Railfanning

[Blondihacks]

I didn't see a railfan thread in here anywhere, so here's one, I guess.

These old girls have been sitting on this siding for a few days and just wanted to share them with someone. You don't see 1970s era SD40-2s around much anymore and these two have seen some things. This is 6069 and 5766, for those keeping track. They spent most of their lives in Coquitlam and Manitoba, respectively, if the internet is to be believed.

CP parks a lot of track maintenance equipment around here, so I suspect that's what these are being used for. They are little 3000hp babies by today's standards and the old EMDs in there are probably tired and making half of that. Pulling ballast cars and rail around is honest work, though. There's a long line of empty rail carriers further down the siding which may be their next job.

 

[Doggggboy]

Never heard the term before.
Is it like trainspotting but with less heroin?

 

[Blondihacks]

Is it like trainspotting but with less heroin?

Trainspotting is the British term for the same activity, yah. Just general enjoyment of photography using trains as the subject matter. The railroad employees use the term Foamer, but, well, you know. Ahem

 

[phaxtris]

Winnipeg has some serious rail infrastructure if your ever in that neck of the woods, both cp and cn have major yards there, lots to see if that's your thing

 

[Jayham]

I had completely thought that railfanning was some sort of terminology for the mechanics of Diesel locomotives.

Not proud took me a moment do to the math.

rail fandom I get it now! Lol

 

[Mike R]

The EMD diesels tucked away inside those are something I'd like to make a working model of, just because it doesn't seem to have been done before.
They are a real marvel of engineering, and even thought they are old, they probably do still make near or all of the 3000hp they were rated for - the EMD is designed for maintenance, they can swap a complete "power unit" which is cylinder, piston, rod and head pretty easily and keep the engine in place. I found a good read on the development of that engine series here: https://utahrails.net/pdf/EMD_567_History_and_Development_1951.pdf

 

[6.5 Fan]

if the internet is to be believed.

Hmm, can one believe the internet? 20%? 30% 90%? There is a lot of stuff on the web and more loaded every day, a lot is very questionable. Just my opinion though.

 

[Art M]

If you’re in Winterpeg there’s a CN locomotive 9161 (built by General Motors in 1952) and 1911 Pullman passenger coach at the children’s museum at the forks, you can walk around inside the power unit. Very cool, spent a lot of time there when my son was little. I would like to see it again but need to find a kid to go with me or people would look at me weird.

 

[Chicken lights]

Not a great picture of the actual engine but 142 tons!! Holy moly

 

[Susquatch]

need to find a kid to go with me

I could wear a Halloween mask.....

 

[whydontu]

If you’re in Winterpeg there’s a CN locomotive 9161 (built by General Motors in 1952) and 1911 Pullman passenger coach at the children’s museum at the forks, you can walk around inside the power unit. Very cool, spent a lot of time there when my son was little. I would like to see it again but need to find a kid to go with me or people would look at me weird.

People look at me weird with or without a kid…

 

[Susquatch]

I didn't see a railfan thread in here anywhere, so here's one, I guess.

We lived beside a railway freight line for many years. You get so used to them passing by that you actually wake up when they DON'T go by on schedule.

One time, a long time ago, an engine broke down beside my house and they lost their coolant. They knocked on the door and asked if they could use my hose and water supply. I said sure, be my guest! And so they did. They also showed me around the engine. A few days later it was full, they returned my hose and even coiled it up neatly. I thought nothing of it till a fellow showed up a week later with a box of steaks. Not just a few steaks, A WHOLE BOX OF STEAKS. Holy Crap! Somehow, I could not equate the water with the steak, but perhaps, getting water some other way would have been very expensive. Regardless, they were obviously very grateful..... and so were we......

 

[skippyelwell]

I could wear a Halloween mask.....

Shave off the facial hair and you could go as the Friendly Giant.

 

[Blondihacks]

The EMD diesels tucked away inside those are something I'd like to make a working model of, just because it doesn't seem to have been done before.

It would be a super cool model. Scale model diesels are apparently very difficult. I was reading recently somewhere (was it here?) of someone trying to do it and finding that the injection pump at scale size is very very hard. They are built to incredibly close tolerances in the prototype and model engineers really can’t replicate it at scale. For example, the modern common rail systems make north of 25,000 psi in those pumps entirely with metal-on-metal seals and the engine doesn’t run if they are less than perfect. Of course there are older diesel designs that are easier to make. Apparently it can be made to work if you just accept a lot of blow by and waste in the pump (which is fine for a model, of course). But at least there does seem to be a set of good reasons why scale model diesels are nearly unheard of.

 

[Mike R]

It was discussed here a little bit, and on some of the other forums. Some have the opinion that the tolerances scale with the size and therefore it becomes near magic to have a proper injection pump that doesn't leak and doesn't bind. Me, I'm of the opinion that as long as the delivered fuel is controlled well, the leakage at the pump is irrelevant for a model engine. Hopefully in the next couple of years I'll be able to take a good crack at starting the build, the design / modelling in Fusion is slowly coming along (1/8 scale so as to be proper fit for 7-1/4" gauge locomotive)

 

[DPittman]

Shave off the facial hair and you could go as the Friendly Giant.

I probably could pass as that ugly rooster in a bag thing that is always hanging around him.

 

[Susquatch]

I was reading recently somewhere (was it here?) of someone trying to do it and finding that the injection pump at scale size is very very hard.

Yes, it was discussed here a bit. I'm not a small engine modeller, but I did design full scale engines for a part of my career. I think it can be done if you accept a bag full of compromises. But it's only a matter of time before model engines have to meet emission standards too. I say that with tongue in cheek, but if that did happen, it's over. The point being that oil consumption, fuel consumption, pump efficiency, emissions, durability, life expectancy, etc etc etc don't need to meet modern full-scale production engine standards, so it is probably easier to do than it might appear at first blush.

 

[phaxtris]

making a scale diesel, even something as large as a locomotive engine would be one heck of a feat, injections pumps are already quite small, and they dont seem to get much smaller with engine size, an inline pump capable of making 1000hp on a 6bt cummins is not much bigger than the inline pump on my 22hp 3 cylinder Kubota, all of the automotive common rail pumps i have seen are pretty similar in size as well, roughly about as large as a big alternator. 2l vw to 6.7 cummins all use the same common rail cp3 injection pump, so there is something to that.

IMO, a new, modern, common rail system would be easier to make work in scale, or at all, the pump only needs to provide pressure, all the timing and volume of injection events is controlled electronically by the injectors/ecu. Even using off the shelf injectors and pump it would be still quite the feat building the rest of the engine and having it run and survive at 18:1

 

[historicalarms]

Prob not many of us on this forum actually remember watching the old steamers on the tracks. Where I lived as a kid the grain elevator siding was 100 yrds from our house...I cant remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but I vividly remember watching those steam engines switching box cars on the siding.

 

[Chicken lights]

Prob not many of us on this forum actually remember watching the old steamers on the tracks. Where I lived as a kid the grain elevator siding was 100 yrds from our house...I cant remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but I vividly remember watching those steam engines switching box cars on the siding.

I think it was Calgary with Craig but the elevator operator had a 10' long pole to move rail cars around as needed, by hand

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's where the elevator was