[Enthalpy]

Hello everybody, those in the cold and those in comfort!

As Ukraine's power grid is destroyed by the war, Germany plants to ship parts of Diesel locomotives to provide electricity.

My interpretation: the transformers stations are destroyed, more than power plants, but a generator can replace a transformer to make power locally, and this was available more quickly. Probably from Diesel locomotives with electric transmission. This was the preferred design in French railways, while Germany had more Diesel with hydraulic transmission. In other words, other countries could imitate Germany.

Some thoughts from me, and you're kindly invited to contribute.

Older Diesel can run with vegetable oil if needed. I did it with my Citroen Cx car. It needs

• An Diesel with a pre-chamber, vital. Should be the case of all old railway engines.
• The oil must not freeze. Canola oil is better.
• Some injector pumps (Reiheneinspitzpumpe) cope with 100% vegetable oil, even in Bavarian winter, others (Verteilereinspritzpumpe) with 30% vegetable oil and 70% Diesel oil.
• The old Diesel engines can run on kerosene too. I suppose this allows a higher proportion of vegetable oil in winter.

APU from discarded airliners make electricity too
  wikipedia
around 1MW each. Usually at 115/200V and 400Hz, but for instance present speed controllers for AC motors convert it to 50Hz and whatever desired voltage.

Engines have 1/3 efficiency, the rest is exhaust heat, which should be used in Ukraine's winter. It only needs to tinker an exhaust-to-air or exhaust-to-water heat exchanger and send the heat to houses and shelters. Recycle engine coolers from destroyed battletanks? Or just use the existing railway engine's cooler, possibly with a limited air throughput?