Traction motors and locos

[Jones]

Does each loco driving end only control the bogie under it or are the motors spread out on both bogies?

If it's the first then the other bogie's motors would be running in reverse and therefore creating power ...yes?

If it's the second then some motors are in forwand motion and some in reverse?

Am I anywhere near the correct answer?

 

[scotraildriver]

It doesn't matter which cab you are in. The engine drives the generator which supplies the power to all the traction motors all the time. They all go the same way.

 

[Domh245]

Motors don't strictly have a forward a backward direction, they spin whichever way the current is passed through it, so when the train is under power, the motors will work in tandem to move the train in the direction of travel, but when braking (on more modern locos at least) the motors will help to slow the train down by acting as generators.

 

[edwin_m]

The controls in the front cab will control all the traction motors in a loco and the control system will ensure they are all running in the same direction. In fact most locos have the facility for "multiple working", where two or more locos are connected by "jumper cables" which allow the front cab to control all the motors in all the locos. The same applies to multiple units.

 

[Smudger105e]

most locos have the facility for "multiple working", where two or more locos are connected by "jumper cables" which allow the front cab to control all the motors in all the locos.

One thing that has to be remembered about jumper cables is that they have to be 'crossed'. For example 7&8 wires (forward and reverse) had to be crossed on 27 way jumper fitted EMU stock because what is forward from one cab would be reverse from a cab facing the other way.

 

[Jones]

Thank you all for the replies.