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 a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas turbines, are classed as diesel-electric or gas turbine-electric and not as electric locomotives, because the electric generator/motor combination serves only as a power transmission system.
Electric locomotive Škoda ChS4-109. The Moscow–Odesa train in Vinnytsia railway station.
The ČSD Class E 499.3
The Siemens ES64U4 is the current confirmed holder as the fastest electric locomotive at 357 km/h (222 mph) in 2006.
A British Rail Class 91 at London King's Cross station.
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union of Railways for the technology is overhead line. It is known variously as overhead catenary, overhead contact line (OCL), overhead contact system (OCS), overhead equipment (OHE), overhead line equipment, overhead lines (OHL), overhead wiring (OHW), traction wire, and trolley wire.
Overhead lines
Lineworkers on a maintenance of way vehicle repairing overhead lines (Poland)
Overhead over a switch in Toronto: Two runners for pantographs flank the trolley pole frog.
A switch in parallel overhead lines