Diesel Locomotive Cable More Than Just For Trains

DLO Cable, or diesel locomotive cable, is a single conductor copper cable that can be used in more applications than simply diesel locomotive as the name would imply.  DLO cable can also be used to wire anything from railroad cars to oil drilling rigs. It can supply power for telecom applications and be used as conductor for storage batteries and all types of heavy machinery.   A key difference from DLO cable over other mining cords and welding cables is its conductors are tin coated copper. This provides additional protection making the cable resistant to corrosion.  In many instances, if additional corrosion resistance for copper conductors is needed for the project DLO can be substituted over a similar single conductor mining cord such as a Type W, which shares many of the same construction and ratings as DLO cable.  DLO cable is usually rated for 2000 volts and operating at a continuous conductor temperature of 90 degrees Celsius.

DLO locomotive cable is a very durable cable.  It is manufactured to be resistant to oils, acids and heat. In addition, it has excellent impact and abrasion resistance. Combining these factors along with a high strand count making the cable highly flexible, creates a very popular product used frequently in many types of mines and adaptable for many other applications.  Another highly popular usage is for home generators.  In fact, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, DLO was in short supply due to the incredible demand for installations of home generators in the northeast.

Diesel locomotive cable is MSHA (www.msha.gov) approved.  DLO cable should always have MSHA printed directly on the cable and if it doesn't, it shouldn't be trusted.  Another added benefit of DLO is that in sizes 1/0 and larger, DLO is CT (cable tray) rated.