Happy Monday to All...

I'm wondering if the passenger car or p.v. savy folks can help me out on this one. Is there somewhere online (or in print) an assembling of acceptable practices for having propane generators installed under passenger cars. Size of tanks, restrictions, practices etc...

Also curious what everyone here might have to say. I'm interested in the nuances of propane fired equipment only (as opposed to diesel etc...). I'm completely ignorant in this department and would hope to correct that.

Thanks in advance

Dave Crosby

Dave,

An old business car I once owned had two propane-fired Waukeshaw engines on it, one for generating power (32 VDC) and one for the air conditioning.

There were several propane tanks (about 18" diam. x 48" tall) supported semi-laying down in substantial brackets under the car, on both sides. Each tank had a pressure-reducer on it.
There was an additional reducer for the kitchen appliances, but I do not recall if the engines required further reduction. The only modification to the otherwise gasoline-type engines was the carburetor. As there are many forklifts using propane these days, finding a suitable engine and propane equipment should not be difficult.

Jack

nnry3@mwpower.net

> Dave,

> An old business car I once owned had two
> propane-fired Waukeshaw engines on it, one
> for generating power (32 VDC) and one for
> the air conditioning.

> There were several propane tanks (about
> 18" diam. x 48" tall) supported
> semi-laying down in substantial brackets
> under the car, on both sides. Each tank had
> a pressure-reducer on it.
> There was an additional reducer for the
> kitchen appliances, but I do not recall if
> the engines required further reduction. The
> only modification to the otherwise
> gasoline-type engines was the carburetor. As
> there are many forklifts using propane these
> days, finding a suitable engine and propane
> equipment should not be difficult.

> Jack

Dave, Jack

I also have a business car with Waukeshaw propane engines. The supply tanks are heavy and must be removed in order to fill them at a propane dealer. The dealer will weigh the tank and pump in about 100 pounds of propane so reinstalling them is not for the weak. You might also be alert that some railroads do not allow propane in tunnels.

Hope this helps.

John

jwalker@tcinternet.net

Last time I looked, Amtrak didn't allow propane into the "New York Tunnels". That's a long-standing restriction. Also, not all propane tanks are suitable for rail service. I have a memory of there being some DOT restrictions, but I can't put my hand on any hard information right now.

> Last time I looked, Amtrak didn't allow
> propane into the "New York
> Tunnels". That's a long-standing
> restriction. Also, not all propane tanks are
> suitable for rail service. I have a memory
> of there being some DOT restrictions, but I
> can't put my hand on any hard information
> right now.

Dave,

If you can find an old copy of Section A, Part III of the AAR Recomended Standards and Practices Manual, it will give you their rules for installing propane. It has been out of print since 1984.

I did a new propane installation while General Car Foreman at Steamtown Fondation in the 80's, and followed those rules. Those genuine "Waukesha" bottles weigh 125# empty, and when filled weigh 225#.

Steve


szuidervee@aol.com

> I did a new propane installation while
> General Car Foreman at Steamtown Fondation
> in the 80's, and followed those rules. Those
> genuine "Waukesha" bottles weigh
> 125# empty, and when filled weigh 225#.

Before you get too far down this road, you may want to check if you can get your propane bottles filled. There have been some recent laws regarding a float in the bottle to prevent overfilling. I'm not sure the law would apply in your case but a quick check now could save some grief later.

Ed



ff1044@aol.com

Hello

I appreciate the info. Especially the tunnel bit, I had heard that one before somewhere. Just came up in conversation the other night and figured I'd get a little background.

Once again I've come to the right place.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

There is an outfit in the Los Angeles area that can retrofit the old Waukesha style propane tanks with the new style valves so they can be filled from a truck without having to remove them from the railroad car and take them to be weighed and filled off site. As I recall, they will sandblast, paint, update the fill valve, and re-certify the tanks for a very reasonable price. A great deal for those of us hard-core "got to keep the original system" types. I would think there would be similar outfits elsewhere that could do the same thing.

domeliner@hotmail.com

> There is an outfit in the Los Angeles area
> that can retrofit the old Waukesha style
> propane tanks with the new style valves so
> they can be filled from a truck without
> having to remove them from the railroad car
> and take them to be weighed and filled off
> site. As I recall, they will sandblast,
> paint, update the fill valve, and re-certify
> the tanks for a very reasonable price..."

Name of this outfit? We have several Waukesha-equipped S.P. cars, and modernizing & recertifying the propane tanks would be great.

Thanks!
Doug Debs
Golden Gate Railroad Museum


doug.debs@fcimg.com

Doug:

I'll do some digging and get you the information. It will take me about a week to come up with it. I'll post it here but also contact you off-line to make sure you get the info. I hope they are still doing this because it was around 3 years ago that I last had some bottles done.

domeliner@hotmail.com