Diesel Electric Locomotive formula

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kevindeschamp
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What formulas do Diesel Electric Locomotive manufactures use when designing new Locomotives? Are there any good books on the subject? Locomotive meaning train engine. I want to understand freight engine designs not passenger.

Thank you,
Kevin
 
I worked for Electro-Motive for 20 years, the last ten in the Engine development Group. A locomotive is as complex as an airplane. Some of the separate design considerations are 1) power supply or engine; 2) transmission or power supply to the wheels; 3) platform design or the framework to support everything; 4) controls or how power is supplied to the transmission and slip control for the wheels; 5) cooling for the engine; 6) regenerative braking or using the electric motors as generators to supply power back to the grid while slowing down or to resistance grids on the locomotive.

Try visiting www.railroad.net which has a lot of information on locomotives, their design and considerations.