RAIL ATLASby Train LifeDiesel locomotive
Class 66 is a six-axle diesel-electric freight design used in Britain. Its engine generates electricity for the wheel motors. Versions have different gearing, so not every Class 66 has the same maximum speed.
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An onboard diesel engine provides power. Some locomotives use a gearbox; others generate electricity for traction motors.
The long hood usually covers a diesel engine and its supporting equipment. Passenger railcars can carry their engines below the floor.
A six-axle freight locomotive. This comparison uses the 75 mph version; lower-geared 60 mph variants also exist.
The driver controls the locomotive from this cab. The engine hood is not a passenger area.
Separate locomotives haul coaches or wagons. A self-propelled railcar combines propulsion and passenger accommodation.
Cooling fans help remove engine heat. Exhaust gases leave through an exhaust outlet.
These are diesel engine systems, not electric pantographs. Fan positions and sizes in the model are representative.
Many diesels generate electricity onboard to run traction motors. Other types use mechanical or hydraulic transmissions.
Diesel-electric does not mean the locomotive needs overhead wires. Its diesel engine drives the generator.
The locomotive carries diesel fuel onboard. Fuel feeds the engine, which produces the power needed to move.
The tank shown is a simplified storage zone. Passenger railcars and different locomotive types arrange their tanks differently.
A diesel engine supplies the power.
Some diesel trains send power through a gearbox or hydraulic transmission. Diesel-electric trains first make electricity for wheel motors. Read this train’s story above for its arrangement; not every diesel works the same way.
1998 is a reference year in the supplied train book.
This may describe a design, a prototype or the photographed locomotive. We have not yet verified the exact construction date, so it is not labelled as a birthday.
We leave gaps visible instead of guessing. The original catalogue and our learning model do not establish every real-world specification.
The catalogue connects this train with American design used in Britain. That may be where it worked, rather than the factory that built it.
A train uses different materials for different jobs: metals for strength, glass for windows and insulating materials around wires. Paint colour cannot tell us whether the body underneath is steel or aluminium.
Known background: American design used in Britain. Its job: freight hauling. A country name alone does not tell us which line it used.
Old photographs and launch announcements do not prove that a train still runs. A whole class may still work even after one member retires. We need a recent operator or museum source.
Follow these steps, then find the matching sections in the model above.
Energy travels in the fuel tank.
Burning fuel makes the engine turn.
The engine makes electricity for wheel motors.
Grip between wheels and rails moves the train.
Co-Co is the arrangement recorded for this exhibit. In common letter notation, B means two powered axles and C means three. A small “o” means the axles have individual motors. Wheel-count and axle-count systems are different, so always check the notation before comparing.
Technical maximum · 75 mph. A maximum speed describes particular conditions; station stops, curves, signals and track limits make an actual journey slower.
A fast train is a whole system: vehicle, track, electricity or fuel, brakes, signalling and trained people. A race in the game is a simplified comparison.
Yes! A diesel-electric locomotive uses a diesel engine to turn a generator. That makes electricity for motors at the wheels. It carries its energy as fuel, so it does not need overhead power wires.
No steering wheel is needed to choose a direction. The rails guide the wheelsets. At a junction, movable sections of rail called points or switches guide the train onto another track. The driver controls speed and braking.
A moving train has energy. Brakes must remove that energy to slow it down. A heavy train travelling fast needs room to stop, so railway signals help keep trains safely separated.
Compare how they look, what they carry and where their power comes from.
A frame holding wheelsets beneath a vehicle. It can turn relative to the body to help the train follow curves.
The distance between the inside faces of the two running rails. Narrow gauge means closer rails; loading gauge describes the space a train may occupy.
A folding roof collector that stays in contact with an overhead power wire.
The force used to pull or propel the train. Grip between wheels and rails limits how much force can be used.
A train with propulsion equipment within its passenger vehicles, operated together from one cab.
A powered vehicle whose main job is to move other railway vehicles.
Moving and arranging vehicles in a yard, often at low speed.
The colours, stripes, logos and other markings painted or applied to a train.
The permitted speed for passenger or freight operation on a suitable section. It is not the journey average.
A speed achieved on a particular test or record attempt, sometimes with special equipment and conditions.
A vehicle coupled to a steam locomotive to carry extra water and fuel. A tank engine carries water on the locomotive itself.
An early vehicle built to develop and test a design before a production fleet.
Follow the operator, builder and museum references below for more detail. Links beside an answer show which source supports that answer.
Edition 2026-09-27. Catalogue background is carried forward from the original collection; it is not a new independent verification. Engineering explanations describe principles. Portraits and 3D models are illustrations, with simplified parts and proportions. This is an independent learning guide, not an operator’s timetable.
Union Pacific EMD SD60 
BR Class 92 
DR V100