Does anyone know if any of the locomotive manufacturers build a dual power locomotive, that can bypass the prime mover and take electric power directly from overhead wires, but run on diesel outside the area of electrification? The authority that operates commuter rail service in the area around Toronto is considering electrification, which seems to me makes sense when passing through built up areas in the city, but would seem to put an expensive limitation on expansion to the more remote parts of the area that they are planning to serve.
I know that the Long Island RR, Amtrak and Metro-North here in the NY City area use dual mode diesels built by GM and GE. These run either as diesel electric or straight electric locomotives, but using 3rd rail pick-up, not overhead catenary. I don’t know if GM or GE will still make them. I’m sure that Alstom or another secondary builder would make such a unit if someone requested one.
Bombardier received an order from NJT for a dual mode diesel-caternary loco but it will be some time before they are delivered.
Thanks for the replies. If Metrolinx does go ahead with its electrification plans, the availability of some new Bombardier equipment might be a big selling point.
FL9, anyone?
How about St. Louis Car Company 1929-----diesel electric, straight electric (catenary), battery-----used by Illinois Terminal Co. 3 power modes in 1 package!
Also consider NYC’s & DL&W’s tri-powers of the 1930’s; diesel, battery or straight electric (3rd rail on NYC, overhead on DL&W).
I think they used the FP7 locomotive.
EMD FL9 and GE’s P32AC-DM, which mostly replaced the FL9s in the 1990s for commuter service. Both these locos were/are ment for service in places that go through tunnels where diesel exhaust is forbidden, which is mainly in the northeast. IIRC, some FL9s were in service in Florida too. Don’t know of anyone outside the northeast who uses the P32AC-DM or other dual electric/diesel electric loco? I guess this is because the northeast has the most electrified rail in the nation, and tunnels in the midwest and west don’t have the same restrictions in the northeast.
Brookville locomotive offers dual mode operation (either 3rd rail or catenary) as an option on their CoGeneration line of Genset locomotives…another option is a hybrid battery storage system, sort of a modern version of the NYC tripower…
Actually NJ Transit and AMD (Montreal) have a combined order for dual mode locos built to operate either on Diesel or overhead CAT (voltages 11.5Kv 25Hz, 12.5Kv 60Hz, or 25Kv 60Hz) . These are now being built but as far as I know the initial one has not been released to go to the TTC at Pubelo, Co.
I would expect that the Bombardier Dual-Modes will test at Wegberg-Wildenrath test center in Germany (between the Ruhr and the border with the Netherlands) since they are being built at Kassel, Germany in the old Henschel plant.
Plug the small village of Wildenrath, Germany into your favorite mapping and aerial photograph website, to see Germany’s version of TTCI at Pueblo, CO. It is built on the site of a Cold War RAF airbase.
Technically, yes. In practice? They were really rotten electrics. They used the dynamic brake grids with multiple taps to act as accelerating resistors (like a straight DC MU car) and many stages of field shunting to get the locomotive to run at speed on only 600 VDC. The control equipment (many, many relays) was very finicky and usually didn’t work. Many, many FL9 powered trains I rode didn’t clear the platform in GCT before going to diesel.
Is there any info on them out there? Something like a general arrangement would be nice to see. How’d they shoehorn a transformer and diesel engine/generator, and their attendant cooling systems onto the same platform and still make weight?
You might have seen this presentation already Don, on page 12 there is a preliminary diagram showing internal and external layout. The transformer is in the usual place for modern European electric locomotives, hanging below the carbody, centered between the trucks.
Bombardier dual-mode presentation
Bombardier already has DEMUs running in France that can run on diesels, 1.5kV DC power, or 25kV AC power, all use 3-phase AC final drive.
Do you remember any detail on this? I do not recall any electric-powered service in Florida. Thanks,
Johnny
Negative. In the presentation that was posted above, it is stated on page 4 that one NJT unit will be sent to Pueblo for testing, while another NJT unit and AMT will be sent to their home rails for testing. NJT’s ALP-46s, which were built in the Kassel plant, were tested in Pueblo, not Germany.
Perfect. Thanks. Very interesting. Twin Cats.
LIRR operates dual power locomotives the dual mode locomotives are in the 500 series they look almost identical to the straight diesel locomotives in the 400 series.
Long way back to Kassel, Germany if some larger problem is discovered.