Bombardier ALP-45DP

The Bombardier ALP-45DP is a dual-power locomotive, capable of running on diesel power over non-electrified track and switching to electric power under overhead catenary wires, built by Bombardier Transportation for North American commuter rail operators, entering service around 2012 with agencies including New Jersey Transit and Quebec's Montreal-area commuter rail system. Built to solve a specific operational problem faced by commuter railroads whose routes run partly on electrified track into a major city center and partly on non-electrified track further out in the suburbs, the ALP-45DP allows a single train to make the whole journey without passengers having to change trains or locomotives at the boundary between electrified and non-electrified sections. Its dual-power design represented a significant engineering achievement in packaging both a full diesel power plant and electric traction equipment within a single locomotive body, at some cost in overall weight and complexity compared with a locomotive built for only one power source.