Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
According to the "Diesel Spotter's Guide Update," a 2,500 hp locomotive has power in excess of what it can use for tractive effort in the lower speed ranges. Slugs are beneficial because they can be paired with a mother unit to generate tractive effort without the need for operating a second diesel engine to turn a generator. So, the slug can take the excess amperage from the mother unit and generate tractive effort. However, slugs are useful when starting a train or in the 12 mph or less range. There are two breeds of slugs -- yard and road. Most often we see yard slugs. However, road slugs gained popularity with C&NW (which pioneered them for use on low-speed trackage), the Columbia & Cowlitz, Norfolk Southern, and the Oregon, California & Eastern, and the other railroads mentioned in replies above, such as KCS. Not to be confused with road slugs were Seaboard Coast Line's MATEs (Motors to Assist Tractive Effort), which operate at a higher speed range and also are fuel tenders. Hope this helps, Paul Schmidt Contributing Editor Trains.com
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag