wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:
Electric trains work in parts of Europe because a long haul there
is what would be called just down the road in the US and for local
transit such as the Bay Area Bart system.

Absent the invention of Mr. Fusion, there isn't going to be any
electric powered trains between LA and Omaha or even El Paso.

Diesel-electric locomotives are the norm in the US. Some of those electric
engines are decades old, and going strong. Not the same, I know...but
perhaps indicative of what electric technology *can* do.

Diesel-electric locomotives run on diesel fuel, not electricity.

A big conventional diesel engine drives a conventional generator which
in turn powers electric motors.

Why don't they just drive the thing directly from the diesel engine?

The electric drive eliminates the need for a huge transmission.


Yes, and the other reason is that electric motors make maximum torque at
zero RPM which is pretty much opposite from a diesel engine. This is an
advantageous characteristic for a machine like a locomotive.

Matt