Battery Type for a Special Project.

Hi all - hoping everyone is well doing whatever you are doing wherever that is.

Once again I am looking for some input from all you experienced and knowledgeable folk that make this forum so valuable.

I am involved as a volunteer in restoring the odd (1950's / 1960's era) diesel electric locomotive to service that once graced our local and national railway systems. They will be returned to a low frequency tourist railway type service.

Part of this is the need for new batteries, but the "problem" as I see it is going to be the re-charge of these batteries given the old (basic) technology involved.

This particular project requires a 96V bank which is charged simply by placing it across a regulated 110V DC generator used to run all the electrics aside from the traction motors. Starting is achieved by applying this 96V bank to the same generator which then acts as a starter motor (it is directly coupled to the engine).

That equates to a voltage of 13.75V per 12V battery for "charging" and for what I know that will not be very good for re-charging most current starting batteries which seem to be Calcium and are charged at about 14.4V in automotive type situations.

Original batteries were 16 x 6V plain old Lead Acid batteries (high CCA) but we could use 8 x 12V batteries as current replacement with some size constraints (need to be around large car size batteries).

Exide list a Gel battery (the Prevailer) that seems to have the lowest voltage charge and float profile (14.1 for bulk and 13.5 - 13.8 float) as compared to their Calcium (14.8 for bulk and 13.5 - 13.8 float).

So thoughts and suggestions please ?? Do we just need to find plain old vanilla flavoured batteries somewhere ??

Ken