Re: Thinkfluence in action
Old technology. British Rail had regenerative braking back in the late 1960's on the Class 50 diesel-electric locomotives which ran between Crewe and Glasgow. It was felt to be a good idea to save fuel over the Tebay/Shap/Beattock climbs.
One problem - the locos were diesel-electric, not electric so there was no power supply to dump the regenerated power into when braking. The onboard batteries weren't up to the task (they couldn't provide motive power anyway) so the electricity had to be dumped into the coaches as waste heat. Great in the middle of winter, but bloody awful in the middle of summer in an air-conditioned coach with fixed windows.
When the locos later moved to the Western Region the regenerative gear was ripped out: too much of a PITA to justify retention.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
