Do trains have fuel gauges in the cab?

[Ken H]

I think someone above has alluded to sludge in the fuel tank. but there is another, thing, diesel bug. This is a microbe that lives in diesel/water liquid/liquid interface, and quickly makes a slimy sludge. Its endemic in boat fuel tanks where the fuel is often left undisturbed for long periods. Makes a right mess of fuel filters. Could be an issue for units that have been unused for a while.

 

[jfowkes]

Thanks everyone! I knew the question would generate a bit of interesting chat.

 

[Wyrleybart]

At every diesel depot I’ve worked at, it was refill to the max. You never knew if it would stick to diagram and the power controllers always worked on the assumption that it had a full tank when leaving the depot.

If a loco or DMU ran out of fuel because it wasn’t filled up at it’s last depot visit, that, in BR days, was a Form 1 disciplinary for someone. It was a big no-no.

Sorry "CY" but we discovered in fairly recent times that a certain depot to the east of Edinburgh wasn't filling our trains to the max. I think we scraped through a couple of times but we discovered perhaps only certain individuals were only putting in what they considered enough for the diagram.

Not really very clever, or inspiring

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Remember reading several years ago about a rail tour which ran out of fuel, think it was a 33 somewhere in East Anglia. The operator arranged for a farmer to come out with a tank of red diesel, line possession taken and train refuelled.

 

[Watershed]

Is there just one bog-standard diesel fuel, or do some TOCs have a special blend?

Plain red diesel.

When trains are stabled overnight away from a depot, typically a set figure (say 75-100 miles) is taken off the fuel range to allow for starting up and idling.

 

[Clarence Yard]

One standard fuel - used to be 35 sec gas oil.