BNSF and MRL smoke it up at Mullan Tunnel

[@dapto234]

how long does it take for the smoke to clear....damn it must be bad deep inside the tunnel.

[@hansenfiet2539]

It was ten times worse than this before they shortened the tunnel length. MRL had to change the very expensive air filters on the helper engines every 1-2 weeks. They typically last 6 MONTHS anywhere else. This is a very expensive stretch of RR to run given crew and locomotive maintenance costs!

[@slowb4lls1]

Yea and I’m sure the dudes running the MRL helpers look like the Marlboro man and prolly no longer with us 😮

[@roberthope7787]

Great video, but doesn’t all that filthy exhaust end up being sucked into the engines of the following locomotives resulting in shutdowns? I’m glad to hear that the helper crews wear respirators.

[@railroad9000]

Looking at the face of the tunnel portal, this is probaby not the first smoky engine to pass through! Good video.

[@megansland8920]

they should put in a tunnel vent system for safety of rail crew and rail fans. Its not as long as cascade/ hoosac or even moffat tunnel but its dangerous amounts of soot. Way to let that disgusting stuff into the air too.

[@snydedon9636]

To Greta with love. 😍

[@guerrillarailfan3716]

😆😆😆

[@edp2260]

The age of steam lives on in Montana! No....wait....

[@NorthBay43]

Black smoke 💨 wow 😮 emd power

[@camsmith7651]

So why only the older locomotives belching out black exhaust.

[@lampitl]

You can see the mid-train SD70Ace helpers smoking (especially two rearward units), but once they clear the tunnel and get fresh cool air, thick exhaust smoke is all gone. Newer engines run much cleaner anyways. The one that smokes the most - second engine on the leading pack - is an SD70MAC, built around mid-90s. The primary reason for the smoke is lack of fresh air. As for the amount of black sooty smoke under different conditions, technology improves. It's much the same at my workplace - the older machines tend to smoke a lot more, whereas the newer ones with more precise fuel injection control and the newest ones having exhaust aftertreatment generate just about zero smoke. These are only 7-16 litre diesel engines, but it's not that much different on locomotive prime movers.

[@onetwothreeabc]

Why don't they electrify this portion of the railway?

[@docksidemarine4273]

Because thats silly. Then they would need electric locomotives and have to swap back to diesel ones for the rest of the railway. Makes no sense so thats why its done this way.

[@EveryoneIsFightingSomeBattle]

Probably not a good time to be riding in one of the DPUs.......

[@stephaneramirez3321]

Le moteur de la deuxièmes locomotive est en fin de vie

[@slowb4lls1]

Dang them thangs we’re rolling some coal while pulling coal bro Jesus

[@geonerd]

Maybe they should properly maintain their equipment???

[@JohnNyren65]

Cool video!!

[@ajdavis98775]

Glad they didn't come to a standstill in that tunnel

[@guerrillarailfan3716]

Especially the helper crew!

[@raystarky3896]

Yeah! I love it! GO CAT DIESELS!

[@gregoryquint7653]

That's a lot of coal to power the new electric cars

[@Wambleeman]

I sure hate to be riding nin the helppers or the engines,. I hope the the crews are wearing some type of mask with filters.

[@guerrillarailfan3716]

The helper crew wears scba respirators and masks. Not sure about the head end crew.

[@MrPummi88]

Definetly rolling coal 😅

[@thetazziedevil]

There ya go Greta 😂

[@j.m.youngquist419]

Looks like a sock MAC ! And I know how to fix it .

[@thetazziedevil]

There ya go Greta …….

[@dennisyoung4631]

Train-Soot!

[@kal-luisilva3532]

show vídeo Brasil São Paulo.

[@johnrauner2515]

So not only are we going to burn all that coal to put all that helpful carbon into the biosphere, we first put lots of unburned diesel soot into the air transporting it because MRL can't look after their equipment.

[@joemac3118]

All that coal is needed to power all the morons electric vehicles!!!

[@Deploracle]

The plants and trees in the area LOVE THE SMOKE AND EXHAUST. They cannot get enough of it.

[@Kurt1968]

Disgusting. FNBS should be fined for that poorly maintained engine.

[@guerrillarailfan3716]

Haha, check out around 6:20 after the MRL helpers have passed. The canyon fills up with so much smoke that you can't even see the train.

[@woods840]

@Kurt Nowak learn something about the internal combustion engine before making comments

[@Kurt1968]

@@woods840ok Champ. Thanks for that useless piece of criticism. Funny how the other units also having ICEs don't appear to be belching out smoke like that. Looks like a severe case of incomplete combustion to me. It either needs to be retired or repaired.

[@JamesU56]

@@Kurt1968 part of the reason is the second unit on the head end is a much older locomotive and not as advanced as current locomotives

[@hansenfiet2539]

It wasn’t “useless.” A diesel engine needs oxygen to burn the fuel. And there’s a serious lack of it in that tunnel that already had the head end locomotives filling it up with exhaust earlier. Fuel minus enough oxygen to burn it equals BLACK SMOKE! The age of the engine doesn’t mean shit when there’s no damn oxygen to mix with the fuel!