I’ve been reading a bit about green goat hybrid locomotives and I have always been curiouse about one thing. Could one of these engines potentialy be equiped with either a pantograph or third-rail shoes to charge it’s batteries in electrified territory? This would make them most usefull on the LIRR, Metro-North or Amtrak.
Tri-power locomotives of that type ran on NYC and DL&W in the 1930’s and 1940’s. I’m not positive but I believe that NJ Transit has requested proposals for a similar design.
Brookville mining equipment (which in addition to building it’s names-sake is also in the locomotive rebuilding and switcher/industrial loco new building business) is about to introduce a new 2000 HP genset type switcher/roadswitcher called the “CoGeneration”. This is to be modular and allow for any combination of diesel electric genset (small and palletized like the Railpower units and the new National Railway Equipment Nviromotive units being built for UP), storage batteries, and overhead catenary pantograph power. Iit will be offered in Electric/Battery,Diesel/Battery, or Diesel/ pantograph electric versions…
I’m not surprised that someone is finally making an offer, it’s just that there can sometimes be a large difference between the electric power directly used by the tracton motors and the electric power in the overhead and third rail. Converting this requires extra equipment, wich means a more expensive locomotive, but I’d think modern electronics could minimize the size of any additional equipment (also a factor after cost.)