The smoke and chugging sounds ( The sound of an airplane in case of the EMDs) set aside, I don't observe much difference during a regular run. The ALCO's do give a cruising feel when they are switching motor configurations, but for the most part, there I don't feel any difference in the ride quality. Acceleration is definitely more rapid for the electric locos, but unless the LP is notching up aggressively, the difference there too isn't much.