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  • Engine starter on the MLW M420

  • Discussion of products from the American Locomotive Company. A web site with current Alco 251 information can be found here: Fairbanks-Morse/Alco 251.
Discussion of products from the American Locomotive Company. A web site with current Alco 251 information can be found here: Fairbanks-Morse/Alco 251.

Moderator: Alcoman

 #250122  by wis bang
 
lutherkb wrote:
N. Todd wrote:Some buses using Cummins L10 or M11 (I don't know jack about buses/trucks, just told by a friend) have air starters... they sound similar to Alcos'.
I think some of the New York City (MTA) buses have air starters. Not all of them but I distinictly hearing a loud whining/whirring sound before some of the busses would start.
Ingerson Rand used to make all the air motors used for starting. It's the best diesel starting system around for fleets that don't shut down much or have a weight penalty.

Alot of gasoline delivery trucks used to come w/ air starters as the tank full of air weighs less than the batteries it eliminated. Back when most trucks started on 24 volts you had the extra wiring and the series/paralell switch along w/ three out of 4 batteries and a large starter motor; all excess weight compared to the smaller & simpler air motor PLUS the air starter could function in places where an electrical discharge was not appreciated [like the flammable area around the loading rack back before vapor controls], etc. The Gas haulers were so payload hungry they removed the trailer landing gear and anything else to make the unit lighter.

The gas jockeys used to watch for un-suspecting people in the vecinity before starting up. It sounds like a large impact wrench, on steroids, running fast. Aloud metallic ZIP>>>>