What are the advantages of the diesel electric train?

The diesel-electric locomotive offered many advantages over its steam-powered counterpart. It needed less maintenance, used less fuel and could be operated with a smaller crew. It also didn't require expensive support structures like roundhouses, coaling towers and water tanks.



People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

Diesels can still operate on electrified lines, they simply do not pull power from the overhead wires, instead burning diesel to generate power. There are no clearance problems for diesels to operate on electrified lines.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

The diesel-electric locomotive has a thermal efficiency (percent of useful work derived from a unit of fuel) of 20–25%. Since a gallon of fuel oil contains approximately 130,000 Btu of energy, only 20–25% of this would be available to produce work, that is, pull the train.

MORE DETAILS

Locomotives. Amtrak operates diesel, electric, and dual-mode (diesel or electric) locomotives.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Every battery locomotive that replaces a diesel will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3,000 tons per year, Wabtec estimates. But it is unlikely they can quickly replace diesel-powered trains.

MORE DETAILS

DC motors are used on trains is because of their high torque and good speed control. Compared to AC motors, DC motors can provide industry applications with a fine balance of strong starting torque and controllable speed for seamless yet precise performance.

MORE DETAILS

The Association of American Railroads claims 220000 km. Capital costs for electrifying something that large would be just a bit high, and with continuing subsidies for oil the cost savings simply aren't there. Additionally, the vast majority of the US rail network is privately owned and operated by dozens of railroads.

MORE DETAILS