How much power does the generator from the diesel need to produce in order to bring the train up to running speed?
Power would be measured in watts (volts x amps) and for a diesel-electric loco it is going to be several thousand. A surge on starting to take up the train, then settle to optimum level as the train gets under way. Can't give you an exact figure as it varies according to different loco classes, load requirements, etc.
I'll add to what Rango said here. It really does depend on the locomotive. It depends on the train too, as well as the terrain. It's a careful manipulation of the throttle sometimes. There are times where a train of empties will follow you around with no problem. And sometimes in those cases you have to watch the amp guage because the amps can creep up on you and you gain unwanted speed. This may be in throttle positions 2, 3, or 4. Then there's times when you may have 100 plus loads, and one of your three engines had to be shut down for mechanical problems. Then you wish there was something you could do just to squeeze out a few dozen extra amps while in number 8 position. One engine I really miss is the old SD-9. That was the engine I learned on even though it was older than me. It held on to the track very well, could pull all day long with no maximum amperage load times, and allowed you to feel what the train was doing as if you had your hands on it.
At 600 volts they usually pull a maximum of around 1500 amps, that is short term, sustainable would be somewhere 1000 to 1200, depends on the locomotive.
