On Monday, August 31, 2015 at 3:16:32 PM UTC-4, Stephen Sprunk wrote:   
   > I can't think of how that'd relate to trains with electric traction.   
      
   Very broadly, but the overall principal is the same--slower acceleration saves   
   power.  In old style DC power control systems, there was a control 'logic'   
   that regulated how much power was fed to the motors to accelerate the train.    
   They used a    
   combination of resistance and series/parallel connection of the motors.  The   
   economy mode optimized that combination to save on power.   
      
   In the earliest traction systems (100+ years ago), there was no logic, and the   
   motorman notched up by hand.  A good motorman was easy on equipment, but a bad   
   one wasted power and was rough on equipment.  Automatic control was developed   
   very early on.   
      
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