Electrical engineering components for rail traction

Since its appearance in 1879 with the first Siemens locomotive, electrical engineering has developed for rail traction at the same pace as for other industrial sectors. As a result, it is one of the railroads' major arguments in terms of performance, productivity and, consequently, economic profitability. The environmental aspect is also one of the key motivations, albeit an old one, since in the golden age of steam traction, people were already talking about the serious problem of pollution that only electricity could eliminate. Today, rail transport is by far the champion of sustainable development and respect for the environment.

Electrical engineering and power electronics cover all areas of the rail industry, including fixed installations such as power supply and signalling. , energy used by rolling stock (traction units and trailers), as well as all categories of rail transport: mainline, high-speed, intercity and urban (metros and streetcars) [C 4 440] .

It is interesting to study the various aspects of this field from the point of view of the components used and their installation principles. Our presentation adopts a functional approach, leaving room for the rapid evolution of the detailed components used. Starting with the power supply, we analyze the components of the drive train and its auxiliaries. For further details, please refer to the bibliographical references to .

To facilitate understanding, a brief overview of the history of electrotechnical components shows their "non-linear" evolution. Figure 1 shows the main phases. For more than a century, electromechanics associated with the commutator DC motor reigned unchallenged in traction, even reaching the heights of 6,000 kW locomotives built in Switzerland and France. It was only in the last quarter of the last century that power electronics "took over", and the asynchronous motor, now combined with IGBT transistors, spread to become the construction standard for all equipment.