A system and a method for determining a true acceleration and velocity of a locomotive and for controlling wheel slip and wheel skid of the locomotive is disclosed. The system, using accelerometers, can control the velocity of the wheels of the locomotive based on the comparison between a true locomotive velocity signal and a wheel velocity signal such that an actual tangential speed of the wheels is regulated to correspond to the true locomotive longitudinal velocity plus an allowance velocity for creepage. The accelerometer can also be used at the same time for impact detection purposes. Furthermore, if a set of accelerometers are used, the locomotive can also play a diagnostic role for track quality reporting in rail yards. The control of wheel slip and wheel is particularly useful in DC locomotive applications with individual axle control.