Going green for railroads. Good or bad
- Thread starter slekjr
- Start date
Here in north east PA there has bin lots of talk (over the last few years) about reactivating part of the old EL main to restore passenger service to the New York aria, but, It's all just talk. Nothing has ever gotten dun. This would remove lots of traffic from rt80. People are basically screaming for this service, but, it falls on deaf ears.wall1
:thumb: In a grand display of political stupidity:thumb:, my old home town of Bayonne, NJ. spent Millions of dollars to dismantle RR. bridges ,tear down stations, and remove rails. Just to put them back 20 years later. " wonder why I moved" I agree with you completely.
:thumb: In a grand display of political stupidity:thumb:, my old home town of Bayonne, NJ. spent Millions of dollars to dismantle RR. bridges ,tear down stations, and remove rails. Just to put them back 20 years later. " wonder why I moved" I agree with you completely.
Something that gets my goat is that Washington does not hesitate to through big bucks at the air lines when they get into trouble, but not the rail lines. They forget that the railroads really in every sense of the word built this country, and were instrumental in moving troops and materials for every war since the civil war.
I don't think that congress or the president should constantly shove money into the pockets of the rail Barron's but they are a vital resource of this country. Don't be so quick to destroy them. Invest in them of the better common good of this nation.
I don't think that congress or the president should constantly shove money into the pockets of the rail Barron's but they are a vital resource of this country. Don't be so quick to destroy them. Invest in them of the better common good of this nation.
Actually, in So Cal, locomotives and ships have become a big source of air pollution. Truck engines built in the last 5 years are very clean burning, and automobile engines have been very clean for 20 years. The Pacific Harbor Line just signed on last year for a deal with the state and federal government to replace their fleet of old used locomotives with new "Green Goats" and rebuilt units with low emission diesels. The neat thing is that the low emission diesels are installed in older style locomotives so they have what looks like an sd38 that is actually a sd38 body and frame with all new internal pieces that runs clean and looks old! The equipment was paid for by a state and federal grant money for the purpose of reducing emissions.
The problem is that as long as there is no law requiring the railroads to run clean burning equipment, they won't spend the money to do it. There won't be a law requiring the railroads to upgrade the equipment as long as politicians are put into office by corporate "donations." I see diesels running through the Los Angeles area pouring out black smoke worse than any pic I've ever seen of a steam engine. Typically it seems the GE's smoke much worse than EMD models.
Russ,Usually when a diesel smokes its due to a turbocharger failure or another maintenance problem much like a car.
Now there are laws in effect that covers new locomotives under the tier production as well as rebuilds.
This should explain the tier program.
Emission Standards: USA: Locomotives
Now there are laws in effect that covers new locomotives under the tier production as well as rebuilds.
This should explain the tier program.
Emission Standards: USA: Locomotives
If this works here is a link Triplex. I had thought PHL #60 was an Sd38, but it appears that they started with an Sd40-2. All of their new equipment is painted in Zebra Stripe, so that is kind of neat. I understand that the owner/president of Pacific Harbor Lines is a railfan who really likes the classic paint schemes from the past.
http://www.socalrailfan.com/photos/data/549/PHL60atMontclairCa04192007_1.jpg
http://www.socalrailfan.com/photos/data/549/PHL60atMontclairCa04192007_1.jpg
Hmmm... something's weird about #60. A big rear porch, and the cab is farther forward than normal. Flexicoil C trucks, so not a Dash 2 originally, unless it's ex-Conrail... It seems to be an SD38/40/45 with the whole body shifted forward!
It could be a 38/40 shifted forward. I don't think it is a 45 because it doesn't have the flared radiators. According to the guys on Southern California Railfan Forums, there is so much modification done to the locomotives that they are beyond being considered a "rebuild," although they don't look as much changed as the old Cf-7's were! I'm sure the prime mover and the rest of the mechanical and electrical stuff was installed in the frame and then the body located where it fit with the "back porch" extended accordingly.
Well, those obviously aren't original EMD radiators anyway. And brakie's link says that some other MP20C-3s are ex-SD45s.
Do locomotives use the same low sulfer diesel fuel that diesel road trucks burn? I would imagine that burning the same exact same fuel then locomotive emmissions would not increase becuase there are just as many old road trucks running as there are diesel engines.
There is more to a low emission diesel than type of fuel. The diesel engine actually uses electronic fuel injection rather than mechanical fuel injection that has been used by diesel engines forever.