How many miles to the gallon does a standard Union Pacific diesel locomotive use?
by 
Egao No Genki
ANSWERS: 2
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It is difficult to establish fuel consumption used by a "standard" locomotive because of the varied service environments they are used in and the manner in which they are operated. Fueld consumption is affected by the number of cars hauled, the speed of the train, how much the speed varies, how the dynamic braking system is used, the grades encountered on a route, and a host of other factors. For specific data, individual locomotives are instrumented and the fuel consumption either measured directly or calculated from performance data. The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) provides fuel consumption data at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2002/html/table_04_17_m.html . This table shows that the average number of kilometres travelled per litre of fuel consumed in the US as a whole was 0.06 per train or 3.97 per car. This is equivalent to 0.14 miles per US gallon for a train and 9.33 miles per US gallon for a car.
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Miles per gallon is dependant on train tonnage and grade. 2 - 3 Gallons per mile is generally accepted value for normal conditions and train tonnage. More accurate fuel consumption is based on the locomotive diesel engine speed (rpm not mph). 4gph for idle, 180 - 200 gph for Run 8 (max throttle position) for most modern locomotives. Throttle position has nothing to do with speed. You may be in Run 8 at 15 mph or 70 mph. Run 8 only increases the locomotive engine speed and consequently main generator speed in order to keep up with traction motor power demand.
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