ABSTRACT
The railway vehicle which provides the necessary traction power for the movement of a train is often referred to as a locomotive. Traction power may use steam, diesel or electric power.
The first power generation system used for traction was steam. Indeed, the spread of the railways was primarily due to the industrial revolution of steam. The first steam vehicle appeared in 1804 and was used for railway traction in the 1830s. For more than 120 years, the steam engine was the principal traction mode for railways .
