Hey Choo Choo guys

[Strychnine]

Back to the original post:

Random question: I was watching the CSX commercial where they crank the train and lights come on in a computer warehouse. It got me thinking, I keep hearing a train can move x tons y miles on 1 gallon of diesel. If you had that train hooked into a grid, how long could you power a house based on standard fuel load of the train?

Without getting into residential home loads, kilowatt-hours, stepping down voltage, frequency differences, switchgear, etc, I'll at least do this:


Cummins' largest locomotive engine is a 3500hp QSK78. It's fuel consumption rate at 1500 rpm (lowest measured point) is 0.341 lb/hp-hr.
Standard diesel density is roughly 7 lbs/gal
Friction hp loss on this engine is just under 10% of rated hp. Rated hp at 1500 rpm is 2901 so say 280 hp just to keep the engine spinning at 1500 with no other loads (this is linear logic which I don't think is the case in the real world, but just go with it for a minute)

0.341 [lb/hp-hr] * 280 [hp] = 95.48 [lb/hr] --> 95.48 [lb/hr] / 7 [lb/gal] = 13.64 gal / hr.

Google says a locomotive tank is in the 2200 gallon area. 2200 / 13.64 = 161 hours or somewhere around 6 days 17 hours running at 1500 rpm with basically zero load.



In the end it's much cheaper and more feasible to truck in a skid mounted diesel powered backup generator.

in January 1998, CN 3502 was lifted off the rails by crane in Boucherville QC and driven on roadway under its own power about 1000 feet to the city hall where it was used to produce power during the blackout caused by the ice storm. Locomotive cut grooves into the pavement with the flanges on its wheels; it suffered a damaged gear case in the process. CN 3508 also took to the road. See also 3555 which was similarly employed.

[03mustangdude]

Locomotive tanks are 6k gallons...

[turboskull1]

Locomotive tanks are 6k gallons...

Actually they are 5,000 gallons

[Hmbre97]

Actually, they are 4,812 gallons. FreightTrain keeps an emergency stash of 100's in sealed bags and it offsets some volume.

[Cannon88]

4,812.70

[turboskull1]

Nah, I'd imagine he pulls a few extra cars to keep his spending money in. All laughs aside Engineers/conductors make a pretty decent living, seems that they average 80-100 a year, it's not really what I'd like to do for a living, seems it'd be a lot like driving a truck, to each his own I guess.

[SMEGMA STENCH]

What does Dan Bishop drive these days?

Due to his ailing health, he can't really drive much anymore. Pretty much has to be driven anywhere he wants to go. We're considering moving him into an assisted living facility, unfortunately.