In North American railroading, a cow-calf set is a pair of switcher-type diesel locomotives: one (the cow) equipped with a driving cab, and the other (the calf) without. A switcher or shunter ( Great Britain: shunter; Australia: shunter or yard pilot; USA: switcher (or A Diesel locomotive is a type of Railroad Locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. The two are coupled together (either with regular couplers or a semi-permanent drawbar) and are connected with MU cables and brake lines so that both locomotive units can be operated by a single cab. A coupling (or a coupler) is a mechanism for connecting Rolling stock in a train Multiple-unit train control, sometimes referred to simply as multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a Train Cow-calf sets were used in heavy switching, hump yard switching, and transfer runs between yards. A ( US and Canada) classification yard or ( UK and Canada) marshalling yard (including hump yards) is a Railroad
Cows are analogous to A units and calves to B unit road locomotives. An A unit, in Railroad terminology is a Locomotive (generally a diesel or Electric locomotive) equipped with a driving Cab, A "B" unit in railroad terminology, is a Locomotive unit (generally a Diesel locomotive) which does not have a driving Cab, or crew compartment Unlike them, cow-calf sets were almost always permanently attached.
Some 3-unit cow-calf-calf sets were built, but this was rare.
Each unit in a cow-calf set was powered. As diesel engines became more powerful, they exceeded the practical limit to the power that could be applied to the rail at low speeds in a single four- or even six-axle locomotive. A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr Thus, the concept of the slug was born—like a calf, these attached to a switcher or other locomotive needing extra low-speed tractive effort, but a slug does not have its own engine—instead, it takes electrical power from its "mother", allowing more of the power of that engine to be applied. A railroad slug is an accessory to a Diesel-electric locomotive.
Most cow-calf sets were built between the 1930s and the 1950s. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive They were built by several different makers, although General Motors' Electro-Motive Division built far more than the others. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Electro-Motive Diesel Inc (formerly the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors Corporation is currently the world's second largest builder of Railroad
The cow-calf concept was adopted on Queensland 2ft gauge sugar cane railways with two locomotives being coupled permanently in multiple-unit mode with the cab of one removed. This was utilised by Isis Mill (1980-1993) and by Mackay Sugar (2005).
The concept was also used in the United Kingdom by British Rail to produce the unique Class 13 locomotives, composed of two Class 08 locomotives. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" The British Rail Class 13 was formed because in 1965 it was found necessary to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard. The British Rail Class 08 is a class of Diesel locomotive designed for shunting British terminology is Master-and-Slave Unit.
List of cow-calf models
The EMD NW2 is a 1000 hp (750 kW B-B switcher locomotive manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange Illinois The EMD TR1 was a two-unit " Cow-calf " Diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange Illinois The EMD NW2 is a 1000 hp (750 kW B-B switcher locomotive manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange Illinois The EMD NW2 is a 1000 hp (750 kW B-B switcher locomotive manufactured by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange Illinois The Alco S-6 (spec DL 430) was a Diesel-electric locomotive of the Switcher type constructed by ALCO of Schenectady New York; a The British Rail Class 13 was formed because in 1965 it was found necessary to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard.Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic