Today, diesel locomotives travel with might and main on the railways of Russia and the CIS countries. However, how many people know what this machine is? To deal with this issue, below will be a description of the locomotive and its characteristics.
The most powerful diesel locomotive in operation today and the most powerful models that were produced (or are being manufactured) in Russia will also be presented.
What is a locomotive?
The locomotive is an autonomous locomotive operating on an internal combustion engine. Diesel locomotives began to be used on the territory of the USSR in 1924 - then they came to replace obsolete steam locomotives. They also became "assistants" of electric locomotives, which could no longer cope with the fast-growing freight traffic and passenger traffic. In addition, the operation of electric locomotives required high costs for the electrification of the track.
By type of transmission, all diesel locomotives are divided into the following types:
- with power transmission;
- with hydraulic transmission;
- with mechanical transmission.
The characteristics of a locomotive usually depend on its purpose. Thus, in equipment designed for the transport of goods, traction force is in the first place. For models used to carry passengers, high speed is more important.
The most powerful locomotive in operation
The most powerful diesel locomotive in the world, which is still in operation today, is considered EMD DDA40X. It was built in the USA. It is considered not only the most powerful, but also the longest and heaviest model in the world.
This locomotive was produced from 1969 to 1971. During this time, only 57 pieces of equipment were produced. Today, only one model EMD DDA40X (No. 6936) continues its operation - it can be found on Union Pacific Railroad roads.
Locomotives of the series began to be produced due to the fact that in the 1950s Union Pacific Railroad began to massively remove steam locomotives from operation, since at that time the active introduction of diesel locomotives and electric locomotives began. The main objective of the company at that time was to obtain locomotives with the capacity of the best locomotives (at that time they were Big Boy locomotives). After 20 years, EMD was given an order to build single-section diesel locomotives with a capacity of at least 6300 liters. from.
The most powerful Russian diesel locomotives
It is also worth noting the most powerful domestic-made thermal locomotives:
- 4TE130 (four platforms 12,000 hp). The most powerful diesel locomotive of the USSR was, of course, intended for BAM (Baikal-Amur Railway). However, the machine did not correspond to the BAM features, because of which it was first disbanded into 2 trains, and later completely decommissioned for scrap.
- 2TE121 (two platforms, 8000 hp). 2TE121 is the most powerful diesel locomotive in Russia, which can be found today. He became the first where the power of one section exceeded 4000 liters. from. The models of the series are actively operated today, however, after the service life they are decommissioned, since they require expensive repairs.
- 2TE10L (two platforms, 6000 hp). Despite the fact that this diesel locomotive has less power, when compared with 2TE121, it nevertheless went into multi-series production. Its main difference is that, having the same dimensions and mass compared to its counterparts, it manages to pull the trains 1.5 times heavier.
- VL8 (one platform, 4200 hp). The locomotive VL8 was operated for almost half a century - from the 1950s to the 2000s. Its main advantage is that with its small mass of 180 tons (other models had a mass of 220 or more tons), it had a huge capacity of 4200 liters. from.
- TE3 (two platforms, 4000 hp). TE3 began to be produced in 1950, when steam trains were still actively driving along the roads of the USSR. Over the course of 20 years, it was this massive machine that gradually replaced steam equipment with heat.
Speed record
The fastest diesel locomotive in the world is the TEP80 model, which was produced on the territory of the USSR from 1988 to 1989. The collapse of the USSR greatly influenced the release of the series, in connection with which only 2 models were released. Despite this, the structural elements of TEP80 later began to be used for the design of new Russian compositions.
At TEP80, a four-stroke V-engine with a turbocharger capacity of 6000 liters was installed. from. It was he who allowed the car to accelerate to a record 271 km / h. This speed is considered the highest in the world among diesel locomotives. In addition, 271 km / h is a speed record on the railways of Russia and the CIS countries.
To accelerate this hardest locomotive to such a speed was able to engineer Alexander Mankevich October 5, 1993. Unfortunately, the TEP80 was not included in the Guinness Book of Records, and its speed is considered as declared by the manufacturer.