To step away from the line into politics for a moment...
The idea was originally Tesla's to improve the efficiency of steam locamotives. Use the steam engine to charge the system at its most efficient operating level. Drive the train with more efficient electric motors. Far less loss of wasted energy idling at the station or bringing the furnaces up and down multiple times a day. One of his big dreams was to build an all electric ship. (The Philadelphia Experiment?) Now it's coming to pass.
-Will (Dragonfly)
Why would they ever have cooked up such a cockamamie system as that, some 70 years ago, and then kept using it?
I think that's it precisely. Diesel and gasoline engines have a narrow range for efficient operation. The torque curve isn't straight like an electric motor. Electric motors draw power when they use it, but combustion engines waste power when at idle and at low RPMs. By using a diesel engine to charge batteries, that engine can run at its most efficient state whether sitting at the dock or moving at idle speed in the channel. The electric motor then draws that power with a minimum loss to the system.They use diesel locomotives to control torque more precisely without the need for any complex gearing, not for improved efficiency or to reduce emissions.
The idea was originally Tesla's to improve the efficiency of steam locamotives. Use the steam engine to charge the system at its most efficient operating level. Drive the train with more efficient electric motors. Far less loss of wasted energy idling at the station or bringing the furnaces up and down multiple times a day. One of his big dreams was to build an all electric ship. (The Philadelphia Experiment?) Now it's coming to pass.
-Will (Dragonfly)