Ever check out the list prices of brand-new main line diesel-electric locomotives? They are expensive, about $3 million each.
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The locomotive has a newly developed diesel engine that increases fuel efficiency while producing lower emissions. During the next nine months, CSXT will test three locomotives, costing more than $2 million each.
CN declined to say how much it is spending on the locomotives, but an industry source said they cost about $3-million (U.S.) each. The 195-tonne locomotives produce 4,500 horsepower and can pull a freight train at 110 kilometres an hour, GE says.
BNSF Locomotives. We have one of the newest locomotive fleets in the industry. A typical BNSF locomotive will travel up to 4.8 million miles in its lifetime - equal to about 20 trips from the earth to the moon.
For a fuel cost of $0.84 per liter of diesel ($3.17 per gallon) (AAR (2012b)), this results in an average running fuel cost of $185 per locomotive-hour.
That works out to $200 million a mile for hilly areas. At these costs, Obama's original high-?speed rail plan would require well over $1 trillion, while the USHSR's plan would need well over $3 trillion. Building a system longer than China's would cost at least $4 trillion.
Yes, all over the road locomotives, and local use locomotives are equipped with toilets in small rooms in the front hood area of the locomotive. Some even have fold down sinks for hand washing. The toilets are similar to RV type toilets that have a hand pump for flushing, and holding tanks for the waste.
The Union Pacific Railroad (reporting marks UP, UPP, UPY) is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over 32,200 miles (51,800 km) routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans.
The life expectancy of diesel-electric and electric locomotives is expected to be similar—about 25 years. Both types of motive power are subject to technological obsolescence.
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.
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.
Railroad OilsThe 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.
The majority of modern electrification systems take AC energy from a power grid that is delivered to a locomotive, and within the locomotive, transformed and rectified to a lower DC voltage in preparation for use by traction motors.
Anyway, the reason for using two locomotives is pretty simple. Twice the number of locomotives means twice the power. This extra power boost is used for especially heavy loads or for trains going up steep grades. A really steep grade could require as many as eight locomotives.