Saw this picture on LinkedIn
Those are big a** diesels.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
@LLKJR posted:Saw this picture on LinkedIn
Those are big a** diesels.
Actually those are considered "medium speed" diesels, and are NOT all that "big". If you think those are "big", you should see the slow speed diesels (about 200 RPM) in ocean going ships. They are generally two stories high, with horse power ratings above 10,000.
I used to work for Ellwood group. I think they supported these guys. Is that shop still there and running?
World's largest diesel engine makes 109,000 horsepower
The 109,000-horsepower Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, which first set sail in the Emma Mærsk in 2006, weighs in at a rotund 2,300 tons, and it's 44-feet tall and 90-feet long.
The bore of this little putter is over three feet. 
@BillYo414 posted:I used to work for Ellwood group. I think they supported these guys. Is that shop still there and running?
My friend was a machinist there. He had only been there a few years after his long time employer closed. He is retired like me now. While he was there he gave my wife and me a tour on an open house day. I do not know if they are still in operation in Grove City or not.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:World's largest diesel engine makes 109,000 horsepower
The 109,000-horsepower Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, which first set sail in the Emma Mærsk in 2006, weighs in at a rotund 2,300 tons, and it's 44-feet tall and 90-feet long.
The bore of this little putter is over three feet.
At maximum economy the Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C motor exceeds 50% thermal efficiency. That is, more than 50% of the energy in the fuel in converted to motion.
For comparison, automobiles have about 25% thermal efficiency and the modern diesel electric locomotives are in the 40% range.
My father in law retired out of the grove city shop as a night shift machinist. I think he worked there about 20 years.
The Grove City facility is very impressive! Especially if you are a gearhead.
@Mark Boyce posted:My friend was a machinist there. He had only been there a few years after his long time employer closed. He is retired like me now. While he was there he gave my wife and me a tour on an open house day. I do not know if they are still in operation in Grove City or not.
I'll have to look it up when I remember.
Hi all , GE, now Wabtec, is very alive and very well in Grove City, PA., and manufactures all the prime mover (engines) for their locomotives, at least I'm not aware of any other prime mover supplier to their product. The originator of the famous FDL prime mover, Cooper-Bessemer, was located across town, and has been closed many years. Cooper had exited the locomotive prime mover business upon GE's purchase of the rights to the FDL many years before that. Cooper's later business was huge stationary engines and compressors, some weighing 350 tons. I am of the opinion that Cooper's pool of machinist talent was probably one reason for GE to choose Grove City as the location for their plant to begin with. GE's initial object at this facility was rebuilding GE prime movers, but later became the new manufacturer of these prime movers.
I live 11 miles from Grove City, and being a former Cooper employee, this subject is familiar to me. As I recall this subject was covered here a few months ago. Don Francis.
@Don Francis posted:Hi all , GE, now Wabtec, is very alive and very well in Grove City, PA., and manufactures all the prime mover (engines) for their locomotives, at least I'm not aware of any other prime mover supplier to their product. The originator of the famous FDL prime mover, Cooper-Bessemer, was located across town, and has been closed many years. Cooper had exited the locomotive prime mover business upon GE's purchase of the rights to the FDL many years before that. Cooper's later business was huge stationary engines and compressors, some weighing 350 tons. I am of the opinion that Cooper's pool of machinist talent was probably one reason for GE to choose Grove City as the location for their plant to begin with. GE's initial object at this facility was rebuilding GE prime movers, but later became the new manufacturer of these prime movers.
I live 11 miles from Grove City, and being a former Cooper employee, this subject is familiar to me. As I recall this subject was covered here a few months ago. Don Francis.
I was in the old Cooper for an auction two or three years ago. Big place!
We tried making some Cooper castings where I worked and they were very difficult compared to ingot molds and pump housings. I think they were water cooled cylinder sleeves or something. I just remember the hours I spent gluing cores together and carefully placing them in the cope and drag. Good times though. I learned a lot!
Don, thank you for refreshing my memory that Wabtec has the GE facility now. I just could not remember. Eleven miles from Grove City. Which direction? I live in Butler.
I flew a King Air 200GT for a local company out of the Grove City airport for many years. Nice little town.
Hi Mark, Without getting too specific, I live east of Grove City, near I-80. Until 1959, when I was 6, we lived on Turk Road, east of the Old Stone House; pretty sure you might know where that is. My father was from Elora, and my mother lived in Butler, on Cunningham Street; her residence became a parking lot!
You might find it interesting that I co-authored an article on the railroads of Butler, Pa. which appeared in the July 1983 Issue of Rails Northeast magazine. It was in the days of the presence of Penn Central, Chessie System, and Bessemer & Lake Erie in Butler.
Well it was nice reminiscing with ya; I was going to e-mail you but my computer is messed up!
@gunrunnerjohn posted:World's largest diesel engine makes 109,000 horsepower
The 109,000-horsepower Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, which first set sail in the Emma Mærsk in 2006, weighs in at a rotund 2,300 tons, and it's 44-feet tall and 90-feet long.
The bore of this little putter is over three feet.
@Hot Water posted:Actually those are considered "medium speed" diesels, and are NOT all that "big". If you think those are "big", you should see the slow speed diesels (about 200 RPM) in ocean going ships. They are generally two stories high, with horse power ratings above 10,000.
Ever try and do a torque calculation on these numbers? Let’s just say you’ll need to measure in ton-miles rather than lbs-ft!
Impressive machines.
Mark, The correct magazine name is (or was) Rails Northeast.
Rich, I know that airport-- if I described it as being between London and Number 5, would you know those very obscure places? By the way I have enjoyed many 765 trips and have 6 Hopewell tapes. See ya. Don Francis
Don, I passed Turk Road often. One daughter went to Grove City College. I was in Slippery Rock last week. That’s great about your article! My wife is from Butler, I’m from southern Butler County.
A fishing friend of my dad’s worked at Cooper-Bessemer long ago
