Preliminary analyzes in terms of the possibility of reducing energy consumption by the SM42 locomotive used in track works

Abstract

Track operations require specialized machinery and equipment. Among them, the SM42 locomotive is an indispensable vehicle. Locomotives of this type have a significantly different nature of work compared to locomotives used in passenger and freight traffic. A large percentage share of the work is engine running under idle and under low load. The nature of the load is, among other things, the cause of high fuel consumption. Such a situation calls for a number of necessary technical and organizational activities, leading, inter alia, to reducing energy consumption. The article provides preliminary operational analyzes aimed at identifying the potential for reduce energy consumption by the SM42 locomotive, supporting track works. As a result of reducing the locomotive’s downtime with running engine by half, fuel consumption was reduced by approximately 16%.