Western Railroad Discussion > Four Cycle is Cleaner and other Myths

Right up there with Bigfoot and Man Made Global Warming is a couple GE's on a Q train dispelling the myth that four cycle is cleaner. This wasn't an engineer who "wiped the clock" with the throttle, but is simply pulling a light train in about notch 3 or 4. Alco fans also have fond memories four cycles "Rolling Coal" in modern terminology.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Looks like some injectors need fine tuning.

Thats why I like indirect injection, air cooled diesels
and water exhaust scrubbers = simplicity and easy repairs.

funnelfan Wrote:
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> Right up there with Bigfoot and Man Made Global
> Warming is a couple GE's on a Q train dispelling
> the myth that four cycle is cleaner.

Interesting, the grammatical structure of your sentence implies that Bigfoot and man-made global warming are helping a couple GEs "dispelling" the myth that "four cycle is cleaner."

While you've got him weighing in on scientific theories, perhaps you could get Bigfoot to also weigh in on the great debate on whether the earth is actually spherical: http://theflatearthsociety.org/

Elizabeth

I routinely see fairly new GE's emitting visible smoke while IDLING, much more often than I see EMDs of ANY age doing.

While environmentally unsightly, it is my understanding that it is the temperature of the exhaust that determines the level of greenhouse gasses emitted. The higher the temperature the more NOX is released. Black stacking is the result a a rich fuel mixture which is heavy with carbon and unburned hydrocarbons--most of which falls to the ground or clings to stationary objects. A lean fuel mixture results in higher combustion temperatures. As an example, my car repeatedly failed a smog test due to high NOX, even though it was running great--very frustrating. It wasn't until I got into the old MAF sensor and leaned up the fuel mix considerably, that it passed. Managing combustion temperatures is also an important factor in equipment life. Steam locomotive fireboxes can also suffer if run with too much air versus fuel. For more info look up the Stoichiometric air/fuel ratios. I hope this helps. If anyone else can elaborate on this in greater detail, please do.

funnelfan Wrote:
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> Alco fans also have fond
> memories four cycles "Rolling Coal" in modern
> terminology.

referred to as "Burning Pine Knots" in the southern Piney Woods.

RailNet802, out

Well our Orbits guys tell me it's kinda pear shaped, but they don't have big feet either.

> --------------------------------------------------
> -----

>
> While you've got him weighing in on scientific
> theories, perhaps you could get Bigfoot to also
> weigh in on the great debate on whether the earth
> is actually spherical:
> http://theflatearthsociety.org/
>
> Elizabeth

I love it - goes right along with the nickname for GE's - MUD SUCKERS!
Pete Replinger

In some cases, can be cured with a change of fuel filters.

Larry Dodgion
Wilsonville, OR

truxtrax Wrote:
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> In some cases, can be cured with a change of fuel
> filters.

Uh, isn't it smoking due to too much fuel?

Probably changing air filters would do more good.

...or turbo failure?