by Paul
A much easier solution to the high fuel consumption is to do what SCRRA (Metrolink) does out here in California: shut down the engines and plug them into ground power and air during extended layover time. Also, on quite a few of U.P's newer locomotives (and retrofitted to olders units as well) is a"Smart Start" unit that monitors coolant temp, air pressure, and battery temperture and charge and it shuts down or restarts the engine automaticaly. A great system that works well. The problem with anti-freeze in a locomotive type engine is the rather extensive amounts of fittings, gaskets and seals on an engine such as a EMD 710 or GE 7FDL (Alco 251 too if you insist) anti-freeze will leak out where water will not. I belive the only mediumm speed diesel engine out there designed to handle anti-freeze is the Caterpillar 3600 series engine, but they are only used in a few locomotives that I know of (maybe four total?) and they are prone to crankshaft breakage in locomotive service.
Paul
"We are all here because we are not all there."
"We are all here because we are not all there."