Why do they change locomotives en route?
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Why do they change locomotives en route?

Those who often had to travel by train, you probably noticed that the locomotive is constantly being replaced on the road. Moreover, even if the train has not gone very far from the departure point. Why is this done - is it really impossible for the cars to be pulled by one locomotive - just as fast?


There are reasons: there are several. And they arose for technical or economic reasons. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Source of energy


It can be electricity or diesel fuel. Of course, the first option is preferable: both ecologically and economically. But today, the railway is not electrified everywhere: in some areas it is simply unprofitable to do so, since there are very few trains. However, it is possible that there are other reasons that only the railway management knows about.

Why do they change locomotives en route?Railway electrification is an expensive undertaking. Photo: youtube.com

For example, the Moscow-Vladivostok route can hardly be called unpopular. However, train No. 100 stops in Galich and Kostroma, which are only 2,5 hours away. But the distance will have to be covered by a diesel locomotive, since the section is not electrified. The same problem arises when traveling from the capital to Riga: after 2 hours the train stops in Volokolamsk.

Variable or constant


The first type of current is more economically advantageous, and it is the one that flows mostly through the Russian Railways overhead contact network. However, at the dawn of electric locomotive construction, direct voltage was used. For example, in the outskirts of the capital and St. Petersburg, where the first branches with overhead contact network appeared, alternating current is still not used. Rebuilding the infrastructure is considered inexpedient due to the high cost. For example, on the route from Petrozavodsk to Moscow, a train at Svir station stands idle for half an hour: it waits for one electric locomotive to be replaced by another.

EP20 can run on both direct and alternating current. Photo: youtube.com

But there are exceptions in the form of universal locomotives that can be powered by a contact network with both alternating and direct current. An example is the Strizh express, which runs between the capital and Nizhny Novgorod. In Vladimir, it stops only for a couple of minutes to switch from one mode to another. In total, there are 26 stations in Russia where locomotives have to be changed due to a different type of current.

Land plots


Each locomotive has its "own" zone, which is related to, for example, maintenance, the work of drivers. After all, electric locomotives and diesel locomotives are owned by different companies, which repair them at their own expense in depots located in a certain area. Locomotives regularly return to the "home station", where they are inspected before being released on the line again.

The depot services locomotives of all types. Photo: youtube.com

The train crew must have a good rest. Therefore, most often, having reached the section of its zone, it passes the "baton" to other drivers, conductors. And they themselves take it from the train going in the opposite direction - home. By the way, the crew on a long route is not attached (shift) to any specific locomotive.

Equipment


By this term, railroad workers do not mean clothing, but supplies that need to be replenished periodically. This includes fuel for diesel locomotives, coal for titans, water, lubricants, sand, food in dining cars, etc. Equipment is usually provided along with maintenance at the "home station" in the depot.

The work of a machinist requires good preparation, attention, and concentration.

However, it is worth noting that in recent years, the sections traveled by the same team of drivers have become significantly longer. An example is the route from the capital to Adler, which is 1700 km. Here, the entire route is pulled by one electric locomotive. Or the same route from St. Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod: the length of the route is almost 1000 km.
What do you think about changing locomotives on the way?
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