Ted Stewart has been a mechanical systems engineer with CSX Transportation for nine years.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
“Engineers build, fix and create things. I am responsible for all the diesel engines. We have 3,600 locomotives, each with a diesel engine. I am responsible for fuel consumption, gas emissions and noise.”
TRUCKING ALONG
Ford Tractor’s engine design group in Detroit gave Stewart his first paycheck. From there he was the resident engineer for General Electric in its diesel engine production plant.
HOMETOWN
Stewart grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania.
EDUCATION
Degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State.
“I like working with machines. On the farm, I would play on the tractors and back hoes digging holes. Engineers in general are guys who like cars and tractors—making them go faster, adding more horsepower. It’s kind of neat.”
WHAT’S CHALLENGING ABOUT THE FIELD?
“The hours. It’s a tough juggling act between family and work. Railroads are fascinating and you become absorbed by it.”
HOW BIG IS THE FAMILY?
Stewart has been married to Michele for 24 years. They reside in Fruit Cove with their teenage sons Michael and Ted, Jr. Daughter Sarah is a resident student at UNF.
WHY HE’S SPECIAL
Stewart was awarded the John H. Chafee Environmental Award last month from the Association of American Railroads at the U.S. Capitol. (Chafee was a Rhode Island Senator who promoted the environmental advantages of rail transport.)
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Stewart and his team crafted an auxiliary power unit, a small diesel generator set that is quiet and fuel-efficient. Standard procedure is to keeping the 23-ton locomotives idling when they’re not in service so the lines don’t freeze up and the pistons don’t explode. The APU circulates oil and water to keep it warm so the locomotives don’t have to keep running. It could take from eight hours to eight days to rev up an idle locomotive.
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
“Every engineer’s dream is to have an idea and take it all the way to production. My part was getting the certification from the EPA. It required over $1 million in testing. There were obstacles along the way. There were those that said it won’t work or it’ll never happen. Sometimes you have to find a way around the obstacles. The toughest was the finance department. They kept cutting back the estimate of what we were going to save. We did some bootlegging but within the rules. When we got EPA approved, we won the battle.”
TINKERING AWAY
When he’s not fiddling with machines at work, Stewart is working on cars at home with his sons. He also enjoys the beach, reading short stories or a night out at The Tree Steak House. “Shrek” is his favorite movie.
WHO’S YOUR HERO?
“Thomas Edison. He was the greatest engineer of all. Engineering students today lack the ability to think and create. It’s not that they aren’t intelligent but engineering is more than formulas and plugging in numbers.”
—by Monica Chamness