Diesel Traction on Railways *

An analysis is made of the various items of locomotive operating costs and the degree to which each is influenced by the type of tractive unit selected, namely, steam or Diesel. The effect of the possibility of a higher “availability” or “serviceability” factor with Diesel locomotives is not likely to be as high as may be supposed. Specification and design details of the various components of a Diesel tractive unit are discussed and in the particular case of a locomotive designed to haul a load of 600 trailing tons at a maximum speed of 60 m.p.h., the main design data and performance curves are worked out with and without supercharging.

The author's general conclusion is that Diesel operating costs compared with steam become more and more favourable as the power output required from the tractive unit decreases, when the advantage of a self-propelled vehicle, such as a railcar, over a train hauled by a locomotive becomes more pronounced.