Quote:
Originally Posted by instarx
That makes no sense. A generator is not a transmission. A motor is not a transmission, wiring to connect the two is not a transmission.
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Certainly it makes sense. Is automatic transmission fluid a transmission? Are the various parts inside a torque converter a transmission? No, but you put them all together, and they BECOME a transmission.
What's the purpose of a transmission? To transmit the power developed by the engine to the wheels, no? That job can be done with a bunch of gears and a friction clutch, in which case you have a mechanical transmission. You can do it with fluids and a torque converter, as with an automatic transmission. Or you can do it with an electric generator & motor, as with the locomotive. EXACTLY the same task is being accomplished.
Now if a locomotive were to be a hybrid, it would have to have two (or more) SOURCES of power, as do the hybrid switching locomotives that I linked to, which have diesel engines and battery storage. The standard diesel-electric locomotive only has the diesel engine transmitting power to the wheels via the electric system, so it's not a hybrid.