Superb and fairly recent 3D animation on this topic. DTG Alex You might want to move this thread to the "Getting Started" section for further reference. I can´t post there.
Nice vid. Diesel electrics are basically a giant generator on wheels. I remember reading about a town in Canada that had a power cut after a storm. They lifted the loco of the tracks and drove it down the street under its own power, hooked it upto city Hall for power to provide a shelter for the local residents!
I think this best fits into Off-Topic, as Getting Started refers more to playing the game and this is quite technical - very interesting though
Sure, it´s your decision. I could have placed it here, just didn´t think of it as "off topic". But then again, even most of the off topics on this board are about trains. We are some true hardcore nerds, I guess ...
Interesting story! And makes all sense. Those locos are "hybrids" for 100 years already, loooong before the Hybrid Hype started in the automotive industries. In the category of normal usage deviations: Below you see some BR 232 being used as ballast weight to stabilize the bridges during the Dresden floods. Pics are from 2002 and 2013.
In the automotive industry a hybrid can run on diesel/petrol or electric or both. Most locomotives on the other hand use the diesel engine to generate electricity to power the motors. Shut down the diesel engine in a locomotive and it's effectively dead, no power. The br class 73 is a example of a true hybrid, it can run on diesel or where third rail is present you can shut down the diesel engine and run on electricity only.
Also, there is a new type of hybrid diesel locomotive which is third rail diesel and battery think of the new Deutsche Bahn CRRC Volksrepublik (People's Republic of) China DB Baureihe 1004 (source is in the German language) and 2024 builds too.
My introduction to this was the Ladybird How It Works book. It was crystal clear and I'd recommend it to anyone.
