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.
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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.
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.
Usually 30 to 50 years but a diesel engine might be replaced by a more modern and efficient model after half that time. Likewise a locomotive's electronics can be upgraded, or adjustments to new signalling systems made.
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.
Disadvantages of electric traction include: high capital costs that may be uneconomic on lightly trafficked routes, a relative lack of flexibility (since electric trains need third rails or overhead wires), and a vulnerability to power interruptions.
Mechanical transmission is the simplest type; it is mainly used in very low-power switching locomotives and in low-power diesel railcars. Basically it is a clutch and gearbox similar to those used in automobiles. A hydraulic coupling, in some cases, is used in place of a friction clutch.
The life expectancy of diesel-electric and electric locomotives is expected to be similar—about 25 years. Both types of motive power are subject to technological obsolescence.
Electric locomotives are typically 20% less expensive than diesel locomotives. Maintenance costs can be 25 to 35 percent lower and operating costs can be up to 50%.
The Evolution Locomotive is the most advanced, fuel-efficient, and environmentally clean diesel locomotive in history. It is a hybrid diesel-electric locomotive that captures braking energy and stores it in batteries and allows railroads to move a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel.