From the maintenance facility at Union Pacific’s J.R. Davis rail yard in Roseville, experimental engines are being put to the test. Union Pacific engineers, electricians and mechanics — including the worker welding in the upper left of this image — pulled the engines out of 16-cylinder locomotives and replaced them with shrunken-down versions that allow for greater air filtration.

In partnership with the California Air Resources Board, more than $40 million was spent upgrading a series of 25 locomotives, 16 of which are located here in Roseville. Partially funded by Proposition 1B, the technology is the next step toward achieving new Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards.

Machinist Federal Inspector Jason Roth, who is also the chairman of his local machinist union, inspects a locomotive at the J.R. Davis rail yard in Roseville. Ninety five percent of all California train traffic passes through this yard, so there is plenty of work to keep the 1,500 mechanics, electricians and operators busy.

These modern engines can move 1 ton of cargo 500 miles on a single gallon of gas, but their mechanical components can take a beating. Brakes, for example, are changed every time an engine comes in for fuel — about every two weeks. After a million miles, the engines receive a complete overhaul.

Full Steam Ahead

Union Pacific’s J.R. Davis rail yard

Back SNAP Apr 30, 2013 By Christine Calvin

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