All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S22E08.Locomotives.Plus.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

- [Narrator] They're the power
that delivers the goods

and the speed that
pushes physics.

They connect oceans and move men

deep below the earth surface.

They're crashed for
safety and built to last

powered by diesel,
electricity or steam.

They come in all
shapes and sizes.

Some even ride on air.

Now it's Locomotives
Plus on Modern Marvels.

[upbeat music]

Witness the pride of France.

The Train à Grande
Vitesse, or TGV.

Translated it means
high speed train,

but as with all trains,

it's the locomotive
that delivers the power.

And as it rips across
its 1600 mile network,

the TGV shows why
it holds the title

as the fastest locomotive
on rails today.

- If you can figure
out we are running now

at 300 kilometers per hour,

and it seems like a
dream, it's very easy.

- [Narrator] 186 Miles per
hour is the average speed

that grows much of
the TGV network.

The high tension wires racing by

deliver the locomotives power.

From them 25,000
volts of electricity

is transformed into
mechanical energy,

which is then sent to
motors on the trains wheels.

Even at speeds like
this inside the TGV

the ride is smooth and steady,

but if the engineer spots
something on the track outside,

there's little he can
do to avoid hitting it.

- [Engineer] If
you see something,

then you will just
knock it down.

Running at 300 kilometers,

you would need three
kilometers to stop.

So if you can see something,
obviously it's too late.

- [Narrator] In 1990, the TGV
set the world speed record

when it raced to an
astounding 320 miles per hour,

then in 2007, train
officials wanted more.

- Go small.

- [Narrator] So after
some modifications,

a TGV locomotive was teed up
for another record attempt.

[upbeat music]

[engineer speaking in French]

To beat the existing 320
mile per hour record,

the TGV would have to exceed
516 kilometers per hour.

[dramatic music]

[engineer speaking in French]

[engineer speaking in French]

[engineer speaking in French]

[engineer speaking in French]

[engineer speaking in French]

[engineer speaking French]

[people clapping and cheering]

574 kilometers per hour
equals 357 miles per hour,

and a new world record.

The remarkable one
proved once again.

And when it comes to speed,

the TGV is king of the rails.

The TGV still holds the record

as the fastest locomotive
on rails today.

But this is what high speed
locomotives used to look like.

During the early 20th century,

locomotives rarely hit a
hundred miles per hour.

But when it comes to looks,

most locomotive fans agree that
none have been more smoking

than those powered by steam.

Like this beauty built in 1924,

the Baldwin company's number 90.

Still running on the
Strasburg railway

in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Today, it's a tourist train.

It's still possible
to climb on board

for a ride back when locomotives

like this helped pull America

full steam ahead into
the 20th century.

- Now we're ready to depart.

Now I'm gonna release the brakes

and apply steam to the
cylinders through the throttle.

Now it's my job not
to spin the wheels.

So I want to just
gradually apply power.

- [Narrator] Applying
power requires teamwork

between the engineer
and the man to his left

shoveling coal from the
tender into the boiler.

The fireman.

- Now the fireman has to
get his fire nice and hot.

By experience he
knows when to shovel.

It's a coordinated effort,
when I need the steam

he has to already have
planned on producing.

- In the past

you'd burn about gosh...

A ton and a half
of coal per hour.

A fireman would be
on duty for 12 hours.

They could burn upwards of
12 to 15 tons of coal a day

if he's shoveling by
hand from the tender.

- [Narrator] Igniting
coal in the boiler

is the first step
in producing power.

Since our camera would be fried

by the 2,500 degree
temperature in there,

the best way to see how
a steam engine works

is by squeezing into a
typical locomotive boiler.

This one is under repair inside

the Strasburg Railroad
mechanical shop.

- Fireman throws the coal
through the hole in the rear,

lands in this box.

This box is called the firebox,

surrounding the
firebox is water.

The water's all the
way around here,

and it's normally
carried up to here.

It always has to be above
the top of the firebox.

If it's not above the
top of the firebox,

the top of the
firebox will melt.

So the heat from the fire
can heat the firebox steel

boil the water,

create the steam that goes
up into the steam space,

goes up into the steam dome.

- [Narrator] Within the
steam dome is a throttle.

When the engineer engages
the throttle lever

steam is released
into a pipe where it

travels to the
locomotive cylinders.

Inside the cylinders,

the steam pushes
pistons back and forth.

The pistons drive piston rods

that in turn drive the
locomotives wheels.

Regulating the steam pressure

inside the boiler is critical,

too little and the
train loses momentum,

too much and the
boiler could explode.

The steam boiler's
design was inventive,

but because coal is
fed from the rear

its form creates a
problem for the engineer.

- I can't see very well
past this huge boiler

I have to lean out so I can
see the biggest perspective

ahead of the engine.

I am constantly looking for
anything that might obstruct us,

including trees,
including cattle

or anything else that
might be problematic.

- [Narrator] That's why
locomotive designers invented

the cow catcher.

[cow bellowing]

Okay, it doesn't
exactly catch cows,

it kind of muscles them aside.

But the cow catcher can't
shove aside the effects

of the inevitable wear and tear

that comes with a
100 ton locomotive

thrashing around on
two inch wide rails.

Tires especially take a beating.

Like a car, a locomotive
tire is attached to a wheel

except these tires
are made of steel

and changing one
takes some heat.

- The tire of the
steam locomotive

is shrunk onto the wheel.

So in order to remove it,
we put the fire ring on.

We heat the tire up probably
to four or 500 degrees

as it gets hotter,
it will expand.

And eventually there'll be a gap

between the tire and the wheel.

And that tire will
be able to swing

and slip right off
the wheel center.

- [Narrator] Add a fresh
steel tire to the wheel

and it'll be ready to roll.

Easy enough inside
the mechanical shop,

but in the old days,

when things broke down
out of on the plains,

the engineer did double
duty as the mechanic.

- The technology was
constantly breaking down.

The engineer had to be
aware of any problem arising

by both sound and vision.

- [Narrator] And when that
vision spotted something

on the track, it's
time to sound off.

Every time the toot of a
steam locomotives whistle

fills the air,

it speaks in a unique
yet universal language.

- Now every engineer
does his whistling

a little bit differently.

You'll now are crossing signal,

two longs, a short and a long
as we approach this crossing.

[train whistling]

- [Narrator] By the 1930s,

the sounds of the steam
locomotive began to fade

as designers looked
to new technologies.

In 1934, Electromotive
launched a line

of diesel electric
streamliner locomotives.

That were easier to
maintain and cheaper to fuel

than the coal fed steamers.

Today. diesel
electric locomotives

are still the industry standard.

But what exactly
does it take to build

one of these 200
ton powerhouses?

[upbeat music]

For almost 100 years

the diesel locomotive
has been the backbone

of passenger and commercial
rail transportation.

Today, there are
more than 26,000

in service around the world.

Companies like Electromotive
Diesel in London, Ontario,

build hundreds of
them every year

for the international market.

And everyone starts
from the bottom up

with a single steel bed plate.

- What we see here is
a domestic bed plate.

It's approximately one and
three quarter inches thick,

70 feet long and six feet wide.

And it weighs
approximately 30,000 pounds.

- [Narrator] The bed plate
begins its journey upside down

so welders and
grinders can add sills

and cross members
to the underside.

The upside down under frame,

eventually lands in
the assembly area.

Here some of the
major components

are lowered into place.

- So what we see here is
the compressed air tanks

that supply the compressed
air for the locomotive,

as well as the rail cars.

And above us, what we see

is the loading of a
5,000 gallon fuel tank,

which is our domestic fuel tank.

- [Narrator] Tighten a few
bolts,

and the underside
of the locomotive

is just about locked down.

Meanwhile, workers
are assembling

other parts throughout the plant

like this upside
down wheel assembly.

A combination of wheels, gear,
axle, and electric motor.

This is where the electric part

of the diesel electric
locomotive comes in.

- We got a thousand pound
wheel at a 43 inch diameter.

We got an 83 tooth gear that
weighs approximately 500 pounds

with a nine and a quarter
inch diameter axle sitting

on an electric traction motor.

- [Narrator] Put three wheel
assemblies together

and you've got a bogie.

And this bogie is about
to take its first spin

up and over until
it's right side up.

Then it's off to final assembly

where the under frame is
taking a twirl of its own.

Set the under frame on
top of the set of wheels,

lower the cab into place

and all this loco
needs is some motive.

Yep, this is the diesel part.

- What we see here
is a diesel engine

that we use on one
of our locomotives.

Compared to a normal car engine,

a car engine runs around
four to six cylinders

roughly about this size

compared to the cylinders
that we use here

and we use 16 of them.

When we talk about this engine,

it weighs approximately
40,000 pounds

compared to a local car engine,

which is much less
than that obviously.

Also a local car engine would
take around 200 horsepower

whereas this guy right
here, our workhorse

runs around 4,300 horsepower.

From-- From here, we
use the overhead cranes

to remove the
engine off the stand

and deck it onto
one of our units.

- [Narrator] On board,
mechanics hook up the engine

to an eight ton alternator.

And the diesel electric
locomotive is ready to rumble.

And when it does,
here's how it'll work.

The diesel engine
sends mechanical

power to the alternator.

The alternator transforms
that power into electricity.

The electricity is then sent

to the electric traction
motors on each wheel assembly.

The motors turn the wheels,

which apply power to the tracks.

In the locomotive business

power on the track is
measured in tractive effort.

The more traction
that can be applied

between wheel and rail,

the more pulling power
on the locomotive.

Central detractive effort
is managing friction.

And the secret lies in the
simplest of substances.

- What we want here is, we
wanna have good friction

on the surface of the wheel,

where it contacts
the actual rail.

So how we increase
the frictional force

between these two surfaces

is we use this nozzle

and we actually pour
sand into this area.

What that does is it increases
the frictional force,

thus allowing more
tractive effort

to be placed on the rail.

- [Narrator] While the
sand increases friction

to the bottom of the wheel,

just inches away the
wheel flange gets a rub

with a clever little device
that decreases friction.

- Here's the frictional
force that we don't want

that's between this
surface of the wheel

and the inner
surface of the rail.

So what we've done
to counteract that

is we have this
flange lube dispenser

that has a graphite
based lubricant

that makes contact
with this surface.

What it does is it applies
it as the wheel turns

and thus reduces
the frictional force

between this surface of the
wheel and the rail itself.

- [Narrator] After all
the steel is secured,

the bogies are bolted and the
engine and motors are mounted.

They make up one of the largest

great locomotives in the world.

- Here we are next to a
completed domestic locomotive.

The locomotive is 75 feet long,

16 feet high and 10 feet wide.

The locomotive itself
weighs 425,000 pounds.

It's really the workhorse
out there in the industry.

- [Narrator] Before each of its
workhorses is turned loose.

It gets ridden hard
out on the test track.

- So there's full
throttle eight.

You see the tractive
effort build up

and I should get about
around 4,500 horsepower.

This is good.

This is a good engine.

It'll pull like crazy.

- [Narrator] Crazy?

How's this for crazy?

Nothing like a header to
find a locomotives weak spot.

This is TTCI.

The Technology Testing Center

outside Pueblo, Colorado.

The place where the Federal
Railroad Administration

conducts research.

And locomotive manufacturers
send technicians

to test their latest designs

by watching train wrecks

and studying the effects for
safety and future development.

- One of the things
that we do here at TTCI

is to conduct crash tests.

That's one of the
abilities that we have

at an isolated site like that.

And we've done that right on
the tracks right behind me.

- [Narrator] In the real world,

locomotive crashes
like this are rare.

By studying crash test video

manufacturers like Electro
Motive Diesel or EMD,

are able to develop ways
to reduce the risks.

Even during the
mother of all crashes,

a head-on between
two locomotives.

- For head-on collisions,

we've developed an anti-climber.

This whole structure
is the anti-climber.

It is designed to
resist a strong

upward force here and here

and keep the coupler
from coming up over

the main structure here

and the other car
going into the cab.

- [Narrator] When two
locomotives

without the anti-climber
collide head-on

the locomotive with more
momentum can slide straight up

and into the other's cab.

But if one locomotive
has an anti-climber,

the coupler from
other locomotive

catches underneath it.

Stopping upward motion and
diverting the energy laterally.

The EMD anti-climber
first used in 1989

is now the industry standard.

- The crash worthiness
of the locomotives

used in North America is
the best it's ever been

largely as a result of the
kinds of tests that we do here,

the activities of
people like EMD.

And applying that information
into the design of their cab.

- [Narrator] Out on the
TTCI test track,

EMD engineers are evaluating
their newest design element.

What they call the isolated cab.

Their goal is to have the
quietest cab in the business.

- We are trying to control
the working environment

where the whole purposes
to keep the noise down

inside the cab from
the 4500 horsepower

that's just 20 feet behind us.

- [Narrator] EMD has tried
to reduce the noise

and vibration inside the cab

by separating it from
the engine compartment.

To record the decimal level,

technicians have
hung microphones

at ear level throughout the cab.

The target is 80
decibels or less.

Then it's time to
open up the throttle

to see if the
isolated mounts work.

Even at full throttle,

the sound level barely
exceeds 75 decibels.

About the same as a
normal conversation

between two people and a
victory for the EMD designers.

And while they're here,

the crew is also of
collecting ride quality data

by testing the
cab for vibration.

- The whole cab has a number
of sensors all over in the cab.

One of which is right here,

where we measure the
cab seat-based vibration

in all three directions,

up and down, fore and
aft, side to side.

- [Narrator] Technicians
record the data

in a test car behind
the locomotive.

Later EMD will use
the data to develop

even more ways to
improve its locomotives

and keep its operating
engineers safe.

In another area of
the test facility,

TTCI offers locomotive makers
a way to look through steel.

With its automated cracked
wheel detection system.

The system uses sound waves

to take a snapshot of
a locomotive's wheels

as they pass through
an ultrasonic sensor.

- Right now,

this first wheel is
gonna be picked up

by this inspection site.

It's gonna follow it
all the way through,

once it follows it through,
it's gonna reset itself,

set up for the next
wheel that comes through.

It'll pick it up,

it'll send ultrasonic
energy up through the wheel

and inspect the
wheel for cracks.

And then that information
will be transmitted

into our computer bungalow.

- [Narrator] Inside the bungalow

the results appear on a
computer screen in real time.

Each rectangular box
represents a wheel,

the lines reveal
some type of flaw.

- Right here, you're showing

some thermal cracks in
the locomotive wheel.

Here you're showing
the horizontal crack.

So then it triggers
the maintenance crew

on what they need to do
in order to correct that.

- [Narrator] Whereas TTCI exists

to help find a
locomotives flaws.

A network of service stations

across the United States
stands ready to fix them.

One of the best is the
CSX Maintenance Facility

in Waycross, Georgia.

CSX Transportation
runs 20,000 miles

of track in the United States.

Every day, thousands
of CSX locomotives

traverse the country
hauling freight.

Keeping them operational is
crucial to the bottom line.

- Time is money and
these locomotives

cost about $2 million a piece.

And if they're sitting, we're
not utilizing that asset.

We can service as many
as 12 at one time.

This is simply a service
station for locomotive.

- [Narrator] And this service
station is built for speed.

It's kind of like a NASCAR
pit stop for locomotives.

The moment a locomotive pulls in

a team of workers
moves into place.

The aim is to get it in
and out in under an hour.

- And this is where
it starts here

at the Locomotive
Services Center,

we'll service anywhere from
75 to a hundred locomotive

in this facility per day.

Here's where the sand
will be going in.

It'll be coming in through
a funnel that he'll put in.

Here, we have a gentleman
that's gonna be changing

a flange lube stick,

to help with the flange wear.

We're going in the
curves on the track.

Here, the gentleman's checking
the oil and the water,

gonna make sure everything
is in good running repair

with the diesel engine.

Here we are adding the
fuel to the locomotive.

The locomotive fuel
tank will hold anywhere

from about 1500 gallons
up to 4500 gallons.

At this facility, we will pump

about a hundred thousand
gallons of diesel fuel a day.

- [Narrator] As workers handled
the basics from above,

others are busy in
the service pit below.

- As they're working up above,

they're also gonna be changing
brake shoes down below.

Warren is gonna be pulling
this brake shoe out

and gonna be replacing it
with the new brake shoe.

He has to remove the brake key,

take the old brake shoe out,

replace it with
the new brake shoe

and then drop the
brake key back in

that holds the
brake shoe in place.

And it's ready to go.

Here we have a worn brake shoe

that is in need
of being replaced.

Here we have a new brake shoe

that we will put in its place.

The new brake shoe should last

approximately three
to four weeks,

depending on the
amount of traffic

the locomotive is involved in.

- [Narrator] Of course
there are times

when some heavy
lifting is required.

For those cases,

locomotives make a
trip to the back shop

where mechanics
carry out everything

from cosmetic repair to
complete engine rebuilds.

- We do lots of
of accident damage

that could be crossing accidents

that happened out
on the line of road.

We change main alternators

and we just do lots
and lots of work.

More or less rebuild the
locomotive in that area.

- [Narrator] Once most
locomotives are clear

to return to action,

they get a final sprucing up

with a quick shower
in the CSX wash.

- It gets a lot of the
road trim off of 'em

because after all CSX,

that's what's on the
side of the locomotives.

We're proud of our company

and we certainly wanna look
good in the public's eye.

[upbeat music]

Unlike the little engine
that thought it could,

these mini locomotives
along the Panama canal

know they can.

Nearly 14,000 times a year,

they slowly and
steadily guide ships

through the three locks

that connect the Pacific
and Atlantic oceans.

Here size matters
less than precision.

The locomotives measure
just 13 feet high,

10 feet wide and 35 feet long.

But there's nothing small

about the economic
stakes of their mission.

The toll that is charged
depends on the size of the ship.

The average for cargo
and container vessels

is about $450,000,

but some fees can go
as high as one million.

At these prices,

the nearly 40 shipping companies

that send vessels through
the canal every day

expect to do it safely
and efficiently.

Like this 70,000 ton
Panamanian cargo ship

coming in from the Pacific.

- The chamber is
very small for--

For this ship and
it's a slow operation.

And the locomotives
are very critical

for handling a
ship of this size.

- [Narrator] As the ship
approaches the lock's mouth,

eight locomotives, four
on the Starboard side,

four to the port,
move into position.

The ship is 106 feet wide,

a lock chamber is just 110.

And for the next half mile,

the little locos will
be guiding this ship

to the end of the lock.

The carefully
choreographed journey

begins as canal ship
personnel throw a line

to grab two steel cables
attached to hydraulic winches

on the side of the locomotives.

- The idea is to get the cables

of the locomotives
onto the ship.

As you can see, there
are two locomotives

taking care of the
bowel of this ship.

Then we gonna see
two more taking care

of the back of the
ship, the stern.

- [Narrator] All eight
locomotives

are under the direction

of a especially trained
pilot aboard the ship,

who works for the canal.

His first command to
the locomotive operators

is to pull their cables tight

until the ship is
securely tethered

in the center of the lock.

Then it ships, and
locomotives ahoy

as the pilot gradually
powers a ship forward

while directing the locomotives

to move in unison with it.

From here on it's all about
keeping the sides of the ship

steel hull off the cement
walls that line the lock.

- As you can see, the ship
is very close to the wall.

The same thing is happening
on the other side.

So they should be able to
coordinate with the pilot

to keep the ship as most
in the center as they can.

There's only two
feet on each side.

Any little mistake you can
rub the ship against the wall

and cause that damage.

- [Narrator] Top speed
for these locomotives

is 10 miles per hour,

but with a ship this size
and so little room for error,

they crawl along at about
three miles per hour.

Even at this speed,
mistakes are costly.

So to minimize any confusion
between ship captain

and locomotive operator,

there are no conversations,
just orders and action.

- The operator
listens to the orders

from the pilot via radio.

And every time he hear a
command has to ring the bell

to acknowledge that he
received their order.

He operate a locomotive
basically, two main functions.

Traction, with this hand he's
moving the traction control

and on the left,

he has the controls for
the cables-- Of two cables.

One control for each cable.

He's holding the
ship in the center

together with his partner
on the other side.

Asking number one
center to coil.

They don't have to
do anything here,

just keep the cables tight.

Keep moving ahead
now a little bit.

- [Narrator] While the ship
remains under its own power,

the locomotives are
propelled with electricity

via a shoe that's
connected to the rails.

The rails are energized
with 480 volts,

in the middle of the track

a steel gear pulls
the locomotive along.

The electricity comes from below

inside a specialty
designed power station

that runs the
length of the track.

- We are inside of
the machinery tunnel,

right underneath of
the locomotive tracks

that runs all along
the lock walls.

And here is where the
locomotive get the power from.

This is a transformer that
brings the voltage down

from 2,400 volts down to 480.

The lo-- The power is
required by the locomotive.

These are the main
breakers for the power

that is fed to the
locomotive above us.

- [Narrator] Up above
the Panamanian ship

is now inside the lock chamber.

As the lock fills with
water and the ship rises,

it's steady as she goes for
the locomotive operators.

- During this time,

the locomotives just
have to keep the ship

in the position with
the cables tight.

That way we would avoid
the hitting the walls

and we keep the ship safe.

- [Narrator] Keeping a
140 million pound ship

centered in the lock
requires some tension.

Most of it is focused
in the cables.

The cables are routinely
tested to withstand twice

the amount of stress they'll
ever need out on the lock.

For the locomotive engineers,

stress comes from the
one thing they all fear,

a dip in the drink.

- The cables are very tight,

so the locomotives are
pulling very strong.

To avoid the locomotive
overturn into the water

we have the safety width.

That's what we use
the safety width,

they're attached to
this piece of track.

So the locomotives is
always secure to the track,

no matter how much force
they put on the cables,

they will always
stay on the track.

- [Narrator] Of the hundreds
of thousands of passages

during the canal's history,

just one locomotive has been
pulled sideways into the canal,

and that was due to human error.

A closer look reveals the
virtually accident proof

safeguarding system.

- Here we are underneath
the locomotive

in the maintenance pit.

Here we can find
the safety wheels,

these are the ones that
prevent the locomotive

from tilting and
going into the water.

- [Narrator] The gates
of the lock are open.

Like countless ships before it,

the cargo carrier
is about to leave

its tight squeeze here
for the open waters

of the Pacific ocean.

- The ship is ready to
get out of the locks.

We're reaching the
end of the sidewalk.

[foreign language over intercom]

Just asked number threes to
release the wires and cast up.

So he's gonna cast
up the number three,

the guy's in front of us.

He just ask four
side to cast up.

He's gonna release the
wires and cast off.

He's giving the signals.
[bell dinging]

So the deck hands
can release the cable

from the bit on the ship.

They're gonna let go in time.

And here they go.

Okay, so we're off the ship.

- [Narrator] 45 Minutes after
it entered the lock,

another vessel has
completed safe passage.

For the little canal locomotives

a long line of customers is
waiting at the locks entrance.

But if you enter one
of these locomotives,

you'll need to take an
elevator to get to it,

more than 1000 feet underground.

More than 1000 feet underground

inside the Bailey Mine in
Southwestern, Pennsylvania.

A fleet of some of the
most unusual locomotives

is busy ferrying
miners and equipment

through a labyrinth of tunnels

that spans hundreds of miles.

For decades the
fleet was powered

by three different sources,

external electrical,
battery and diesel.

The electric locomotives
were attached

to an overhead trolley line

and its obvious limitations.

- This is a very old battery
trolley unit, it's powered--

It gets all its power from
the overhead trolley line.

That technology's been used
in the mines for decades.

The problem with the
older technology is

he has to be underneath
this to operate.

When he goes away from a
trolley line, he's dead.

- [Narrator] Another drawback
to the outdated trolley line

is the 300 volts
hanging from above.

Just waiting to take
a bite out of anyone

who accidentally touches it.

Power outages create
yet another problem.

- If you have any power
problems or anything drops out,

then that that piece of
equipment that has no use.

I mean, any power
problem in the mine,

or if you had to get
out, you would have none.

- [Narrator] The mine's
battery powered locomotives

eliminated the need for
an overhead trolley line.

But locomotive batteries
don't keep going and going.

- You have to actually take it

into a charging
station and charge it.

So you're losing the use
of your piece of equipment

while you're
actually charging it.

- [Narrator] Everything
considered the power source

that most miners prefer
may surprise you.

Diesel.

- Diesel's much safer.

You no longer have the
hazards of any short circuits

in your coal mine, and the
potential for mine fires.

With diesel you're
totally in control.

I expect to have
Bailey Mine converted

entirely 100% to diesel,

because I do believe
diesel is the future

for track mounted
equipment in the coal mine.

- [Narrator] In fact, that's
exactly what happened.

Today, the Bailey Mines fleet
is run solely on diesel power.

Wondering how Bailey's Mines
coexist deep underground

with a herd of diesel
burning locomotives

spewing out exhaust?

Brookville equipment corporation

in Brookville, Pennsylvania

has been building underground
diesel locomotives since 1980.

And they have the answer
to the diesel question.

- A lot needs to
go into the safety

and the health of the people
working in that environment.

This is 170 horsepower
diesel engine

it's MSHA approved
for underground use.

The engine manufacturer
has to take it through

a series of tests
where they measure

the particulates and they
give it a certification.

- [Narrator] Brookville
has also installed

a state of the art
filtering system.

Sure to keep miners
breathing easy.

- To run the diesel engines
underground in a coal mine,

you have to have an additional
exhaust treatment system.

The exhaust comes out,

goes through a catalyst
which breaks apart

the diesel particulate matter.

The exhaust gas comes up
into this filter housing

where a replaceable
paper filter element

is used to capture approximately
95% of the diesel soot

that is emitted it
from the engine.

And that's why we don't
smell diesel engine in here.

Diesel fuel.

You put it in the box
that the new one comes in

and it's acceptable
in any landfill.

- [Narrator] For a typical Brook
build diesel locomotive,

nearly 2000 parts are cut,
drilled, forged, and assembled.

While the dominiative
frames get built separately.

- Engine sits in the front here,

transmission in the center.

You can see the two wheel
wells and these are--

These are grids for airflow

and the operator
compartment up front.

These are 23 ton locomotives.

- [Narrator] Down in
the Bailey Mine,

Brookville diesel
powered personnel carrier

is filling up for
the morning commute.

- You can see the men in here

they're getting ready
for their shift to begin.

You see the operator station,

this vehicle he has
all the controls

that tell 'em full functions

of the engine to
break and throttle.

These guys gotta go to work.

As they can go 10 to 12
miles an hour on good track,

a whole lot faster
than walking.

- [Narrator] Every day,

80 different underground
vehicles travel

throughout the mine.

But what happens if
one of them derails?

Brookville's got
that covered too.

Now operators can get
things back on track

with the Rail Walker.

- The old way is
using a hand jack

or a railroad jack,

very labor intensive and
relatively dangerous.

The new way is hydraulically.

So what we did, we hydraulically
lifted the locomotive

by putting a foot
down on the ground,

raising the locomotive
and moving it sideways,

position it back over the rail.

It's moving back into position.

The wheels being lowered
gently in a controlled manner

back down on the rail.

- [Narrator] With innovations
like the Rail Walker

and the clean burning
diesel engine.

Miners can move around
safely and efficiently

over a thousand
feet underground.

Here's a game changer,

in July, 2021, Chinese
engineers showcased

what could one day be

the world's fastest locomotive.

A bullet train that is designed

to reach speeds of almost
375 miles per hour.

It's only a prototype for now,

but the technology
is called Maglev.

And it already powers
one of the fastest trains

in the world.

A 19 mile long ride that
connects the airport

in Shanghai, China to
the city's Metro system.

Its speeds at 267
miles per hour.

But unlike France's
fastest train the TGV,

this one isn't a
traditional locomotive.

An engine doesn't
power the Maglev

it's powered by the track.

Paradoxically,

the Maglev train never even
comes in contact with it.

- It's basically riding
on a cushion of air

it's propelled by
invisible magnetic forces.

The locomotive, if you will,
is magnetically levitated,

propelled and guided.

- [Narrator] On General
Atomics test track

in San Diego, California.

Engineers built a
prototype system

designed around the same
basic law of physics

as the Maglev systems in Asia.

Take some magnets,

make a special track, apply
power, and it's up, up and away.

The Maglev track or
guide-way is lined

with a cluster of
electric power cables,

called a linear
synchronous motor or LSM.

The train carriage is
joined with a set of magnets

that wrap around the track.

When the linear synchronous
motor is energized,

it generates a
moving magnetic field

creating a magnetic wave

that pulls the train
carriage forward,

to increase speed more
power is added to the LSM.

As the carriage moves forward,

the electricity
shuts down behind it.

That leaves the
issue of levitation.

- Let me tell you about how
the levitation system works.

We get levitation by
virtue of currents

that are induced in this track.

The magnets are, in this
wraparound structure,

they're inside these cans

and we use a set of
magnets for levitation.

- [Narrator] For the
levitation to occur

the magnets are
aligned in a formation

called the Halbach array.

- The way the
levitation system here

is going to work is that

these arrows indicate the
polarity of the magnets.

That basic configuration
is nothing more

than each of these magnets
is rotated by 45 degrees.

What it winds up doing is
it produces a sign wave

that is focused on the track,

it goes in through here,

it returns off here.

It hugs the backside
and comes out

and it tends to focus
the magnetic field

on the track where you want it.

- [Narrator] In layman's terms,

what that means
is that the wheels

are going to lift off the track.

All the magnets need
is some forward motion.

On the track, the electric
cables provide it,

and here the spinning
wheel induces the power.

- And actually what
you're seeing right now

is that basic
principle of levitation

we're levitated to
well over an inch

and the levitation
force is maintained

as long as there's
forward motion.

When we're coming into a
station and we're slowing down,

then we're going to
gradually get less and less

of an air gap until we're
almost at the station here.

As we come in, we're
just about now landing

on the wheels and
we come to a stop.

- [Narrator] Build up enough
speed

and it's time for the
landing wheels to lift off.

- When the speed of the vehicle

reaches approximately
10 miles per hour,

enough current is
induced in the track

that it produces levitation
of the entire structure,

including the magnets, as
well as the wheels here.

- [Narrator] By levitating the
carriage above the track,

you've got a
frictionless system.

That's the key to
generating speeds

up to 350 miles per hour.

Like the Maglev's in Asia,

the proposed system would
require its own dedicated track.

The separate track is also
one of Maglev's advantages,

no rail crossings.

There's also no need
for an engineer.

The system is
completely automated,

run from a control room

where all operators have
to do is program the motor

to induce the right amount of
power ahead of the carriage.

But the General
Atomics proposed system

has one major difference from
the high speed Asian versions.

- We're focusing our technology
on lower speed operation,

urban systems up to about
hundred miles per hour.

We feel that there
is a real market

for alleviating much
of the congestion

that we find in
many of our cities.

- [Narrator] As of today,

the United States
has not yet built

any commercial Maglev trains,

but Japan may soon replace China

for the new world's
record holder.

A Maglev train running 178 miles

between the cities
of Tokyo and Nagoya

is planned to open in 2027.

Achieving maximum speeds
of 314 miles per hour.

Magnets, they're the
future of the locomotive.