J Wrote:
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> In the 1950's SP tested a Baldwin
> roadswitcher set up for dual fuel (AS 616?). The
> engine would be started with diesel fuel and when
> it reached operating temperature it was switched
> over to a heavier grade - perhaps bunker C. When
> shutting down, it was critical to first run the
> engine again on diesel to clear the fuel system
> and prevent solidification. While the experiment
> was successful and the stack reportedly showed
> less smoke when running on the heavy fuel,
> additional work would have been needed to
> eliminate the complex handling requirements and
> the dual fuel equipment was eventually removed and
> the engine returned to regular service.

The unit involved was the 5207, which was a DRS6-6-1500. The work was done at Sacramento and the testing was done on the Placerville branch in early 1960. Apparently John Kirkland was involved in the project. I've always been interested in exactly why this was done since SP already had a number of "dual-fuel" F7s, SD9s and GP9s in service, but nobody I've talked to remembers.