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Re: EMD 645 Engines - US Army Corps of Engineers Essayons
Author: S. Thomas
Date: 11-01-2011 - 17:42
The Montezuma Yardmaster Wrote:
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> Doesn't the government have some kind of "buy
> American" policy for engines? As a ship crewman,
> what did you like about the Fairbanks-Morse
> engines on your ship? What did you like about the
> old Detroit Diesels? What did you like about the
> Caterpillars? What did you like about the ALCos
> (251s)? What did you like about the MTUs? What
> didn't you like?
The government's "buy American" policy isn't black and white. In some instances, it only applies to certain items, like textiles. In other cases, it is a percentage of an item. For example, the CG's Dolphin helicopters are a French airframe, but when we bought them, we had to put American engines in them, even if the engines were underpowered junk. We would have had a better chopper with the French engines. Since then though, we have re-engined the Dolphins.
The ships we are building now are American built ships, built by Bollinger in Louisiana, they just happen to have MTU's.
The ship I was on with F-M's was an ice breaking tug on the Great Lakes. On the lakes, a vessels capability to break ice is measured by a "length to horsepower ratio". I don't remember the exact numbers, but your typical Lakes ore carrier might be somewhere around 1:3 or 1:4. If they we going straight in just plate ice, they would probably do OK. I think we were somewhere around 1:14. That little tug was a powerhouse! We we diesel-electric with two F-M's running a single electric motor. We could run the motor with either or both of the engines. If a 1000 footer had to make a turn, was in heavy ice, or otherwise needed pressure on the hull released, we could handle it. The biggest drawback to the F-M's, and this was a fleet wide problem, was that because we would only need max power for a small percentage of the time, we'd have carbon build up and the resulting stack fires.
The Detroits, if I recall, were just 8V-71's, nothing too big. You can't beat the purr of a Detroit Diesel. A CAT just sounds like someone is shaking a coffee can full of old bolts.
The ALCO's run fine. We have issues running them at low RPM's. Like the F-M's, if we do that, we have stack build up. If we are idling for a long time, we have to bring up the RPM's periodically to "blow out the stacks". Finding parts is a continuous challenge.
In general, ship engine rooms are pretty clean environments. So, yes, every ship I've been on has had chrome valve covers. The Engineers take a lot pride in their equipment, and I would be afraid to know how much of their personal money they have invested in their machinery.
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> Doesn't the government have some kind of "buy
> American" policy for engines? As a ship crewman,
> what did you like about the Fairbanks-Morse
> engines on your ship? What did you like about the
> old Detroit Diesels? What did you like about the
> Caterpillars? What did you like about the ALCos
> (251s)? What did you like about the MTUs? What
> didn't you like?
The government's "buy American" policy isn't black and white. In some instances, it only applies to certain items, like textiles. In other cases, it is a percentage of an item. For example, the CG's Dolphin helicopters are a French airframe, but when we bought them, we had to put American engines in them, even if the engines were underpowered junk. We would have had a better chopper with the French engines. Since then though, we have re-engined the Dolphins.
The ships we are building now are American built ships, built by Bollinger in Louisiana, they just happen to have MTU's.
The ship I was on with F-M's was an ice breaking tug on the Great Lakes. On the lakes, a vessels capability to break ice is measured by a "length to horsepower ratio". I don't remember the exact numbers, but your typical Lakes ore carrier might be somewhere around 1:3 or 1:4. If they we going straight in just plate ice, they would probably do OK. I think we were somewhere around 1:14. That little tug was a powerhouse! We we diesel-electric with two F-M's running a single electric motor. We could run the motor with either or both of the engines. If a 1000 footer had to make a turn, was in heavy ice, or otherwise needed pressure on the hull released, we could handle it. The biggest drawback to the F-M's, and this was a fleet wide problem, was that because we would only need max power for a small percentage of the time, we'd have carbon build up and the resulting stack fires.
The Detroits, if I recall, were just 8V-71's, nothing too big. You can't beat the purr of a Detroit Diesel. A CAT just sounds like someone is shaking a coffee can full of old bolts.
The ALCO's run fine. We have issues running them at low RPM's. Like the F-M's, if we do that, we have stack build up. If we are idling for a long time, we have to bring up the RPM's periodically to "blow out the stacks". Finding parts is a continuous challenge.
In general, ship engine rooms are pretty clean environments. So, yes, every ship I've been on has had chrome valve covers. The Engineers take a lot pride in their equipment, and I would be afraid to know how much of their personal money they have invested in their machinery.
