Bill, I said "virtually" forever. ;-) I also wasn't talking about locomotives. The electric motors powering factory equipment 24/7 in a food processing company I once worked for were older than dirt and still running fine. Electric motors powering consumer vehicles will last virtually forever. Everything else in the car is going to fall apart and fail long before the motor, typically. -Ryan On 9/11/07, content22207 <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > In railroad locomotives electric motors (big traction motors that wrap > around the axles) do not last forever. They last a long time, barring > a short or other catastophe, but definitely not forever. > > Interestingly enough, in diesel electric locomotives the prime mover > generally outlasts the traction motors. Cylinder assemblies wear out > and need to be replaced, but unless the crankshaft breaks the block > itself goes on and on and on.... > > The company I now work for has many 1940's era locomotives in lease > service. None of them are still running their original traction > motors, but those with original prime movers have had nothing but > cylinder assemblies (and accessories such as fuel and water pumps) > replaced. > > Bill Robertson > #5939 > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:DMCForum-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:DMCForum-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/