Bill,

Thanks for your insight into lubrication. I am sure that there are many operators who don't have an expert on staff and just buy what is offered. It sounds like since most locomotives are very forgiving since they are not operated daily and most are not at extreme high temperatures and pressures.

Tom Gears

On the air side of things great strides have been made as far as how pure air can be made. Many modern compressed air systems can make breathing quality air even from a compressor like a wet rotary screw. Locomotives even have air dryers and filtration units onboard. With a little modification any compressed air system can be very clean and dry.

Tom Gears

The older brake valves seem to like a little lube to come down the train line with the air. The problem is that steam oils can gunk things up pretty badly and may have some interesting effects when combined with air oils. Might be worth cleaning the air from the res and then introducing specific air lube into the system, but simply using the best air oil from the pump on is easier.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

I have found it beneficial to dump a gallon of air system antifreeze, anti-corrosive, lubricant into the dismal for the winter, after draining the tanks. NAPA


lamontdc@adelphia.net

Bernie was (and may still be) recommending a synthetic lube for the air side that has the trade name Estrolene. Those that have tried it says it works very well, and that it takes far less of it to do the same amount of work than other oils. One caveat is that it should not be put into a pump or on an air brake system that has been run on older oils and has not been cleaned; it will dislodge all the old carbon and snot buildup in the system and might even attack the gaskets.

However, if you are starting out with a fresh pump and have just done the 2-year clean and test on the locomotive air brake equipment, it should work fine.

All of this does not in any way take the place of the absolute necessity of keeping main reservoirs and dirt collectors blown out and as dry as possible. In humid environments, this might be needed several times during a given work day. Failure to opne the drains on the main reservoirs and dirt collectors will eventually result in lot's of watery gunk going through the brake pipe and into the valves on the cars.