How a Diesel-Electric Locomotive Works
Animagraffs0 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
7.8M views · explainer · evergreen · Uploaded 2022-12-14
A 3D-animated walkthrough of a heavy-haul diesel-electric freight locomotive, covering the frame, coupling, draft gear, engine and drive systems. Made in Blender by Animagraffs.
Cited in threads about physical controls and how diesel-electric locomotives actually work.
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3 comments from Hacker News
A diesel locomotive has my ideal user interface[1]. (a) For non critical operations, it has smart displays similar to an airplane cockpits. Physical function keys perform different things depending on the screen the smart display is presenting. (b) For critical operations, physical switches and levers are clearly labelled to show what they do,. I would say the best UI is one where you can talk someone through an emergency over the phone. e.g., "Mayday. Help. The locomotive engineer just passed out and I don't know how to stop this thing." "Are you sitting on the right seat? The operator's seat? Look to your left, you will see two blue levers marked throttle and dynamic braking etc." [1] [VIDEO] (skip to the 20 minute mark)
At least the diesel engine powers the electric motors at the wheels! How a Diesel-Electric Locomotive Works -- [VIDEO]
Fyi, virtually all diesel locamotives already employ regenerative braking. They just send the electricity to resistors, turning it into heat. The amount of energy is simply staggering. No battery tech can absorb the power fast enough. Its funny that this train is in australia. Only on a very flat run will braking be so slow that power can be stored efficiently. [VIDEO]