Turbine Electric Locomotives
After World War II, extensive research in combustion engineering aided the development of turbine-electric locomotives, in which either gas or steam turbines were used to drive generators powering electric motors.
A boiler was required to produce the steam in a steam turbine. In the gas turbine, gas was produced in a combustion chamber directly ahead of the turbine wheel. Either coal or oil may be used as fuel to produce steam or gas for turbine operation. Liquid propane gas has been used experimentally as fuel for gas turbines.
All of these types of turbine-powered locomotives have been judged to be uneconomical for general freight rail operations. Only the gas turbine, driving wheels through hydraulic transmission, has continued in service in the 1990s as the motive power in the form of a power car hauling a lightweight passenger train.
Similar Post You May Like
-
Advances in Rolling-stock Design
Today most American rolling stock is equipped with air brakes, which operate automatically if...
-
Passenger Cars and Service
The earliest passenger cars, about 5 m (about 15 ft) long and 2 m (7 ft) wide, were virtually stagecoaches with railroad wheels.
-
Railroad Generally Route
A railroad generally follows topographical contours, but in many places the contours are smoothed by excavations,...
-
Latin America
Approximately 75 percent of the railroads in Latin America are concentrated in Argentina, southern and eastern Brazil, and Mexico.
-
Railroad in Asia
Railroads are the chief mode of transportation in Asia, although the level of development is mixed. Some countries, such as Russia and Japan, have vast, sophisticated networks.
-
Indian Railways
From its first railway in 1853, the Indian Railways has grown to become Asia second largest (after China) and the worlds third largest state-owned railway system
-
South Africa Rail System
The Republic of South Africa has a well-developed rail system called Spoornet. Spoornet is a commercially run division of a state-owned company.
-
Rail Lines North Africa
Travel (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia): The nationalized rail systems of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia form a network of coast-hugging lines that extend short distances into the interior.
-
Railroads western Africa
A number of separate railroads serve western Africa, with the largest single system in Nigeria. Most of these lines consist of a main stem running inland from each countryes major port
-
East African Railways
East African Railways, a rail network that was jointly operated by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, broke up in 1977. Each country now administers its own system with varied success.
-
Railways Australia and New Zealand
The Australian national government has begun privatization of the national railways. The Australian railway industry continues to evolve from a number of separate state