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Why do cross-country trains not use electric locomotives?

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One of the main reasons is the sheer size of the two countries that make up North America. Canada is the second largest country in the world and America only slightly smaller in area. Both countries are part of an integrated railway system that uses common standards and procedures. read more

Up until the 1970s some of the cross country railroads actually did—during the steam locomotive era, the Northen Pacific and Great Northern railroads electrified segments of their transcontinental railroads through the most mountainous areas in the Rockies and Sierra mountains in the west. read more

So modern locomotives use diesel engine with an electric generator as an electric power plant which drives electric motors. the thing is, every single wheels of a locomotive has single electric motor, just like a 12 wheeled locomotive has 12 separate electric motors. read more

First: by going from diesel to mechanical power via electric power, you're actually losing around 10% efficiency versus a direct diesel to mechanical power plant operating at peak efficiency because you're adding an extra conversion stage in the middle. read more

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Source: rail.co.uk