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Electric locomotive
An
electric locomotive
is a
locomotive
powered by
electricity
from
overhead lines
, a
third rail
or on-board energy storage such as a
battery
or
fuel cell
. Electric locomotives with on-board fuelled
prime mover
s, such as
diesel engines
or
gas turbines
, are classed as
diesel-electric
or
gas turbine-electric locomotives
because the electric generator/motor combination serves only as a
power transmission system
. Electricity is used to eliminate smoke and take advantage of the high efficiency of
electric motors
, but the cost of electrification means that usually only heavily used lines can be electrified.
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