A locomotive runs on six traction motors, one per axle, and they may not give much warning before they fail. Depending on the failure and the safety systems in place, a locomotive might keep running at reduced power, or it might get pulled from service the moment an alarm catches it. Either way, an unplanned…
Most short lines don’t carry a spare traction motor on the shelf. Equipment runs until it fails, and then the scramble begins. That’s the problem a traction motor exchange program solves: instead of waiting weeks for your own motor to come back rebuilt, you get a working unit right away while your damaged one goes…
Your overhead cranes and hoists run shift after shift under load. When something goes wrong, production stops and safety risk rises immediately, and if your compliance record is not current, that risk is on you. What OSHA Requires for Lifting Equipment OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.179 splits crane and hoist inspection into two types: self-inspections…
A traction motor failure is expensive twice: once when the motor comes out, and again every day that locomotive sits waiting for a repair. Most shortline maintenance officers know this. What they do not always have is a clear picture of why traction motors fail and what to do about it. This article covers both….
Most of the DC traction motors in service today are EMD-era units, originally manufactured in the 1950s through 1970s and rebuilt repeatedly since. They are quality equipment with decades of proven performance behind them, but they are not immune to failure. When one goes down, what happens next depends almost entirely on the preparation you…