A Simpler Explanation Of The Measurement Of ONE HORSE POWER
One horsepower equals 550 foot pounds (pound feet) per second. In high school, in physics class, I generated 1 horsepower by running up a flight of stairs. :) Housted
Forum Discussion
turbojimmy wrote:
Although electric motors have near flat torque curves (which is why train locomotives are diesel/electric).
Actually, diesel-eletric trains are using the electric part to replace the transmission.
Imagine trying to build a mechanical transmission that would handle 10,000hp each from 5 engines. Try to release the clutches without stalling the diesels at the same time...this is especially bad as these large slow turning diesels have a very narrow RPM band, so you would likely need dozens of gears to go from 0 to 60mph.
With Diesel-Electric, it's easy as the front engine can have controls that ramp up the diesel motor power output and then gradually start taking that power via the electric motors and apply it to the wheels.
It's actually slightly less efficient than direct mechanical drive but because it solves the transmission issue, it's worth it.
