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From the Two-System Locomotive to the GaN Power Transistor: Railway Technology's Evolution Over 200 Years

From the Two-System Locomotive to the GaN Power Transistor: Railway Technology's Evolution Over 200 Years
photo: Stephen Thomas / Flickr/SVR 75576bwcr
15 / 01 / 2024

Just as railways and trains have evolved, rolling stock technology has also undergone a transformation. For almost 200 years, rolling stock technology has been developing, during which time the mechanical engineering industry and later the electrical engineering industry were first established.

Just as railways and trains have evolved, rolling stock technology has also undergone a transformation. For almost 200 years, rolling stock technology has been developing, during which time the mechanical engineering industry and later the electrical engineering industry were first established.

Matt Toms / Flickr

As mankind itself has evolved, this has also brought various technical advances within the railways. Gradually, the mechanics of the bogie layout developed from the guidance of the wheelset in the wheelbase to the stage of a bogie layout that operates on primary and secondary suspension. Over time, air suspension using air-rubber diaphragms came into use.

The suspension system is a coil spring that provides suspension in the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal directions. Pneumatic suspension can bring more improvements. It can adjust to the weight of the loaded vehicle, thus improving both comfort and convenience during the journey. Great progress has been made in the field of electrical engineering. At the end of 1974, the first two-system locomotive of the 350 series entered service. Although it had resistive power control, the control of the electrodynamic brake was handled by a pulse converter composed of diodes and thyristors.

In the early 1980s, the two-system 363 series locomotives came into service, where ten pulse converters were used for their traction. With the advent of the new millennium, IGBT transistors, also known as bipolar transistors with an isolated gate, began to be used to regulate the power of traction vehicles. This technology is special and, as such, indicates a higher price.

Nowadays, GaN power transistors, which are based on gallium nitride, are being utilized. The advantage of these transistors is that they can maximize power while minimizing losses. In the future, such elements are also expected to appear in Slovak locomotives, as per Železničná společnost Slovensko (ZSSK).

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