If you're looking for ways to reduce the bottom line on repairs and replacement parts for your rolling stock, here's good news.  

Rolling stock can be expensive to maintain and keep performing at its peak, but the question of how to reduce maintenance costs is generally not even considered until the equipment breaks down.

The answer to this expensive problem is often simply an inexpensive regular maintenance program. The cheapest parts you can buy are clean air, clean fuel, clean oil and grease. The concept of "if it will start, run it", or "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", is far from being the wise or economical approach. Here's a look at what can happen without a good preventive maintenance program.

Dirty air inside a motor is caused by two situations. The first is a dirty or "blanked over" air filtration system, resulting in loss of engine power and excessive fuel consumption. It also causes excessive wear on valves, leading to poor compression and combustion, and on piston rings, resulting in poor combustion, lower horsepower generation and excessive motor oil consumption. The turbo and/or blower are also affected, leading to lost fuel efficiency, lost horsepower from the engine and premature seal and fin failure.

The second situation is an air filtration system with a hole in the paper filters, or any filtration seals or gaskets, that allows outside air to enter the motor without being filtered. It causes even more dramatic damage, with excessive increases in wear on valves, pistons and turbo and/or blowers.

Dirty air will destroy the top side of your rolling stock's motor, acting like little bits of sandpaper going through that portion of the engine and taking a toll on every part it comes in contact with. The dirtier the environment your rolling stock is required to work in, the more aggressive your preventive maintenance program should be to counteract it.