Fuel Consumption of Freight Trains Hauled by Diesel Electric Locomotives

The cost of railway diesel fuel has become an increasingly high proportion of railway operating expenses. The paper analyzes the generation and utilization of rail horsepower in freight train operations. The effects on fuel consumption of variations in several parameters including train consist, car weight, gradient, average speed, meet strategy, throttle control, locomotive axle arrangement, and train marshalling are examined. Estimates are made of the value, in terms of fuel cost, of weight reduction of freight cars and of selective train marshalling.