Working railroads maintaining older equipment

My guess it was probably re-engined from a EMD 645 motor. Like from a GP-38-2 would be a example. No shortage of parts there.

Name the shortline.  There are Alco parts out there, but it is something you can just order from Granger!

Chuck Sartor posted:

My guess it was probably re-engined from a EMD 645 motor. Like from a GP-38-2 would be a example. No shortage of parts there.

Simply "re-engining" an ALCO doesn't work due to a completely different main generator and other electrical components.

We have a similar short line here in northeast PA operated by Luzerne county. They too have old switchers to shuttle freight cars around Wilkes-Barre and the nearby Hanover Industrial Park. There is a service facility at the Coxton Yards near Pittston, just a few miles north of here. I don't know if they do maintenance on the engines or not, but it would be a logical place for such work to be done. I'm not well versed in identifying motive power, but I will say these puppies are quite old.

Don

There is still a lot of older Alco power running today. The Delaware Lacakawanna Railroad has an all-Alco roster. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RR is almost all Alco.

Why? Cheap acquisition cost.

I understand that a company still makes the ALco diesel engines under different name for boats/ships, so parts can be had.  Also the electric system in the Alco loco's were made by GE and I think the railroads can get some parts from GE.

A&M here in northwest Arkansas still run ALco's and has a few parts and loco's for parts and may sale parts to other railroads.

There are specialized companies that supply parts for older engines including Fairbanks Morse. Try Googling "Alco locomotive parts".

http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/engines/fm-alco-251f/

I used to be a Field Service Rep for TransAmerica Delaval/Enterprise Engine Division. They had many different models of older engines all over the world in different applications and they provided parts and service for them.

The line in question, the Morristown and Erie, has a combination of equipment, it is fascinating (this is not a tourist railroad, though one of their engines is used to pull cars for trains running out of the museum in Whippany, NJ). They have some Alco C424 units, at least one SW1500, and some 1950's era geeps,.  It is interesting that the kind of engines used in these locomotives were used for other things like that, but it makes sense, I guess something that is reliable will keep being produced. 

Guess they have to have great preventive/preventative upkeep!

They shop at George Tebolt's place.....

The Reading & Northern, a regional railroad based near Port Clinton or Jim Thorpe PA, runs GP-35's and U23B's from what I have heard. Of course the GP-35's have newer engines installed and upgraded couplers. There is some kind of national standard for knuckle couplers on the mainline railroads and that is part of the reason why some tourist lines can't go on the main rails.

Lee Fritz

phillyreading posted:

The Reading & Northern, a regional railroad based near Port Clinton or Jim Thorpe PA, runs GP-35's and U23B's from what I have heard. Of course the GP-35's have newer engines installed and upgraded couplers. There is some kind of national standard for knuckle couplers on the mainline railroads and that is part of the reason why some tourist lines can't go on the main rails.

Lee Fritz

Never heard of THAT before! The couplers on the GP35 when delivered in 1963/1965 would still be good today, according to the AAR and FRA.

Now, if you mean draft gear, then THAT is different, since all the major railroad Mechanical Depts. REQUIRE diesel locomotives be equipped with alignment controlled draft gear (which the GP30/GP35/GP40 units would have had at time of delivery). Thus, older switcher units, and F Units, and GP7/9 units would have to be up-graded to alignment control draft gear prior to being shipped or operated on any of the major railroads. The coupler head & knuckle itself doesn't have any bearing on the issue.

Maybe I was in correct about the GP-35 couplers, but some of the older passenger cars that the Blue Mountain & Reading had needed a coupler upgrade and for a tourist railroad that was too much money to keep operating the cars. Not sure of the date of manufacture on the passenger cars but I think they were from the 1940's.

Lee Fritz

phillyreading posted:

Maybe I was in correct about the GP-35 couplers, but some of the older passenger cars that the Blue Mountain & Reading had needed a coupler upgrade and for a tourist railroad that was too much money to keep operating the cars. Not sure of the date of manufacture on the passenger cars but I think they were from the 1940's.

Lee Fritz

OK, that's a different situation. Plus, there is the "40 year rule" concerning passenger car trucks, where they must be completely disassembled, inspected, and repair/rebuilt as necessary. Amtrak requirements are even tougher.

You want a full list?

Reading and Northern, East Penn Railroad, Morristown & Erie, SMS Rail Lines, Southern Railroad of New Jersey, Delaware Lackawanna, Black River & Western.

Burbling Baldwins in New Jersey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML-s12B_pcA

How often are parts really needed? You don't operate something for 50+ years if it's unreliable.

My guess is these locomotives rarely need repair if properly maintained, and even if they're somewhat neglected. Then if you don't put that many hours on the locomotive, don't travel long distances at high speeds, and/or don't operate the locomotive at its maximum capacity, that certainly has to help with longevity.

Matt Kirsch posted:

How often are parts really needed? You don't operate something for 50+ years if it's unreliable.

My guess is these locomotives rarely need repair if properly maintained, and even if they're somewhat neglected. Then if you don't put that many hours on the locomotive, don't travel long distances at high speeds, and/or don't operate the locomotive at its maximum capacity, that certainly has to help with longevity.

All well and good but,,,,,,whenever the prime mover is running, the piston rings and various bearings do wear. Sooner or later SOMETHING must be renewed.

Matt Kirsch posted:

How often are parts really needed? You don't operate something for 50+ years if it's unreliable.

My guess is these locomotives rarely need repair if properly maintained, and even if they're somewhat neglected. Then if you don't put that many hours on the locomotive, don't travel long distances at high speeds, and/or don't operate the locomotive at its maximum capacity, that certainly has to help with longevity.

Has nothing to do with reliability per se. A diesel locomotive is a relatively hefty piece of equipment and they are built pretty strongly. That said, as someone said, the rings and bearings on the engine take a beating every time the engine is started up, as they say on tv ads, a diesel or a gas engine has significant part of its wear starting the engine up. Too, time alone can cause for example the generator that drives the traction motor to decay, things like rust can take their toll as well. Things like hoses wear out or corrode, any kind of bushing can degrade, wiring can degrade, and so forth. Not to mention that a lot of this older equipment was bought second hand, after they likely had had some heavy use on other roads. 

It is true that the prime movers on an engine like this, for example, will have a significantly longer duty cycle before needing major rebuild compared to let's say a car, but time/age also plays a role here, too. 

Having worked in a re-manufacturing facility, I saw first hand how many different parts there are that are prone to wear or failure. Even the steel deck, (three inches thick on many), sags after time and requires re cambering. Not an easy or fun job by the way. Granted, a lot of small lines use their motive power until it absolutely has to be repaired, but it is inevitable.

Don

Emissions compliance is another issue. Although perfectly operational they cannot meet standards.