Question:

Have you been on a trian engine/ diesel enigine that was started up?

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if so tell how many times

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  1. Yes, several times. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who worked on the railroad, so I got to go along in the engine a few times. The most amazing thing I saw was the incredible number of people who try to beat trains to crossings.


  2. Every day, I usually start one of them for the engineer.

  3. Do you mean when the deisel engine was started after being shut down or just when the locomotive started moving? As an engineer since the last ice age I have. If you are a bit more specific I can give you better details.

  4. No, but I have stood on the footplate of a working steam loco.  That was a good while ago.  It was probably a BB18 1/4.

    http://www.arhs-qld.org.au/photos/B18.ht...

    http://www.steamlocomotive.com/australia...

  5. Several times a day. Usually after it was improperly shut down by a hogger that doesn't understand what "auto-start" means.

  6. Yes.  

    Several thousand times.

    Got paid for doin' it, too.............

  7. Yes, probably 50 times.

    Starting one up is pretty earth-shaking!

    The most interesting was on an engine that had run the day before.  So we didn't bother spinning the engine with the compression relief valves loose.

    Anyway I push the start button, and we hear the mighty groan just like normal as the engine starts to crank over... and suddenly the whole locomotive lurches 10 degrees to the right.  We're practically knocked off our feet!

    Uh oh.  We start inspecting the engine,  and find nothing, so *sigh* we get a wrench and start taking out all the compression relief plugs.  (no CRVs like the GM locomotives have...)   Anyway, take the plug off #9 cylinder, and out gushes about a gallon of water!  

    The engine stopped abruptly because it hydraulic locked.  It was trying to compress water.   Seems the fuel injector liner (which are press-rolled on, like steam locomotive flues, stupid Alco 244s) was leaking engine coolant.  

    Well no long-term harm done, the engine ran fine until we sold it to a party so disinterested he allowed it to be burned

    http://www.railroadmichigan.com/gbw303e....

    (that had been a New York Central cigar band paint scheme:

    http://www.railroadmichigan.com/nyc8203s...

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