Electric Freight

[Hydro]

Even with kick boards 3rd rail would be of no use...way to risky for the types of activity that goes on in those sorts of yards.

I agree. I've seen the operations at Millbrook and Maritime and it's just impractical to have conductor rails within the terminals.

 

[HSTEd]

So what we need are OHLE powerable Class 73s?
Lots of them.

 

[Hydro]

Then you get right into the realms of design issues. An all-voltage electro diesel would be massive, complicated and unwieldy if it was to have useful power output on all modes. Think a 92 permanently coupled to a 66 for size, and then start thinking about how you'd control it all and distribute the electrical power to the traction motors.

The 73 is a wonderful little machine, but it's design trade offs are very noticeable, in terms of power output. On diesel it's not much more than a big old shunter.

 

[jopsuk]

If we are using Class 92s or a successor there is no need for wires, the loading line would just have third rail

The cranes used are often "driveable" ones- the large straddle ones for example, that need to be able to cross the tracks easily. 3rd rail precludes that. self-powered locos/shunters is really only practical way.

 

[HSTEd]

Then you get right into the realms of design issues. An all-voltage electro diesel would be massive, complicated and unwieldy if it was to have useful power output on all modes. Think a 92 permanently coupled to a 66 for size, and then start thinking about how you'd control it all and distribute the electrical power to the traction motors.

The 73 is a wonderful little machine, but it's design trade offs are very noticeable, in terms of power output. On diesel it's not much more than a big old shunter.

Well this baby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_DM30AC doesnt seem to be that big, it doesn't seem to be much heavier than other typical American diesel locomotives. It is however only third rail but the question has to be: how much does the transformer equipment actually weigh?

Either way, Isn't a big ol' shunter you actually need in an intermodal yard?

EDIT: it now appears the DM30AC is actually a Bo-Bo, which says something about the insane axle loads allowed in the US.
We really need the standard used to calculate Route Availability before we can actually work anything out though

EDIT #2: The ALP-45DP seems promising, ~5500hp on electric power and somewhere in the region of 3500hp on diesel power, the question becomes whether or not it can be built on six axles without massively increasing the weight to the point where it cant fit in RA7. Judging by the weight of the Powerhaul this would appear to be simply a design issue.
It would also appear to have its electrical system designed to manage all 5500hp on at 12kV @ 25Hz, this will more than double the weight of the transformer, which is quite challenging, it would probably be possible to build it to have (atleast diesel-equivalent) third rail capacity on the weight budget once this unneccesary fat was "trimmed off"

 

[stanley T]

Classes 66 and 67 use a medium speed two stroke EMD engine - with poor power/weight ratio, but reliable and easy to maintain. Class 43s have high speed engines, never favoured for freight use in the past.

Don't see how you can get the weight of an electrodiesel with a substantial diesel engine down to that of a class 126 unless you have a high speed engine, or an artic Bo-Bo +Bo-Bo formation, pretty expensive.

 

[HSTEd]

Classes 66 and 67 use a medium speed two stroke EMD engine - with poor power/weight ratio, but reliable and easy to maintain. Class 43s have high speed engines, never favoured for freight use in the past.

Don't see how you can get the weight of an electrodiesel with a substantial diesel engine down to that of a class 126 unless you have a high speed engine, or an artic Bo-Bo +Bo-Bo formation, pretty expensive.

And yet the Class 67 has a power to weight ratio at the engine of 35.6hp/t with teh Class 66s engine, which is I believe greater than a HST power car.

I am well aware of EMD's fondness for two stroke diesel engines, but the power to weight differences have largely be erased in an operational sense by the advances in technology elsewhere.