How much horsepower does a diesel-electric train engine have?
The diesel engine may operate on the two-stroke or four-stroke cycle. Rated operating speeds vary from 350 to 2,000 revolutions per minute, and rated output may be from 10 to 4,000 horsepower.
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Power plant capacity is far greater than any individual locomotive uses, so electric locomotives can have a higher power output than diesel locomotives and they can produce even higher short-term surge power for fast acceleration.
Although commonly called diesels, the locomotives actually are electrically driven. The diesel engine drives an alternator, which produces electricity to run electric motors mounted on the locomotive's axles.
The train travels at 40 mph. In one hour, it will travel 40 miles and consume 310 gallons of diesel fuel between the three locomotives, or 7.75 gallons for every mile. That's about 0.13 miles per gallon, hardly 400 miles per gallon.
Some locomotives collect electricity from overhead cables, while others take power from a third “live” rail on the track. It is very expensive to build the lines or rails that carry the electric current, but electric locomotives are cleaner, quieter, faster, and more reliable than steam or diesel engines.
Rather, the term is more specific: A freight train can move one ton of weight about 450 miles on a single gallon of gas. To match this mileage, a one-ton car would have to get 450 mpg, and a two-ton vehicle would have to get 225 mpg. To car owners, this seems unbelievable. How can railroads do it?
In the US, yes you can buy a train. Where you store it would be up to you. Most private trains are either stored on private tracks owned by their owners, or they rent some storage on someone else's tracks. If you want to buy a new train, you would talk to the train manufacturers; or you can buy a used train.
General Electric Co. is the world's largest builder of diesel-electric locomotives. Its products are used by numerous railroads to haul freight and passengers. Thousands of GE machines are in operation every day throughout the world.