Diesel-Electric Locomotives

9 artifacts in this set

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The diesel-electric locomotive offered many advantages over its steam-powered counterpart. It needed less maintenance, used less fuel and could be operated with a smaller crew. It also didn't require expensive support structures like roundhouses, coaling towers and water tanks. After World War II, the "dieselization" of American railroads was rapid. Of the 21,000 new locomotives bought between 1945 and 1955, fully 95 percent were diesel-electric.

Detailed Description

Ingersoll-Rand Number 90 Diesel-Electric Locomotive, 1926

Diesel-electric locomotive

Diesel-electric locomotives, like this pioneering 1926 unit, were first used in switching operations. A diesel-electric locomotive is two machines in one: a diesel engine and an electrical generator. The diesel engine, or "prime mover," doesn’t move the locomotive itself. Instead, it turns the generator which produces electricity. That electricity is then fed to "traction motors" that turn the locomotive's wheels.