JonMyrlennBailey
Well-known member
It is interesting to hear what they sound like. Playing with the GE EF4 units in Trainz on Avery-Drexel lately is what made me think of these. They sound like anything from a swarm of angry bees to a strong howling wind to a moaning grumpy bear to heavy rain water's rushing through a road culvert.
Those GE EF4's were ugly too. All those axles from stern to bow makes them look like some rolling caterpillar. The body was ugly on those too. Looks like a long steam iron. They could have built straight-electric engines to look like the GM/EMD car body diesel-electrics like an E9. I think an articulated truck with 2 or 3 axles on either end should work just fine for an electric loco. I don't know what is inside the massive body of an electric locomotive since the traction motors are in the trucks. A bunch of empty space? There is no internal combustion powerplant or generator as on diesel-electrics. No need for a fuel tank.
One day, America's roads, even Class I freight, will be electrified for good when fossil fuels are stopped altogether. One can use a third rail alongside the track, a power line running in a slot in the track center or a messy overhead catenary system. Why did streetcars in cities often use trolley poles for current pickup? Why was the pantograph preferred for electrified trains? Why could a trolley pole not work for the Milwaukee Road?
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I hope future electric locomotives for American roads have a much nicer styling with d/e style bogies. I think even existing d/e engines could be converted to run off electrified lines.
Those GE EF4's were ugly too. All those axles from stern to bow makes them look like some rolling caterpillar. The body was ugly on those too. Looks like a long steam iron. They could have built straight-electric engines to look like the GM/EMD car body diesel-electrics like an E9. I think an articulated truck with 2 or 3 axles on either end should work just fine for an electric loco. I don't know what is inside the massive body of an electric locomotive since the traction motors are in the trucks. A bunch of empty space? There is no internal combustion powerplant or generator as on diesel-electrics. No need for a fuel tank.
One day, America's roads, even Class I freight, will be electrified for good when fossil fuels are stopped altogether. One can use a third rail alongside the track, a power line running in a slot in the track center or a messy overhead catenary system. Why did streetcars in cities often use trolley poles for current pickup? Why was the pantograph preferred for electrified trains? Why could a trolley pole not work for the Milwaukee Road?
<iframe width="1020" height="574" src="
I hope future electric locomotives for American roads have a much nicer styling with d/e style bogies. I think even existing d/e engines could be converted to run off electrified lines.
