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These Trains Routinely Hit one Hundred Mph

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Gasoline, naphtha, and distillate engines had been tried in motorcars and small locomotives with restricted success. Most had mechanical drivetrains -- very like a truck -- which weren't well suited to railroad service. The overall Electric Company developed an electric transmission system that had the engine drive a generator. The resulting electricity could be simply managed and used to energy motors on the axles, like those fitted to electric streetcars. This system was utilized to gas-electric motorcars and, later, to small locomotives. GE constructed three unsuccessful diesel-electric locomotives in 1918, and in 1925 started to furnish electrical equipment for Alco diesel-electric switchers. These were reasonably successful and pointed the method to the manufacturing of a number of hundred diesel-electric switchers prior to 1940. Developing a diesel powerplant able to surviving the rigors of mainline service was one other matter, and it was here that the upstart manufacturer E...

These Trains Routinely Hit one Hundred Mph

Image
Gasoline, naphtha, and distillate engines had been tried in motorcars and small locomotives with limited success. Most had mechanical drivetrains -- much like a truck -- which weren't nicely suited to railroad service. The overall Electric Company developed an electric transmission system that had the engine drive a generator. The resulting electricity might be simply controlled and used to power motors on the axles, like these fitted to electric streetcars. This system was utilized to fuel-electric motorcars and, later, to small locomotives. GE built three unsuccessful diesel-electric locomotives in 1918, and in 1925 began to furnish electrical gear for Alco diesel-electric switchers. These had been moderately successful and pointed the strategy to the production of several hundred diesel-electric switchers previous to 1940. Developing a diesel powerplant capable of surviving the rigors of mainline service was another matter, and it was here that the upstart producer Electro-Motiv...