Western Australia
D49 hauled, what is believed to be, her first passenger train on April 24th 2005, when she was used on the 'Spirit of the West' luxury dinner train. This photo was taken in the Midland area of Perth.
© Jim Bisdee
| The basic operation of a Diesel - Electric locomotive as follows. The Diesel Engine converts linear mechanical energy created by the combustion of the diesel fuel which forces the piston down the chamber in a straight line, into rotational mechanical energy by means of a crankshaft. This crankshaft protrudes from the engine, this external part of the shaft has a Generator/Alternator fitted to it. When the engine is running these generators/alternators rotate and generate a voltage/current which is supplied through cabling into the Electrical control cubicle. The electrical control cubicle controls the amount of 'power' that is supplied to the traction motors, corresponding to the request made by the driver adjusting the power handle. It also controls the output of the generator/alternator by using field diverts [All will be explained later]. The controlled output from electrical cubicle is supplied to the traction motors, which rotate accordingly and the locomotive/train moves. The diagram below shows the basic principles to get the loco to move.  Once you have visited these pages, if you think you can add or correct any of the information on show, please use the links on the contact page to let us know. |