Slug (railroad)

A Traction truck, also called Slug, is an occasionally popular with U.S. railway company vehicle for the operation of trains. It is basically a very simplified locomotive or tractor which only consists of a chassis with driven wheels and electric traction motors and traction couplings at the ends. Somewhat less weights to the vehicle frame are placed to increase due to high friction weight traction.

In contrast to the regular locomotive with a driving cab ("A -unit " ) or however one only führerstand loose "B - unit" tractor is missing the Traction Truck of the primary energy converter in the form of about a diesel engine with a coupled generator. The electrical power for the truck driving motors is obtained from the always biased, as "Mother" designated normal diesel-electric locomotive operated via cable connection.

It makes sense to use such Traction trucks when at low speed high tensile forces are required, since in this case ( because of the risk of wheel spin or the " spin " ) is not the full primary energy performance of "Mother" locomotive alone to action can be brought.

At the beginning of the railway electrification in Germany, three from an aborted development at the Berlin S -Bahn leftover axle trucks with traction motors were coupled together to a so-called Triebgestellzug in a similar manner in 1912 on the route Dessau- Bitterfeld. Since the experiments proved successful, more drive racks were ordered. After changing the Berlin electrification plans emerged from this impulse racks the Prussian EP 213 and EP 214 or the later E 42 13-14 for light passenger service.

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