fugate@buckaroo.sw.mcc.com (Bryan Fugate) (06/04/90)
From: milano!fugate@buckaroo.sw.mcc.com (Bryan Fugate) In article <16082@cbnews.ATT.COM>, ap542@ztivax.siemens.com (Helmut Peisl) writes: > > This brings a question to my mind. > diesel fuel tends to sort of "clog up" below temperatures of around > -20C. How was this avoided, especially during the russian winter? > > Today you have additives, were they already known then? They did use some cold weather fuel additives but I am not familiar with what they were. During times of crisis when it was very cold, the standard procedure was to start the engine frequently (depending on the temp) and let it idle for a while, though this was wasteful of fuel. There were documented cases, believe it or not, where fires were built under the oil pans to warm them up! This reminds me of a story which some of you may have heard. Sometime after the Dec. 6 Russian counteroffensive around Moscow in 1941, many German units were virtually depleted of ammo and, of course, there was a severe shortage of adequate winter clothing. Also, by that time, partisans had caused many problems with the the rail lines and supplies were snarled up behind the front. At any rate, one train made it close to the front and it was mobbed by hungry, freezing troopers who were out of ammo and threatened by an attack. Knowing that the train was full of needed supplies imagine what they felt like when they broke open the boxcars and found them filled with French wines...a gift to the men at the front! The ultimate disappointment was that the cold had burst the bottles and all they had was glass-filled wine sickles...a true story.
wbrown@bevsun.bev.lbl.gov (Bill Brown) (06/06/90)
From: wbrown@bevsun.bev.lbl.gov (Bill Brown) Cc| My Dad was a Service Engineer for General Electric in the late 40's - early 50's, working mainly on deisel locomotives. At one time he dad to got to Ft. Eustice (sp?) Va. to put some new locomotives in service. As best as I recall, they were adjustable gauge ( maybe 1 meter to 6' or something like that) and were designed to be started when cold-soaked at -60 degrees F. The whole process started with an alcohol lamp, which was used to melt a bit of fuel oil. This oil was then burned to heat more oil, which was somehow circulated through the fuel tanks, around the storeage batteries, and through crankcase. Eventually, when the lube oil in the engine and enough fuel to start on weas warm enough, the engine was cranked. Seems like the whole proceedure took a couple of hours. I don't know where the locomotives eventually ended up, (as far as I can guess they were never used on 5' track where it gets VERY cold) but I suspect that a couple of them are at the Naval Weapons Station in Concord, CA. -bill wlbrown@lbl.gov No opinion - maybe not even facts. got warm enough