Equipment for turbine-electric locomotives

THE ELECTRIC transmission equipment used on the three turbine-electric locomotives placed in service in 1948 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company is similar in many respects to that used on diesel-electric locomotives of equal power. The differences are principally in the main generators and the control. These differences are due to 6,000 horsepower being supplied by a single prime mover and the difference in fundamental speed and torque performance of a steam turbine as compared to a diesel engine. A comparison of fundamental characteristics, Figure 1, shows that the turbine torque rises rapidly as speed decreases and that its horsepower is much more constant from full speed to “idling” speed. In the case of diesel-electric, considerable development of generator control devices has been necessary to prevent overloading.