…What is the priority problem of designing a cooling system for the prime mover that cold be filled with anti-freeze so the problem of whether to let idle, install automatic start equipement and or drain the system could be eliminated…Is there something besides price of the coolant…?
From what I’ve read, price is the largest part of it. When you measure capacity of the cooling system in gallons, and the locomotives in the 100’s, it can add up in a hurry. There may be a point at which the price trade-off between fuel and anti-freeze reaches equilibrium, but it’s probably a ways off…
The engine can be left running whilst fueling and the tank has a valve which shuts of fuel delivery once it is full. Oil can be introduced whilst loco is running as the dipstick has a mark on it. The only slight problem is sometimes a loco will idle at speed to build the air back up, this will sometimes make the oil look lower on the dipstick due to the oil splashing around inside. Coolant can also be added when running but loco must be shut down for a coolant or oil change.
Leaving loco’s running is a common practice especially during colder weather. If a train is due out on a train it may be left running to keep the air up. In the UK we had an instance where a loco was left running for 6 days over the Xmas period, the usual scenario, someone thought someone else knew about it. Eventually it ran out of fuel and also damaged the turbo because it froze solid after that.
Cheers
Rory
Thank you for telling us about your railfanning weekend