Improving adhesion characteristics of electric locomotives with DC traction motors

This article is a brief summary of the various successful experiments and trials conducted by the author on different types of 1500 V DC and 25 kV AC 50 Hz electric locomotives on the Indian Railways, with the principal objective of improving the adhesion performance to match the hauling capacity of goods trains on the ruling gradients with curves, demanded in the purchase specificatins. The discussions also cover the Dynamic-cum-Regenerative Braking on the critical gradients of the Western Ghats, where the buffing forces add further restraints in operation affecting adhesion limits. The experiments were a pointer to the fact that it is possible to optimize the adhesion potential of the existing earlier designs of electric locomotives, as well as match the very good achievements of AC locomotives in the new designs of conventional DC locomotives.