How old is the average locomotive? This statistic illustrates the average age of the locomotives in North America's locomotive fleet between 2014 and 2020. In 2020, the average age stood at 28.1 years.
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Many locomotives can last 30–40 years, depending on the maintenance done on them.
Old diesel locomotives have been scrapped and auctioned in the past after they had completed their codal life and were found uneconomical to operate. These locomotives were dismantled and auctioned piecemeal.
Santie Oil stocks train engine oil in 40–60-gallon drums or 40–260-gallon totes to help diesel mechanics keep locomotives in top condition. The Federal Railroad Administration requires train engine oil to be changed every 180 days (formerly 92 days), and the time may be extended based on the oil's condition.
Engines may be left idling to maintain important safety related functions such as maintaining engine temperature, air pressure for the brake system, the integrity of the starting systems, the electrical system and providing heating or cooling to a train's crew and/or passengers.
In temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the engine has to be kept warm for engine fluids to work properly, as antifreeze cannot be used in locomotive engines. Engines are also kept running to provide air conditioning or heat for the crew, which may be aboard even if the train is idling in a yard.
While many of us change our car tires every 50,000 miles or so, Metro rail wheels can travel as far as 700,000 miles before they need to be replaced. Good thing because changing the wheels on a single rail car can take more than a week, depending on the design of the car.
When it's moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop.
Locomotive Engineer employees work varying schedules and travel extensively to accommodate our 24 hours 7 days a week operation, which may include nights, weekends, holidays or on-call for emergency situations. Work may require travel and time away from home.
Not exactly bathrooms, but most road locos have toilets, or in some cases just a seat with a hole so you can xxxx in a bag. They are in the noses in most cases but were behind the cab on older GEs and in the engine room in early streamliners.
Mercifully, new trains no longer dump waste on the tracks. Instead, trains are fitted with chemical holding tanks. These are connected to regular toilets or vacuum toilets. Like aeroplanes, these need to be emptied regularly, leading to trains having to return to terminal stations.
Elements of the diesel locomotiveThe diesel engine may operate on the two-stroke or four-stroke cycle. Rated operating speeds vary from 350 to 2,000 revolutions per minute, and rated output may be from 10 to 4,000 horsepower.
Idling switchers use between 3 and Il gallons of fuel per hour depending on the ambient temperature. If a switcher idles 12 hours a day in warm weather and burns 3 gallons of fuel per hour, it would consume 36 gallons of fuel per day.
Fuel Tank. This huge tank in the underbelly of the locomotive holds up to 5,500 gallons (20,820 liters) of diesel fuel, plus an additional 300 gallons (1,135 liters) of coolant, and 250 gallons (946 liters) of engine oil.
Rail Tank Car Fun FactsTypically, tank cars have up to five times the capacity of truck, holding between 6,500 gallons to more than 31,000 gallons of liquid.