Please forgive this tired old railfan for not being up on the new terminology, but what is the difference between a 'genset' and any other diesel-electric locomotive?
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A genset is designed to be an eco-friendly replacement for the traditional diesel switchers. The are designed with 2 to 3 (this unit having 2) small diesel engines that are designed to fire up only when needed. The units always have one operating engine, but when more power is needed a second or third then fire up. Each diesel engine makes 700hp, giving this particular unit an overall hp rating of 1400hp. The units description stands for Motive Power, 1400hp, B trucked unit. The gensets are becoming more and more common as switchers in areas where more eco-friendly power is desired.
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| Posted by BN-SF on October 1, 2013 | |
Gensets are not well liked by crews, mainly due to their weak pulling power and constant break downs.
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But does it burn less fuel during a shift than a traditional loco??
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The regional railroad system in my hometown got a pair of RailPower Gensets via a government grant, and they quickly discovered that they are best suited for branchline and yard switching duties. They tried them out on road trains several times, but that did not generate good results, from all the reports I got from friends on the railroad.
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I think that when a major player manufactures Gensets and goes the whole nine yards to design engines that work well when cold, and which can come on repeatedly without causing excess wear, then the concept will prove itself very well. Most of the Gensets I've seen have been made by small companies rebuilding old engines for a low price. I see problems written all over that. To compare to automobiles, Toyota created a whole new engine concept for their Prius line, so that the gas engine comes on seamlessly when the electric needs help, and it revs to full power instantly without cold starts being a problem. That's what it's going to take in a Genset builder.
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