Quote Originally Posted by nova_robotics View Post
Better than my French, which is non-existent. I read from another article that the rated power of the locomotive was 2000 hp (about 1.5 megawatts) which would probably light up most of the town. The problem with that is the engine would be spinning too fast and the AC frequency would be much too high. So they had to slow the engine down to produce the 60 Hz that we all know and love to prevent things like the compressor in your fridge from self destructing. At the lower RPM the locomotive was only good for 350 kilowatts, which is still quite a lot of power.
Your numbers add up. And the 2000hp also rings a bell. If I remember correctly the alternator in a locomotive is poly-phase. So a few things to get right. 60 hertz being one of them.