[AT] Detroit Diesel was gas versus diesel trucks

Don don.bowen at earthlink.net
Mon Nov 21 06:17:31 PST 2016


I have heard many times that the Detroit Diesel was the best and fastest 
way to turn Diesel fuel into noise.  My father in law was a longtime 
truck driver and said the best way to drive a Detroit was to open the 
door, place your hand in the door jam, then slam the door.  That put you 
in a good mood to drive a Detroit.

I spent a little time in the mid 70 moving a worn out 318 up and down 
California mountains.  We called it the Flexible Flyer as you went up 
very slowly and very quickly down.

Twin 671s powered many a troop landing craft in WWII.  That was its 
primary design.  The later 53 series showed up in many pieces of farm 
and construction equipment.

A distant cousin worked a river boat around the Canton dam.  He took us 
for a ride then nosed the boat into the concrete wall and went gull 
power on those two 12V110NA Diesels.  Lots of noise and mud and debris 
boiling off the stern.  He said they do it every now and again to clear 
sediment out of the lock entrance.  The 110 also powered many Budd Rail 
Diesel Cars.

The related EMD locomotive 567 engines was of similar uniflow design 
with direct pump injectors and powered most of the Diesel locomotives in 
the US until emission controls killed the Two Stroke.  It also powered 
many LSTs in WWII.  The 567 grew up through 647 and 710 and as many as 
20 cylinders.

The EMD 567 was designed by Kettering Sr and his son designed the DD 71.

-- 
Don Bowen       --AD0NB--




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