136 Book of Engineering 



helped to a solution of the suburban traffic, 

 whatever they may have achieved as regards 

 providing a more efficient power unit for 

 express trains. 



Within recent months another develop- 

 ment towards greater efficiency has been 

 tried by the L.M.S. In this instance one 

 of the usual electric trains has been handed 

 over for conversion to Diesel-electric 

 traction. 



Already on the sea the Diesel engine has 

 proved its efficiency and has made railway 

 engineers think whether its power could be 

 utilised for the production of electric cur- 

 rent. If so, there would be no reason why 

 an efficient electric train, which would 

 travel anywhere at good speed, could not 

 be provided without recourse to the enor- 

 mous expense of building power stations 

 and electrifying the tracks. The unit under 

 consideration consists of a Diesel-electric 

 set placed in each motor coach or locomotive. 



The experiment has now been under 

 review for several months, and at the outset a 

 gear drive was considered practicable. After 



