Contents 1
The Great Change 1
The Diesel Locomotive Power Plant 3
How the Diesel Engineorks 6
The Miracle of Combustion 8
The Ways in Which Diesel Engines Vary 11
The Four-Stroke Cycle of Operation 13
The Two-Stroke Cycle of Operation 16
Fuelling the Locomotive Power Plant 19
Combustion Needs Air—How It Is Supplied 22
Keeping the Engine Cool 24
Transmitting the Power to the Locomotive Wheels 26
The Mystery of Torque 28
Hydraulic Transmission 30
Mechanical Transmission 33
How the Diesel Locomotive Makes Use of Electricity 35
How the Locomotive Runs on the Track 37
Controlling the Locomotive 40
How the Driver Brakes the Train 42
Electric Locomotives 45
Power Supply 46
Power Protection and Collection 48
Traction Motors 50
Power Equipment 52
Cab and Controls of an Electric Locomotive 54
Vocabulary 56