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Article: All aboard.(includes related article on preventing engine failures in military tanks)(new system for testing locomotive engine oil)
- Article from:
- Mechanical Engineering-CIME
- Article date:
- August 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Testing the oil of diesel locomotives gives operators valuable information about engine operating conditions. Oil analysis is a tool for evaluating diesel engines for telltale signs of bearing and ring wear, heat degradation, and dirt contamination.
However, the process of obtaining an oil sample is both costly and time-consuming. Typically, locomotives are taken into a service center, where an oil sample is drawn manually from the engine, put into a vial, and sent off to a laboratory for evaluation. Results can take days, or even weeks. Analyses are normally performed on locomotive engines every 92 days, during regularly scheduled maintenance. Many railroads take ...