With a fleet of more than 10 locomotives, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, GLC’s operations are focused on delivering best in class services, with a real focus on its customer and partner needs in Michigan.

Prior to 2022, GLC had been using a locomotive engine oil from a different vendor and up until that point had been experiencing issues with zinc contamination that occured during delivery of the zinc-free railroad engine oil.

With this previous vendor, the oil was delivered in totes needing to use electric pumps, which also led to pumping issues during colder months. This meant GLC staff had to take time out of their daily operations to help with delivery of the product. The maintenance team also detected the product degrading in the engines prematurely, which meant that more oil was required. Due to the vendor’s various supply issues, GLC was often left running out of oil with a significant impact on business operations.

GLC decided to review their options and proactively sought out a new vendor. GLC contacted Coyne Oil & Propane, a long-standing Michigan-based Authorized Distributor of Petro-Canada Lubricants, an HF Sinclair brand. Coyne presented a compelling offer, featuring fellow HF Sinclair brand Red Giant Oil’s (RGO) Generation 7 locomotive engine oil 20W-40, a multi-grade engine oil designed especially for heavy-duty locomotive engines, which GLC agreed to trial.

After the very first delivery, GLC selected Coyne Oil and the RGO 20W-40 product and vendor change was completed. The change came primarily because RGO offers dedicated delivery trucks for railroad engine oils, which is pumped directly into GLC’s bulk tank. This eliminated their contamination issues and the additional step of moving product from totes to bulk. Red Giant Oil delivered earlier than expected and the RGO product also hasn’t had any issues with colder temperatures.

Offering versatility, excellent wear protection, performance and thermal stability, the RGO 20W-40 G7 was the best option for GLC across their locomotives and operating conditions.

After a little over two years of using RGO 20W-40 G7 oils, GLC has seen a major change in its operations:.

Superior delivery and supply
Dedicated delivery trucks deliver direct from RGO’s blending plant to GLC’s bulk tanks, thereby removing concerns over contamination and time that was previously hampering GLC’s operations.

Reduced frequency for servicing
With their previous vendor, GLC was needing to bring in its locomotives almost daily to top off oil. Since switching to the RGO fluid, this servicing has reduced to once or twice a week. Additionally, older locomotives in the GLC fleet have been put back into service as concerns over contamination and frequent oil changes have been eliminated.

Increased technical expertise
Service response time and a personable technical support team has been a noticeable shift change for GLC since switching their oil provider. Support with monitoring, service and equipment needs has formed a partnership between GLC, RGO and Coyne Oil.

Longer oil life
GLC has seen first-hand the excellent performance of RGO 20W-40 G7 oils by pulling monthly oil samples and seeing for themselves the excellent condition of the oil, which has supported continued oil use. Previously, GLC was experiencing oil changes earlier than the OEM recommended oil drain interval. This has now been extended to the recommended OEM drain interval without any issues.

Cost savings
GLC has witnessed a reduction in time, money and equipment maintenance as a direct result of maintenance crew members being relieved from additional labor hours that were previously needed to support the delivery issues and oil top-ups. They have time to do extra maintenance and restore older equipment to get them back on the tracks.

Based on the fantastic service response and proven performance, the partnership between Coyne Oil, RGO and GLC continues to be successful and deliver results. This partnership has helped us to strengthen our transportation pathways to help support our customers. With a growing capacity and tank space for more oil, GLC is committed to continue driving the local economy and working with Coyne Oil, RGO and the wider HF Sinclair team for years to come.