Trains can move 1 ton of freight around 500 miles on 1 gallon of fuel. A semi truck might move 1 ton of freight around 130 miles on 1 gallon of fuel.
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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.
The train travels at 40 mph. In one hour, it will travel 40 miles and consume 310 gallons of diesel fuel between the three locomotives, or 7.75 gallons for every mile. That's about 0.13 miles per gallon, hardly 400 miles per gallon.
Usually 30 to 50 years but a diesel engine might be replaced by a more modern and efficient model after half that time. Likewise a locomotive's electronics can be upgraded, or adjustments to new signalling systems made.
Loading of coal and water and incidental maintenance takes a steam locomotive about 1 hour. A diesel engine can be fueled from a pump in 10 minutes or so.
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.
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.
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.
A locomotive fuel tank quantity(size) varies with the locomotive and whether it is a diesel or steam locomotive. Small diesel locos can be around 50 gallons for the tank. Large 4000 to 6000 HP mainline freight locos will usually have a 4000 to 5000 gallon fuel tank under the frame between the power trucks.
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.
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.
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.
A train engine requires about a hundred litres of fuel to get it started. So it wouldn't be economical if the engine is stopped and started frequently. This apart, if the engine is stopped, the moving parts' lubrication will also come to a halt.
Even when switchyard locomotives are not moving trains, their diesel engines are usually kept running. This is done to charge batteries, warm engine fluids and meet other operational needs. This can amount to several thousand hours of idling per locomotive each year.
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.
The locomotives weigh between 100 and 200 tons (91,000 and 181,000 kilograms) and are designed to tow passenger-train cars at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour (200 kph). Siemens' modern engines produce up to 4,200 horsepower, and the generator can turn this into almost 4,700 amps of electrical current.