Canadian Railroads > Low Cost Repair Linked to Lac-Megantic Disaster

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/low-cost-repair-linked-to-engine-fire/article20091811/

About 200 kilometres before an ill-fated oil train was left idling on the main track near Lac-Mégantic, Que., Transport Canada conducted a routine inspection and allowed it to proceed.


The inspector didn’t report any concerns about the engine in the train’s lead locomotive. But The Globe and Mail has learned that part of the federal investigation into the rail disaster has focused on a repair conducted nine months earlier that played a role in a locomotive fire that broke out later that night, setting in motion a series of events that led to the train’s derailment and explosion in Lac-Mégantic.

At some point during the train’s journey through Quebec’s eastern townships and toward Lac-Mégantic, the engine in the lead locomotive began to surge, according to a source, an issue Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway engineer Tom Harding deemed serious enough to report to the company.

Not surprising considering the railroad's financial condition.

Maybe someone will get interested in all those GE fuel line fires scarring the sides of locomotives while they burn openly in the engine compartment. That's only been happening since U25Bs were new.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe someone will get interested in all those GE
> fuel line fires scarring the sides of locomotives
> while they burn openly in the engine compartment.
> That's only been happening since U25Bs were new.
>
> Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

Al, as someone pointed out, dryly, on another web site "MM&A should have bought old EMD's instead of old GE's". Apparently the price on 30+ year old GE's was too good to pass up...


Allen

bradleymckay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fbe Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Maybe someone will get interested in all those
> GE
> > fuel line fires scarring the sides of
> locomotives
> > while they burn openly in the engine
> compartment.
> > That's only been happening since U25Bs were new.
>
> >
> > Posted from Windows Phone OS 7
>
> Al, as someone pointed out, dryly, on another web
> site "MM&A should have bought old EMD's instead of
> old GE's". Apparently the price on 30+ year old
> GE's was too good to pass up...
>
>
> Allen
=====================================================
Well, the GM (U.S. & Canada) products sure proved themselves on Ed Burkhardt's WC; there never were any GE's on the roster, which was comprised 100% of "pre-owned" locomotives. And EB certainly had enough railroad experience to know exactly what he was acquiring with the cheap, worn out GE's.

I don't know where those GE's were serviced, but if it was at the ex-BAR Northern Maine Jct. and/or Derby facilities, you had very competent mechanical personnel experienced with maintaining an all EMD roster pre-MMA. Seems like that would have been something to build on and take advantage of.

Locomotives were serviced at the Derby facility. Auctioneer Adam Jokisch of Adam's Auctions and Real Estate Services posted maintenance reports on line for most of the units listed for sale as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/14 16:13 by RayLGrinder.

I don't really have much insight on locomotive maintenance, but one of my buddies asked me how many engine fires I've seen in my 30 plus years of railfanning. Answer: 3. How many were GEs? 3.

His answers were comparable.