Without doing a lot of hunting on the DC vs AC power in locomotives ...
The majority of locomotives in service (and even being ordered) are still DC driven. Cost being a major reason.
Limited clarification about the following ... on a locomotive you have an engine turning a power supply (generator or alternator) and each axle has a motor.
Significant difference in pulling utilization... with a DC motor you can only operated it so long at max amperage before you start burning out components (I don't recall brushes/commutators?). So if you've got a heavy train on an uphill grade and drop below certain speeds you can't apply more power ... you can't crawl up a grade.
Because the A/C motors are built differently... you can crawl... forever with the throttle wide open without impacting the motors. So if you're the engineer and have a train that is underpowered it just takes longer to get that but you can with patience. On a DC unit you either take the train over the hill in two parts... or you wait on an additional locomotive. Fancier hardware though adds significantly to the price so most RR's have opted to manage their DC units better up to this point.
There's a couple of RR guys on here that can probably speak to it better... and some of the electrical guys can too.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - The Day Mom Drove the 8N - by Brian Browning. My Dad was wanting to put in a garden but couldn't operate the 8N and handle the old horse drawn plow he had found and rigged up to use with the tractor. Well, he decided to go get Mom out of the house and have her drive the tractor while he walked behind the plow. You got to understand that while my Mom is a hard worker who will always help whenever she can... she had never operated farm machinery before that day. Dad got her out there, explained how the clutch was the same as in our o
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Oliver 550 Diesel runs like a watch three point hitch pto engine gone threw about two hundred hours ago nice clean tractor
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
