Bombardier Traxx diesel-electric

Is a diesel-electric the same thing as a "dual mode"? The article below from Bombardier's website does not give enough info.

You can find the article under the press release section of their website. I pasted the entire article here since you can't deep link on Bombardier's site.*

Bombardier Celebrates World Premiere – Diesel-electric Locomotive Completes TRAXX Family

Montréal, September 20, 2006

Today Bombardier Transportation is celebrating a high profile launch at InnoTrans, the world's largest rail transportation trade fair: the presentation of the first diesel-electric locomotive in the successful TRAXX family of products. By developing the new P 160 DE version, Bombardier has reached an unchallenged position among its competitors. With this ultra modern locomotive, the TRAXX platform is complete – the popular family of Bombadier locomotives with AC, DC and multi-system models in which 25 customers all over the world have put their trust.

Wolfgang Toelsner, Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Transportation, said: "This new diesel-electric locomotive makes us the only manufacturer on the world market to offer a complete family of locomotives. No matter which locomotive a customer may need in the future, we will be able to supply them with one from a uniform range of products."

Edmund Schlummer, President, Locomotives, Bombardier Transportation, added: "Our platform will create valuable synergies. With the use of many common components the manufacturing, maintenance and operating costs can be lowered. The savings of time and money provide our customers with a real advantage in a highly competitive market."

In 2005 the Lower Saxony local passenger transport company, LVNG, ordered a total of eleven TRAXX P160 DE locomotives. They will be delivered in late 2007 and go into service to pull Bombardier double-deck coaches. The leasing company CB Rail also has ordered ten TRAXX DE Locomotives – the F 140 version. Thus, there are now orders placed both for passenger and freight train operation.

Behind the TRAXX platform is the entire locomotive family with identical crash-proof locomotive bodies and machine compartment dimensions, brakes, bogies, traction motors, three-phase AC traction, push/pull bars, driver's cabs and driver's control desks as well as communication, diagnosis and train protection systems. The TRAXX DE, which only weighs 82 tons and produces 2.2 MW power, shares up to 75 per cent of common parts with the electric locomotives of the same platform. Bombardier has designed the TRAXX DE for freight and passenger transport. It is also equipped for the interoperable European train protection system ETCS.

Bombardier Transportation has its global headquarters in Berlin, Germany with a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of approximately 97,000 vehicles worldwide. The company offers the broadest product portfolio and is recognized as the leader in the global rail sector.

* Mod note: Yes you can. Try right-clicking the article and selecting "Properties", and you'll find the direct link.

No dual-mode; in this case, "Diesel-electric" just means a Diesel locomotive with electric drive like any Amercan diesel of these days, and like the European OBB Hercules diesel.

Diesel-electric is a standard diesel locomotive thats been running since what, the 30s? Diesel-electric means theres a diesel engine generating electricity to turn electric traction motors. A diesel-hydraulic locomotive would be where a mechanical connection from the engine to the axles would be present. A Budd RDC is an exaple of a diesel-hydraulic setup.

The article seems to be stating that this is Bombardier's first diesel electric they are selling. Before that all they have dealt with in their repertoire is trailer coaches, MUs and electric locomotives.

AntNJTrainset is correct. Diesel-electric simply means that the diesel engine acts as a generator running the electric motor. Take a look here…

DutchRailnut wrote:No dual-mode; in this case, "Diesel-electric" just means a Diesel locomotive with electric drive like any Amercan diesel of these days, and like the European OBB Hercules diesel.

What had me confused was the picture of it underneath wires and what looked like a pantograph extending from the top. Upon closer inspection the catenary behind the loco looks like a pantograph at first glance.

To get to the picture on Bombardier's website is difficult, with no deep link.

Click on "What's New" at the top of their homepage, then click on "Media Center," then click on "press releases," then click on "2006" for 2006 press releases, then scroll to the September 20 press release and click on it, then click on the link for the photo in the press release, then find the photo on page 2 of the gallery.

I hope their trains are not this difficult to operate…

Pic of BBD "Traxx" diesel locomotive

So I see it under wire, and I see wire hangers. But there does not seem to be any pans in the photo. That one wire hanger can be deceving.

It does look like a pan at first glance, and its even more convincing since it looks just like an ALP-46.

On the website at the beginning of the thread, I read that the single-phase alternating current is rectified to DC and inverted back to three-phase AC. I wonder what the issue would be with simply stepping down the single phase current from the wire and sending it directly to single phase motors. Does the increased smoothness of three-phase current factor in somewhere?

Interesting photo. Compare it to the Siemens Dispolok locos – remarkably similar in appearance.

35dtmrs92 wrote:On the website at the beginning of the thread, I read that the single-phase alternating current is rectified to DC and inverted back to three-phase AC. I wonder what the issue would be with simply stepping down the single phase current from the wire and sending it directly to single phase motors. Does the increased smoothness of three-phase current factor in somewhere?

The motor could run at only one speed in your scenario; the overhead power has to be transformed into a DC link to feed the inverters, so a variable frequency can be created to run the motors at any speed. Why not single phase? A single phase motor has hardly any starting torque, so a three-phase motor needs to be used.

That new locomotive looks like the chopped the pan off an DB BR101 and painted it yellow.

Perhaps this would be better answered if posted in the general discussion forum?

It's a DB 151, I believe; note the disc brake rotors are a part of the wheels, unlike the ALP46/DB101.

How?

The TRAXX-DE is heavily based on the class 185 electric locomotives, that´s why it looks like an electric locomotive withount a pantograph. They are making such as fuss about it, because DE never got of the ground in Germany.

Well, Bombardier was able to make these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_Class_B_82500

And the Russians have a dual-mode too.