dynamic braking

American  

noun

Railroads.

1. a braking system used on electric and diesel-electric locomotives in which the leads of the electric motors can be reversed so that the motors act as generators, offering resistance to the rotating wheel axles and dissipating kinetic energy, thereby retarding the locomotive.

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Etymology

Origin of dynamic braking

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The train was not equipped with ECP brakes; instead its locomotive used dynamic braking — electric traction motors acting as generators, which slow the train and dissipate mechanical energy as heat.

From Washington Post • Feb. 27, 2023