Rebuild of 2 Stroke EMD Ship Engines

30k Hour overhaul of 12 and 16 cylinder 645F7-B Electromotive Diesel marine generators. The 12cyl has over 100k hours of operation. #antique #motor #old #ship #train #locomotive #diesel #rebuild

[@stephenp8086]

I was a tool & die maker at EMD in the early 1980s. EMD at that time had 12,000 employees on 3 shifts building 6 1/2 locomotives a day. 144 tool makers in the toolroom in plant #1. They had small fire engines and ambulances, think clown car size, that would race down the aisles of the plant to fires and emergencies. They built almost every part in house from raw materials at the 3 EMD plants. I think the 20 cylinder engine was their largest. No castings, every thing was weldments. It was a remarkable place to work. Being a tool maker allowed me to go every where I wanted in the plant.

[@FixAndForget]

Yes all welded construction! I've never spoken to someone who worked at EMD. Where all 3 plants in/around LaGrange? What became of them, I heard when CAT bought them the plant was moved. Thanks for watching!

[@stephenp8086]

@@FixAndForget Plants 1 and 2 were in La Grange park. Plant 3, where they did the weldments was in Chicago Heights I believe. Never was at plant 3. La Grange was chosen for the location of EMD's plant because limestone bedrock was only a few feet under the ground level. If you could see the size of the machinery you could see how this was a requirement. La Grange park was one of only 2 places in the US where bedrock was on or the near the ground level. Plant one was built in 1935. My dad started working there in 1948 and I worked on the stator motor assembly line in 1964. Went into the Air Force in 1965 for 4 years. Became a tool and die apprentice in 1970 and got a job in the toolroom at EMD in 1980. Thought I had it made for life. Most people stayed till retirement. They had great UAW benefits. All came to a end when interest rates went to 19-20% and the Pen Central went bankrupt and sold off their locomotives for cheap. A two and a half year back log for locomotives disappeared and I got laid off. EMD never recovered. I think they still make the engines at Plant 1 but only have 900 or so people now. There is a great book called On Time by Franklin. M Beck that has the history of EMD until 1948.

[@frfrpr]

EMD is awesome. Big thanks thanks to the creator of this video

[@FixAndForget]

Thank you! I have a few other EMD videos on my channel, check them out & thanks for watching!

[@localcrew]

Please post more videos of your rebuild project. I find it fascinating. I want to hear it run when you are done!

[@FixAndForget]

I will make another video of them running after rebuild. If you are in a hurry, check out my other videos to see these engines and some of their sisters running. Thanks for watching!

[@jesseayers7933]

Worked on one that we used as the main generator for the town of McMurdo Station Antarctica in 1979 .

[@FixAndForget]

Very cool, I believe they are all CATs there now. Thanks for watching!

[@warrenjones744]

EMD engines are amazing machines. Made to run and run and run......I have a friend who worked on them for years and he told me all about them. I have never been into one, Most of my engine experience is small to medium size Caterpillar stuff with a few Detroit Screemers thrown in now and again to keep my fingernails, clothing and tools black! After looking at your video I would love to be in on a rebuild of an EMD pretty straightforward from the looks of it. I like uncomplicated engines.

[@FixAndForget]

Thanks for watching. The overall design of these engines remains unchanged since the 1930s. They are still in production. Thanks for watching!

[@robertschemonia5617]

Man, I forget where I found it, but i read a short "book" on the development of the pistons for these. From the beginning to the last design, written by a group of the project engineers. It was actually pretty good, if you're into that type of read. There was pictures and diagrams and cutaways galore.

[@FixAndForget]

Absolutely! These engines run the new "eco-pack" sets. I believe they came out about 5 years ago but are still a 2 piece piston design. Thanks for watching!

[@robertschemonia5617]

@@FixAndForget I'll try to find a link to it. Found it! utahrails.net/pdf/EMD_567_History_and_Development_1951.pdf

[@ThePaulv12]

As someone has said it was Utah Rails. I read it from end to end too. It was fascinating.

[@robertschemonia5617]

@@ThePaulv12 well, I tried to add a link to the PDF in a comment, but I don't see it now.

[@FixAndForget]

Thank you sir!

[@BruceBoschek]

Yes, more! ❤ Thanks. 😊

[@FixAndForget]

Thanks Bruce! I'll have to make a quick video of the first startup after overhaul.

[@jam00723]

Very resilient engines. I work on a lot of 710G3 and 645’s on the railroad.

[@FixAndForget]

Always glad to hear the opinion from a railroad worker who works with them, we also respect their resiliency. Thanks for watching!

[@lowandslow3939]

I worked on ocean going tugs out of New York as 2nd engineer and they had EMD’s. 25 years later, I can still recognize a locomotive with EMD’s by their unique sound. Heartwarming. When I wasn’t chipping ice on deck, they sure kept me warm down, deep down, in the engine room!

[@FixAndForget]

Me too. You didn't happen to work for Bouchard, hopefully. Thanks for watching!

[@lowandslow3939]

@@FixAndForget Nope. I worked for Moran. I had another job waiting for me in St Maartin!

[@FixAndForget]

@@lowandslow3939 Excellent, the Moran rigs I would see come into Texas were always really nice. Loved the EMD power they had too.

[@frankherrick1892]

Did you know any of the Dowling family? Worked on Moran for generations.

[@lowandslow3939]

@@frankherrick1892 I don’t, but I went to high school with a kid with the last name of Dowling in Connecticut in the late 70’s. If memory serves me, he was a real stoner.

[@brianburns7211]

It’s really interesting that the general design of this engine was developed in the 1930s. It has been updated since. I’ve never done any wrenching on an EMD, but have run them extensively in locomotives, from 567 powered 1950s models, through to modern. I have been around during rebuilding of their cousins, Detroit 53 and 71 Series.

[@FixAndForget]

I agree, I've worked extensively on Winton/Cleveland engines which became EMD late/after WWII. There are direct resemblances between the two, in fact the newer EMDs became even more simple than their 1930s ancestors. Probably one of very few examples of that happening throughout engine design history. Thanks for watching!

[@elizabethwills6945]

Cool, thanks for sharing again!

[@FixAndForget]

Thanks for watching

[@hasanshgry6593]

Yes, more thanks 🤍⚓

[@FixAndForget]

Will do man thanks for watching!

[@wazza33racer]

that is how all engines should last..........30,000 hours minimum. Was the engine overhauled just on hours or oil samples?

[@FixAndForget]

Just on hours. The 12cyl had 35k hours on the last overhaul and was still fine, we try to do it every 30k just to avoid problems from worn power packs. Thanks for watching!

[@hopingforthebest1.9]

So of I'm understanding correctly, the spade rods run on the outside of the rod bearing of the fork?

[@FixAndForget]

Yes that is correct, all sharing the same crank journal. Thanks for watching!

[@terrywitt5543]

Are these 645s or 710s Cat now owns EMD thought that would be the end they bought it to get in the rail road Cat quit making truck engine s I used to weld and machine on these engines loved it

[@FixAndForget]

They are 645s running the new Eco-packs. 710s and the new 4 stroke engines are still being produced by Progress Rail (Cat). 645 parts are still in production as well. Thanks for watching!

[@proprietary1]

Used to work for a company that rebuilt those turbos

[@FixAndForget]

I've heard the earlier variants had weak points and were failure prone, we have consistently been getting 30k+ hours out of these now. Thanks for watching!

[@mikus4242]

Very interesting

[@FixAndForget]

Thanks for watching Mike!

[@mikus4242]

@@FixAndForget Please keep them coming.

[@UQRXD]

I rebuilt older ones with the root blowers.

[@FixAndForget]

I would prefer that over having to crane off the old turbo and have to deal with alignment. Thanks for watching!

[@spg3331]

fascinating

[@FixAndForget]

Thanks for watching!

[@ralfie8801]

If you have a damaged pee pipe (piston cooling pipe), cut the block that bolts to the bottom of the liner off the tube and then once you’ve removed the good pee pipe from the assembly you’re removing, you can bolt that old pee pipe block to the liner and hold the piston in the liner as you lift the power assembly out of the block. Then you don’t need that threaded piston tool. We don’t even have one of those piston lifters in our shop. TESCO makes those blocks also, they have captured bolts in them so they don’t get lost.

[@FixAndForget]

Wow never thought of that. I will definitely keep that in my "toolbox". Thanks for watching!

[@Mercmad]

I was going to say this too. I served my apprenticeship working on Locomotives ,mainly EMD's, most built in the early 1950's. ' One of the first things were told when starting out on EMD's was to never ever forget that rubber O ring, refered to as the life saver.

[@FixAndForget]

@@Mercmad If forgotten you would be back in there in a hurry. Thanks for watching!

[@veronicamartin295]

GM power

[@FixAndForget]

Gotta love it. Thanks for watching!

[@dadyo63]

How much feul do they burn ,cheers

[@FixAndForget]

Depends on the plant configuration and load. One 12cyl online just keeping the lights and house load up is about 2,500 gallons a day. Both the big 16s online working hard burns about 14,500 gallons a day. All 4 engines online working hard is considerably more but I don't have those numbers off hand. Thanks for watching!