Today, 09:48 AM
Electro-magnetic diesel? Why would you magnetize an engine block? I'm sure it had some servos on it somewhere, but the SW1500 came with the D-32 generator, not an alternator.
EMD stood for Electro-Motive Division (of General Motors). Before the buyout (and for a few years after) it was EMC, the Electro-Motive Corporation, originally a maker of propulsion systems for gasoline-electric motorcars. They generally used Winton engines, which is how Alfred P. Sloan of GM became familiar with the company. None even had diesel power until after Kettering (the guy who invented the starter motor) created a two cycle diesel engine.
General Electric and Ingersoll-Rand built a real hybrid "oil-battery-electric" switcher in the 1920s because diesels only made 300 horses, which wasn't enough for the job. The batteries would recharge when it was sitting or coasting, and discharge to boost output when hauling a cut of cars. Some had third rail shoes to tap into the New York Central's 600 volt DC system under Grand Central, and were true three power locomotives. They weren't particularly popular because of complexity, and because battery explosions were more common then. They carried a lot more lead/acid batteries than any EMD ever did, which made the occasional explosion pretty spectacular.
The prime mover of NYC 1525 was between the cabs. Batteries filled up both ends, between the cabs and the pilot beams. Wow, like, that's a lot of acid, man.
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