Patent ID: 7827863

Claim:
A locomotive fuel tank sight glass, comprising; a) a sight glass back plate which couples to a locomotive fuel tank, wherein said sight glass back plate has a first aperture element having a location which allows an amount of fuel contained in said locomotive fuel tank to flow into said locomotive fuel tank sight glass, and wherein said sight glass back plate has a second aperture element which allows an amount of gas displaced by said fuel which flows into said locomotive fuel tank sight glass to flow into said locomotive fuel tank, whereby said amount of fuel which flows into said locomotive fuel tank sight glass establishes a fuel level in said locomotive fuel tank sight glass which indicates fuel level in said locomotive fuel tank; b) a sight glass front plate which joins to said sight glass back plate, wherein said sight glass front plate joined to said sight glass back plate establishes a conduit element of generally rectangular cross section between said first aperture element and said second aperture element; c) a sight glass coupled to said sight glass front plate which allows said fuel level to be viewed in said conduit element; d) a taper element coupled to said sight glass back plate which tapers toward said sight glass to establish a greater cross sectional area of the conduit element proximate said second aperture element and a lesser cross sectional area proximate said first aperture element; and e) a conduit access aperture element coupled to said fuel tank sight glass which establishes a passage between an external surface of said locomotive fuel tank sight glass and said conduit element, and wherein said conduit access aperture element has a configuration which allows access to said conduit element at a location above said fuel level in said locomotive fuel tank with a sight glass cleaner element configured to slidely engage said taper element to forcibly urge said sight glass cleaner element against said sight glass without disassembly of said locomotive fuel tank sight glass.