To lengthen the life of the engine, the combustion mechanism must be fully understood to maintain the ideal conditions for combustion. This can be achieved by using fuel of the quality recommended by the engine manufacturer and being careful not to add any foreign substances.
3.4 Air
The air filter must also be replaced periodically.
4 Freight Car Brake Equipment
I have heard that your country would like to upgrade the vacuum brakes used in some freight cars as brake equipment to ordinary pneumatic brakes. As I am not familiar with the state of freight cars in your country (e.g., maximum speed, braking distance, brake shoes), I would like to briefly describe the modem brake equipment of freight cars in Japan.
4.1 Electro-magnetic Brake
In modern container freight cars, there is a nine-spoked electric command line on the outside of the initial brake pipe and the brake pipe. Brake response has been improved through operation of the emergency, normal and release electro-magnetic valves of each freight car using electric commands from the locomotive. Trains comprising solely of freight cars currently have a maximum speed of 110 km/h.
It should be noted that a Ministry of Transport ordinance has set the braking distance of trains to within 600 m.
4.2 Brake Cylinders, Control Valves
In the past, a slide valve system was used for control valves to control brake cylinders and braking power. However, because of the difficulty in improving the quality of the rubber and sustaining the fitting technology of the valves for maintenance purposes and preventing malfunctions such as bad braking, the system is being integrated into a rubber plate valve system.
4.3 Loaded/Empty Switching
Loaded/empty switching valves are used on tank cars to adjust the braking effort when cars are loaded and empty, and load compensating valves have been installed in freight cars such as container cars where the bogie load fluctuates widely.
