Internal combustion locomotive
An internal combustion engine is used in internal combustion locomotives, attached to the driving wheels. They generally keep the engine running at a roughly constant level whether the train is stationary or moving. Internal combustion locomotives are classified by fuel type and subdivided by transmission type.
Kerosene locomotive
Kerosene is used as the power source in kerosene locomotives. Lamp oil trains were the world’s first internal combustion locomotives, coming before electric and diesel locomotives. The first recognized kerosene-powered rail vehicle was built by Gottlieb Daimler in 1887, but this vehicle was not really a locomotive as it was used to move freight. The main triumph of the lamp oil train was the Lachesis, built by Richard Hornsby & Sons Ltd.
Gasoline locomotive
Gasoline is consumed as fuel by gasoline locomotives. The gasoline-mechanical locomotive was the very first economically successful gasoline locomotive and was manufactured in the early twentieth century in London for the Deptford Cattle Market by the Maudslay Motor Company. Gasoline-mechanical locomotives are the most popular type of gasoline locomotive, which uses a mechanical transmission in the form of a gearbox to transfer the power generated by the engine to the driving wheels, as in an automobile.
This bypasses the need for a gearbox and converts the rotational mechanical force of the engine into electrical energy. This can be achieved by using a dynamo and then by powering the wheels of the locomotive using multi-speed traction motors. This contributes to better acceleration as it eliminates the need to shift gears, although it is more expensive, heavier and sometimes more severe than a manual transmission.