One night while switching a industry w/ two engs, the leader died, engr went back and got it started up. About an hr or so later, we are sitting @ a red block waiting for traffic to pass so we can get in the yd and go home for the night. The lead eng dies again. Hogger goes back to start it, can’t get it to rev up. While he is back there trying to get the motor started w/ no luck and loosing his religion, I just happen to step on the ground to check the fuel gage. Bone dry. When I told him, his face dropped. The 2nd eng had like 300 gallons or something like that. Luckly that one wasn’t dry. We were able to clear the main and put the train away w/out totally running out of fuel. Just glad the trailing eng had just enough to keep us moving. That would have been something for the hogger to explain in an investigation.
It did on an Air Canada non stop flight from Montreal to Vancouver when the 767 ran out of fuel just north of Winnipeg. Fortunately the Co-Pilot remembered there was a former Canadian Forces Base at Gimli, Manitoba and they made an emergency landing there with no one injured. The runway was being used as a drag strip at the time and a barrier ran the length of the runway to keep the dragsters apart. It tore up one of the planes landing gear but this was fixed and the plane flew out after a couple of weeks. The reason for running out of fuel was this was at the time Canada was going metric and they confused litres with gallons, or so the story goes. There after Air Canada returned to fueling planes in pounds I believe.
Al - in - Stockton
Out of fuel tends to ground us in reality.
Never did worry about that when the old GG1’s were running.
untill a thunderstorm knocked out the over head or blew out a transformer at a sub station…then not only did they not run…but NOTHING ran…lol
csx engineer
Or the time when the blowers inhaled super-fine snow right through the filters and shorted out the traction motors.
That was the one I was thinking about when I wrote (it has).[8D]
Both the co-pilot doing his pre-flight walk-around and the fueler made the same mistake when they read the dipsticks in the fuel tanks. Fortunately, the 767 (and I think 757 and 777) have an air-powered turbine generator that drops out of the fusalage after loss of power that generates enough electricty to have some control over the aircraft and let them call on the radio for help. Otherwise, this tale wouldn’t have had such a happy ending.[xx(]
Ok Folks, I graciously accept the ribbing on the GG1. I walked into it that time. =)
I dont know how to do anything half way, all in or off the pot lol.
Aviation fuel stories dont bother me, plane no gas, plane must come down. It becomes a problem of glide speed vs descent rate vs a shrinking area of availible landing spots. Usually a Pilot ought to know generally a number of alternates along flightpath or be able to generate one such as a farm when need to. Ive already been put through the exercise in a 172 once long ago. However in a big jet like the 767, well… it is going to happen once correctly so everyone can walk away hopefully.
RRnut: A lot more aircraft have Air turbine motors. The DC-10, MD-11, L-1011, A-300 series have hydraulic ATMs. All RSVM certified aircraft(two engine overwater aircraft more than 60 minutes from land) including the B-737s, 747s, 757s,767s 777s, 787s and later airbus aircraft have the electrical generating capability in various forms hydraulic or . ( not all aircraft in those series are so certified.
Airliners running low on fuel has become a serious concern. If I recall correctly, it used to be standard practice to fill an airplane up completely. Not so any more. TWA Flight 800 blew up because the center fuel tank was empty, except for explosive vapors. It probably would not have blown up if it had had fuel in it.
If you do a Google search on “airliner low fuel landing,” you can see concerns about current airline management pushing pilots very hard to save costs by carrying less fuel. The result is an increasing number of incidents where airliners have to land to refuel the aircraft before reaching their destination.
Every once in a while I hear the DP arranging a meet between a train and a fuel truck. It probably happens more than we think, but just doesn’t make the headlines.
Maybe locomotives should have a “reserve” like my motorcycles and old VW Beetles.
( not all aircraft in those series are so certified.
That’s why I hesitated to say more had them than I did. It was an option the purchaser (individual airlines) could elect to delete. Some did it for fuel savings i.e. not carrying all that extra weight when they don’t fly overwater, some did it to expand the cargo compartment. It should have been mandatory as soon as it was available, and I think on the newer models like the 777, its standard equipment.
Perhaps we can get back to the subject of the TRAIN that ran out of fuel…as I thought this is a trains/railroad related forum, not one relating to the subject of airplanes/airlines.
That was the one I was thinking about when I wrote (it has).[8D]
Both the co-pilot doing his pre-flight walk-around and the fueler made the same mistake when they read the dipsticks in the fuel tanks. Fortunately, the 767 (and I think 757 and 777) have an air-powered turbine generator that drops out of the fusalage after loss of power that generates enough electricty to have some control over the aircraft and let them call on the radio for help. Otherwise, this tale wouldn’t have had such a happy ending.[xx(]
Seems to me the dipsticks were in the Cockpit of the aircraft and in the Cab of the diesel.
Al - in - Stockton
Not to take this further afield, but I wonder how many cars we’d see stranded along the side of the road every day if we didn’t have a fuel gauge on the dash of our cars. “Whadya mean you lost the dipstick?”
After putting together the excerpt from Al Krug’s site, it’s obvious to me that there are many factors involved. A dragging brake, while it should be discovered, can drag fuel mileage down. Even a stiff headwind can have a negative effect.
It was noted that the freight railroads are not immune from this type of thing, it just doesn’t get any coverage. Nobody (at least not the public) cares if a manifest sits for several hours until they can get another engine set to rescue it, or they can get fuel to it. Operationally, it’s not much different than having a unit die for mechanical or electrical reasons.
So, while a lot of passengers were inconvenienced, in the end it’s much ado about nothing (except for those whose heads rolled as a result).