Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Gevo Smoked coming into Spokane, WA

Looks like the lead unit on the eastbound BNSF train toasted the main generator coming up the grade into Spokane, WA at Empire Siding. The train came to a stop on the trestle just short of the bridge over I-90.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/25 16:07 by funnelfan.

---

More engines per train = less stress per engine = longer lives.  Or this happens.

About a month ago, a whole block of refrigerator cars had to be set out because they were literally heavily coated in oil from a locomotive turbo failure in Montana.  That clean up cost wasn't cheap as all the heavily polluted runoff from the steam cleaning had to be captured.

Locomotive maintenance has taken a far back seat to bigger profits.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More engines per train = less stress per engine =
> longer lives.  Or this happens.

Yeah, but how do you teach the mechanically-inept desk jockeys this? (Turn off the enegy-wasting air conditioners in data centers, and maybe they'll start to care?)

More cost-cutting means bigger executive bonuses.  That's the only thing that's important at BNSF.  "Let's close down more locomotive maintenance facilities and eliminate more mechanical jobs."  Great idea!

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More engines per train = less stress per engine =
> longer lives.  Or this happens.

You could put all of the engines that you want on a train. Only enough will be online to comply with rules. Max power and braking are well defined and done so in part due to safety concerns.

portlander Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You could put all of the engines that you want on
> a train. Only enough will be online to comply with
> rules. Max power and braking are well defined and
> done so in part due to safety concerns.

True. But in the past those locomotives would more often than not head to the shop for some TLC after coming in off a run. Today's plans have then frequently just turning right around and heading back out on an outbound train with zero mechanical attention provided to them, other than some contractor pumping some gallons of diesel into them. It only takes one look at a locomotive facility on a class 1 these days to see that the staffing levels there have been decimated when compared to years past. And that certainly can't be good for the locomotive fleet...

NWRail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More cost-cutting means bigger executive
> bonuses.  That's the only thing that's important
> at BNSF.

Ask your lower-level exempt supervisors and Yardmasters how much of their bonuses they got for 2024, if any at all. On the MOW side, quite a few of them threw in the towel and came back to the ranks. You know the high-level people in the NOC aren’t feeling any pain.

ble692 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> portlander Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You could put all of the engines that you want
> on
> > a train. Only enough will be online to comply
> with
> > rules. Max power and braking are well defined
> and
> > done so in part due to safety concerns.
>
> True. But in the past those locomotives would more
> often than not head to the shop for some TLC after
> coming in off a run. Today's plans have then
> frequently just turning right around and heading
> back out on an outbound train with zero mechanical
> attention provided to them, other than some
> contractor pumping some gallons of diesel into
> them. It only takes one look at a locomotive
> facility on a class 1 these days to see that the
> staffing levels there have been decimated when
> compared to years past. And that certainly can't
> be good for the locomotive fleet...

Yeah, that's a fact. Just keep beating them until they explode.