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I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know.

-Mark Twain-

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Milwaukee Road Matt

I read where the Dynamic Brake system turns the trucks into a generator and this puts resistance on the system. This resistance is what slows the train? It must generate a lot of energy. I heard you can actually hear the system when it"s working. I'm not sure if thats from the exhaust cowls or where the noise comes from.

Thanks for the info.

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I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know.

-Mark Twain-

On the older EMD's you can tell by the sound the units are using there dynamics, hearing a sting of SD40-2's coming out of the mountians in Washington is great

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Milwaukee Road Matt

You can indeed tell when a train is in dynamic brakes. It sounds somewhat like a low hum. And speaking of dynamic brakes, GE is currently developing a Hybrid version of its Evolution Series locomotive that takes the energy from dynamic braking and sends it to a large bank of batteries, instead of dissipating the energy into heat. That energy can be used later on by the crew, giving them as much as a 2000 HP boost when needed.

Hope this helps!

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Aaron B.
Elk River, MN

You would think that would require such a large battery that it's extra weight would negate the usefullness of any such system... it would be really cool if it actually works.

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Nick Benson | | |

the older engines the noise you hear when in Dynamic braking is the blower over the heat grids, the engine will raise in idle slightly to provide a field voltage for the trucks, and the momentum of the trian spins the wheels thus genarating electicity.

also all the older engines use DC motors on the trucks, or for that matter ALL the engines are DC motors EXEPT for some of the new Gevo's the ES44AC for example uses AC motors. the ES44DC still uses DC motors on the trucks. I am guessing the SD70Ace is also an AC engine.

480V Ac generators and then it is all converted down to 120V for th incab stuff, DC for the truck motors and the operating system, the contols the lights all that stuff is 74V DC i believe, I know it was 70 something.

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A BNSF fan by default.

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Aaron B.
Elk River, MN