Link to an item in the Flathead Beacon:
https://flatheadbeacon.com/2018/12/02/g ... ilitation/
I wonder if this hybrid system will, by coincidence or design, produce a brake assist albeit small,from the generator charging the batteries on the downhill legs of the Red Bus routes.It works like this: While the train is coasting, the engineer, using an eight-notch controller similar to the throttle, energizes the traction-motor fields, causing the motors to act as generators. The resistance of the motor field acts as a brake on the locomotive, which in turn helps to slow the train. The electric current generated by the motors in the dynamic-braking mode is a waste product and is dissipated as heat in banks of resistors located in the locomotive carbody.