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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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.
Electric locomotives usually cost 20% less than diesel locomotives, their maintenance costs are 25-35% lower, and cost up to 50% less to run. The chief disadvantage of electrification is the high cost for infrastructure: overhead lines or third rail, substations, and control systems.
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.
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?
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.
Overview of electrification in the U.S.The total electrified route length of these four railroads is 122 miles (196 km). While some freight trains run on parts of the electrified Northeast Corridor and on part of the adjacent Keystone Corridor, these freight trains use diesel locomotives for traction.
Loading of coal and water and incidental maintenance takes a steam locomotive about 1 hour. A diesel engine can be fueled from a pump in 10 minutes or so.
Trains measure in at 477 ton-miles per gallon of fuel, while for trucks it's only 145 ton-miles per gallon. [2,3] This is primarily because the rolling resistance of steel wheels on rails is less than that of rubber tires on the road. As a result, rail tends to be poorly suited for short trips.
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.
The majority of modern electrification systems take AC energy from a power grid that is delivered to a locomotive, and within the locomotive, transformed and rectified to a lower DC voltage in preparation for use by traction motors.