Hey everyone. I'm Marc and I work as an electrician for the UP at the Burnham Locomotive Shop in Denver. I've been with the company a little over 2 years after transitioning from aviation maintenance in the Navy and as a civilian. I've worked on just about every locomotive the UP has from the old dogs like the GP38's and SD40's on up to the newest GEVO's, MAC90's (junk!) and the SD70ACe's. I'm not an avid model railroader, and I'm not as big into the rail fan scene as many of you are. But, I hope to pass on some first hand knowledge and debunk any myths that might come about. You can find me hanging out mostly in the Ready Track section. If you're wondering as to how I came up with the "one_wire" moniker, it's kind of a double entendre. A "One Wire" in the Navy was either a slang term for an Aviation Electrician's Mate, which I was for 7 years, or it could refer to a pilot with a record of hard and/or missed landings (referring to the number 1 wire on an aircraft carrier, that's the wire you DON'T want to hit!). Either way, it means we're sort of a goofy bunch, guys that may have had one too many jolts... Anyway, I digress. I'm looking forward to helping out anyway I can!
Hi One_Wire, Welcome on board. We rarely hear about locomotive electrical and electronic control systems, looking to your experiences.
one_wire, welcome from a conehead. Good to have another real railroader aboard. I'd like to know more about the electrical systems in the diseasels (steam fan) and how they compare to your aviation electrical experience. I'm one of those, too.
I've worked in many different railroad jobs the last 27 years but being a locomotive electrician is the one I'm most satisfied with. I started as an electricians helper for the Milwaukee road years ago. I started on FM engines. and lately been working SD90mac...Quite a contrast. Randy Stahl
Welcome aboard One_wire! most of us have had a jolt or two , I get one every .3 seconds .... keeps the heart going , i got zaped last year putting in a line outside for bird bath heater and thought my ICD was trying to tell me something ... yep , don't go near the water .....:teeth:
Haha we try to avoid getting bit as much as possible. The old salts say, "It's just 74 volts" but 74 volts still hurts! As far as the similarities with aircraft, it's pretty similar. Most of the wiring on a locomotive is the same gauge but the biggest difference I've found is there's no such thing as FOD prevention with locomotives. I guess finding a half dozen broken light bulbs in the oil sump is no big deal, until the sump can't drain... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
