The paper analyzes the operation conditions of carriage batteries on Russian railways, the advantages and demerits of lead-acid and nickel-cadmium systems are compared. A conclusion is made that only the alkaline nickel-cadmium battery can reliably supply power to carriages in the climatic conditions of Russian Federation. The performance of a maintenance-free nickel-cadmium battery being designed by Elecont Ltd. (Saint-Petersburg) is described.
