-welding-services/history-of-railwelding-1 

http://www.hollandco.com/rail-welding-services/mod-services-/mfbw/crop-weld-1 

I see they now have an All-Terrain Mobile Welder:   http://www.hollandco.com/rail-welding-services/holland-new-welding-technology/copy_of_all-terrain-mobile-welder 

- Paul North.

 

[Grumpy Hogger]

Well look at all the units that have been rated at 6000hp account the ones we had are now stored or being sold . The new thing for us now is a item they are installing on the units called fuel optimizer's which when programed they work in the lines to cruise control where it takes the controll from the hogger but if there are changes you can overirde the system and take control of the unit .For us In Toronto the AC4400's are not programed for this area but will be coming soon and it also works off the GPS which most units are installed with at GE.