Editing Distributed power (section)

==Users==
[[File:BHPB Iron Ore 4345 + 5647.JPG|thumb|[[BHP|BHP Billiton Iron Ore]] [[EMD SD70|EMD SD70ACe]] No.&nbsp;4345 (left) and GE CM40-8 No.&nbsp;5647 ''Abydos'' (right), marshalled as distributed power units, in a loaded [[iron ore]] train at Nelson Point yard, [[Port Hedland]], Western Australia, April 2012.]]

Distributed power (often known by the proprietary name, "Locotrol") is used in the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[Australia]] ([[Queensland]], the [[Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]], and in the southwest of Western Australia), Brazil, Germany, Russia and [[South Africa]].<ref>[[Railways Africa]] 2008/4</ref>  It is also (or has been) in regular unit-train operation in India, Mauritania, and Mexico, and 
almost made it into operation in both pre- and post-revolutionary Iran.

In the south of Western Australia, Locotrol is used in the "top-and-tail" configuration rather than specifically for long-train operation. With the recent advent of [[electronically controlled pneumatic brakes]] (ECP)&mdash;either hard-wired or radio-controlled&mdash;and integrated electronics for locomotive control and operator's cab display systems, DP can now be provided via the ECP brake communication media, and other manufacturers are able to provide this capability. A recent{{When|date=May 2022}} DP system from Wabtec, called PowerLink (which can be either wired or wireless) is in use in Queensland on narrow-gauge coal trains and in the North of Western Australia on standard-gauge iron ore trains.

Distributed power in a wired configuration (using the ECP trainline) is becoming increasingly common in North American and Australian heavy-haul unit-train operations.