OK guys, I am not up to speed yet on this newfangled 26 brake system, but I hear it is pretty good, almost as nice as 6ET.

Question: is Estrolene air oil compatable with the nonmetallic internal bits of the system? I have heard it eats rubber / synthetic stuff, and heard it works fine, would like to know for sure what is best used.

dave

On the "real" Georgetown Loop up to 2004 we used it with no problems.

During my time at GCR we had problems with estrolene and the rubber in the 26. Keeping on top of the oil separators and making sure they were working properly elininated most of the problems.

Robby

As did I when I worked there for Lindsey back in the '90's, but we didn't have any brake system newer than K14 and 6ET. Had something been modernized in brake systems between the time I left and you worked there, Skip?

Now trying to determine the most beneficial lubricant to use with 26 in combination with old plain and K triples on cars - two different generations of technology combined. There's a history of some triplevalve problems which could be partly due to the modern synthetic compressor lubricant for the 26 not working as well as Estrolene in the old bulletproof triples.

Is anybody else running this combination successfully?

dave

Dave,

26 air is notoriously known to be sensitive to having any contamination in the air system. Using 26 air with a steam compressor is always going to be tricky as we all know steam compressors are not "clean". The GCRy guys have installed extensive oil and moisture seperators on their engines to try and alleviate the problem, but, as was posted above, close attention must be paid to them to keep everything clean. While a nice characteristic of 26 air is it's "off the shelf" status, it is difficult to work on in an in house shop due to all the pistons and seals involved. This necessitates sending the brake components to an air shop for service, which can be inconvenient and expensive. 6 and 14 air is much more tolerant of contamination and is easily cleaned and serviced in house.
As for using 26 air with K triple valves, I've never done that but I would wonder if the pressure maintaining feature of the 26 system may cause unintended releases of the K brakes, especially on minimum sets. I don't know what you'd be able to do about that.

Good luck at the Loop. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from you.

Phil

I have tried both Anderol and Estrolene and both have caused swelling and deterioration of the gaskets in the number 6 brake. I don't know what it does to brake cups however I would suspect that these oils can not be good for them.

Someone makes a petroleum based carbonless air oil only I can not remember who. Anyone have any recommendations?

In my experience with Estrolene air oil there was some swelling and softening of rubber gaskets but this only occurred over a period of years before it was necessary to change out the gaskets. By then they're flat and needed replacing anyway. I don't remember having so much oil work through the air system that it got to the cylinder cups. Again, they usually wore out from service before any oil contamination got to them.
I've tried other air oils but none could hold up to the heat like Estrolene and not leave gummy deposits on everything. The best bet is probably to install a seperator and service it regularly.

Phil

I think Phil answered i pretty well. No, we hadn't modernized, but know we are using 26 here on GCR, and I hadn't heard of many problems. I would think the gaskets, etc., would hold up long enough for regular replacement when warn, though.

Skip

Recommendations on a separator then. I know that McMaster has an entire line of oil/water separators. Flow rate being the key factor here.

The petroleum based air oil you are probably thinking of is from Interlube in Cincinnati and they call it Carbonless Air Oil. I seem to remember a number 5 somewhere in their line, but don't remember if it was part of the air oil description.
We used it on the 1522 up until about 2000 and someone switched us over to Anderol. WE also used Interlube Steam Cylinder Oil and really like it also.
I'm not sure what the UP uses on their two engines, but it probably works well as it gets a good workout.

To be successful you will probably need a seperator system designed for railroad use. Try Graham White Sales, otherwise known as "Salem Line". I know they have oil/water seperators for railroad applications. Warning: it won't be cheap.

Wow! Thanks for all the fine practical information.

dave

We use carbonless air oil at the Huckleberry with good success. We also use Interlube steam oil and journalgard AYG. All good products at a good price.

Dave, if you need contact info get me a call.

Paul

Paul,
Is there a specific name or part number to the interlube carbonless air oil?

I do not belive there is any part number other than the name.

Here is the link to the railroad page. Lot of good products, although some may not be available anymore.

http://www.interlubecorporation.com/railroad.asp