JD McGlone
Technical Education Committee Member
JCI Industries, Inc.
As EASA members, we have the technical skills, knowledge and support to do almost anything in the electromechanical repair industry. Rail work is no different.
Over the past several years, I have been involved with the short line railroad industry, completing repair work and field service. Most EASA members are likely aware of these opportunities, but some may not be.
As I started pursuing this type of repair, I was skeptical if I could handle the work since my service center was small. However, after a small learning curve and some minor adjustments in the service center, we were able to take on the challenge.
Although unique in design and application electrically and mechanically, these types of motors are the same as DC motors and AC induction motors that we already work on daily. Some of the OEM specifications will differ slightly. ANSI/EASA Standard AR100-2020 and the EASA Technical Manual will be in line with the OEM specifications most of the time.
The most abundant repair work will be traction motors. The make and model will vary with the make of locomotive. In saying this, I have mostly worked on GE-752 and EMD-D77/D78 models - all series-wound DC motors. You may come across some AC medium voltage traction motors in the 2300-volt range.
You may also have some opportunities to repair main generators. Somewhat different in shape to adapt to locomotive diesel engines, they work the same as conventional generators. These generators can be DC and AC combination, or AC rectified to DC. Along with the main generator, you will have auxiliary generators (small units for controls, lighting and battery charging). You may come across some cooling fan motors, which are usually three-phase 120 Hz AC or series-wound DC motors. This is all dependent on the output of the main generator. Included in the field service would be commutator resurfacing, removal and installing shunt fields and interpoles on some main generators and troubleshooting.
Anyone needing additional information may reach out to me at jmcglone@jciind.com.
ANSI/EASA AR100
More information on this topic can be found in ANSI/EASA AR100
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