The industrial revolution and the invention of the steam engine marked the beginning of the railway.
The first locomotives were powered by steam.
With the change of times and the development of new technologies.
New types of locomotives have been introduced and the operation of locomotives has improved considerably.
Today, we classify them according to their energy source and here are some of them:
Steam Locomotive
Produces its pulling force with a steam locomotive.
All steam locomotives are equipped with boilers that use coal, wood, or oil to heat the water and produce steam.
Steam powers alternating pistons, which in turn spin the wheels.
The first locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick in the United Kingdom.
His first race took place on February 21, 1804.
But, his success was uneven.
However, the initial innovations were on the right track and Trevithick continued to experiment.
The first commercial steam locomotive entered service in 1812. This type of locomotive was in common use until 1950, when it fell into disuse and other types took over.
Diesel Locomotive
It is powered by an internal combustion diesel engine.
The first diesel locomotive appeared in Switzerland in 1912.
It failed commercially and World War I interrupted other attempts.
Hermann Lemp, an electrical engineer at General Electric.
Invented a reliable DC electrical control system.
That enables electrical transmission of motor power to the wheels.
This turned out to be a success and the experiments continued in the United States.
Diesel locomotives were more convenient than steam locomotives, require less maintenance and are less polluting.
They are still used today.
A Slime or Drone Locomotive
It is a locomotive without engine along with a diesel-electric locomotive to.
Offers additional traction and braking ability.
This is done by means of traction motors that run on the main locomotive (the “mother”).
Electric Locomotive
It runs on electricity in two ways: by air or by a third lane.
The first was patented in 1890 by Jean Jacques Heilmann and became a reality in 1893.
This type of locomotive has higher efficiency and lower operating costs.
They are also much less polluting than steam and diesel locomotives.
The French TGV, which is electric.
Holds the world record for the fastest wheel train with a speed of 574.8 km / h.
Hybrid Locomotive
It uses an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (a battery).
In addition to an electrical power source and an electric motor.
Its battery is used for regenerative braking, where the kinetic energy of a train is converted into braking energy.
The first hybrid locomotives appeared in the early 20th century.
Diesel-Steam Hybrid Locomotive
It was an experimental locomotive that could be used to use boiler steam or diesel fuel in its piston engine.
The UK, Russia and Italy have worked separately on this type, but have withdrawn due to high fuel costs.
Electric Locomotive
A gas turbine is equipped with a gas turbine.
That drives an electric generator or an alternator.
In turn, it drives the traction motors.
The first was manufactured in 1920.
But this type was only commercialized in 1930 and was used until the oil crisis of 1973.
When it did not come into operation. They are rarely used today.
Fuel Cell Electric Locomotive (Hydrail)
It is a very recent type of locomotive. It works with hydrogen and transforms the chemical energy of hydrogen into mechanical energy.
The first took place in 2002 in Val-d’Or, Quebec.
Few places have this type of railways like Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
And, some also have GG20B Rail Power locomotives.
That originally run on diesel. But are converted to hydrogen.
Atomic-Electric Locomotive
It was an idea from the 1950s, when we did not understand the dangers of atomic energy.
It would have a 200-ton reactor chamber that would be coated with 1.5m of lead.