An axle-driven alternator-rectifier system for caboose power supply

The application of 2-way telephone communication to moving railroad trains has created a need for a dependable power supply for railway cabooses. A study of the system requirements indicated an axle-driven alternator-rectifier equipment to be better suited to this application than the conventional d-c generator. A 3-5-kw alternator system has been developed, paying particular attention to the requirements of this service and to the fact that the equipment must operate over long periods without attention.