A new locomotive costs up to $2.3M with an average maintenance cost of $40k per year, a significant portion of which is associated with the ongoing lubrication of these heavy vehicles to maximize their power, efficiency, safety and service life. To combat friction, maintenance professionals apply a variety of lubricants including oil, grease and graphite used separately or in combination. Each type has certain advantages depending upon the nature of the parts, the speed of the mechanism, the pressure in which the parts are in contact, and the operating temperature range. Properly maintained, a new locomotive will deliver about 1 million freight miles, before being completely rebuilt and sold on the secondary market. At this rail maintenance yard, an EchoPod ultrasonic level transmitter is installed in each of their lubricant mixing and dispensing systems. The non-contact sensor was selected because it can be applied with all of their lubricants, while the integral relays actuate low level inventory and high level spill prevention alarms.