Re: Diesel Rotaries

beleneagle Wrote:
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> does a diesel rotary use some sort of traction
> motor to drive the shaft, or does it use some
> other means?

There was a lot of variety in diesel rotaries, because they were mostly home-built or converted from steam rotaries. So there's not a one-size-fits-all answer to this.

But generally speaking, yes. How many traction motors, and how they are geared to the shaft, varies. And the power source was usually a diesel locomotive which had been modified (i.e. its trucks sacrificed some or all of their traction to the rotary), often a B-unit covered wagon, but there were a few (like the UP rotaries stationed in Cheyenne) that have internal power plants.

JAC