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Hmmm... based on what y'all are saying I think that we would be looking at a diesel electric taking power from storage batteries rather than a direct link from inverter to traction motors.  Does those kinds of batteries currently exist?  Could they provide the acceleration needed to pull a commuter train in a timely fashion?The problem I see with multiple unit train sets is that they take away flexibility from the railroad, and they are a service nightmare.  If one brake system on one car breaks (like the ACELA brakes did), the whole trainset goes out of service.  My thinking is that designing the "perfect" passenger locomotive would provide the flexibility to replace that locomotive with another if it broke down, rather than deadline the whole train.The problem, as Marc put it so well, is providing even traction effort over the length of the train itself, as well as evening out the weight of the train by so doing.Here's another question to stir the pot... Would this perfect passenger locomotive have three axle trucks or two axle trucks?  On the one hand, it's my understanding that three axle trucks provide more tractive effort... but on the other hand, three axle trucks don't work so well on a lot of track, and one would hope that we are designing (in our heads) a locomotive that can go anywhere and do anything... efficiently.Keep up the good work, fellas, it's interesting conversation...
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