Something I'd like to know.

[LMS6202]

For years electric rail operators have wanted to have a reliable regenerative brake on their stock. Lines with OH power supply are easily solved but DC lines with rail contact have a problem. This, of course, is what to do with the regen over rail gaps. LTE tried regen for years with the Metadynes but again the rail gap problem came up. If all the shoes in a unit lost rail contact the regen dropped out and the air brake substituted after 3 seconds. This made for rough braking not to say "seesawing" of the whole train. Bus lines partially solved the problem but you can't run a bus line through an autocoupler. Now with modern stock and these fancy electronic control gears has the problem of loss of regen been solved WITHOUT having to dump the generated power in the resistances?

 

[royaloak]

The problem now is the substations, they tend to throw a wobbly if the electricity tries to flow the "wrong" way through the transformer, if there is a train in the same section powering then that will absorb it but if not, oops.

 

[LMS6202]

The problem now is the substations, they tend to throw a wobbly if the electricity tries to flow the "wrong" way through the transformer, if there is a train in the same section powering then that will absorb it but if not, oops.

Ah yes. This I remember. LTE tried a solution to this by having station lights and lifts etc supplied from the traction circuit in some areas. I think the Stanmore line, East London Line and some other outlying sections were so fitted.. When a train in those sections braked the station lights flared like Blackpool illuminations and when it left again a candle was brighter. At Wapping the lift was supplied thus until well after the war. If it was in motion when a train braked it would shoot up the shaft like a rocket. When a train drew traction current it was quicker to walk down the stairs.

 

[466.networkers]

Southeastern started to re-enable the regenerative brakes on the Networkers, but there were problems with the power going back to the 3rd rail, can't remember what exactly, but the program was caped until further notice.

Was a shame really, I liked the regen Networkers.