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Post by calzephyr on Aug 5, 2016 5:48:32 GMT -8
The Siemens units are all on line now except for the two that were wrecked.
News
Amtrak: New locomotives have cut delays nearly 25 percent
Miami Herald 15 hours ago .
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The introduction of 70 new locomotives on Amtrak’s most heavily traveled line three years ago has contributed to a reduction in engine-related delays of nearly 25 percent, the national passenger railroad said Thursday. The last of the ACS-64 locomotives, called American Cities Sprinters, is being rolled out this month. They were put into service beginning in the summer of 2013 to replace an aging fleet that had been in operation for 20 to 30 years and had been driven an average of 3.5 million miles. The new engines are used on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line between Washington, D.C., and Boston, and its Keystone service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Statistics ...
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Post by dharris on Aug 5, 2016 6:44:40 GMT -8
One would hope new locomotives would cut locomotive caused delays over those of 30 year old engines.
I would expect the number to be far better than 25% however.
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Post by Amboy Secondary on Aug 5, 2016 16:20:27 GMT -8
One would hope new locomotives would cut locomotive caused delays over those of 30 year old engines. I would expect the number to be far better than 25% however. Yeah, really. 25% is significant, for Amtrak, however, FWIW, the "Meatballs" really did not have an above average failure rate to begin with. When they did, however, it was a big one. The HHP8s were very failure prone, which is why they were set aside before the Meatballs, as replacements arrived. |
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Post by orangec on Aug 5, 2016 16:55:21 GMT -8
I don't miss the HHP-8's in the least.
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Post by Spikre on Aug 16, 2016 10:08:24 GMT -8
 Wow,30 years old already !! seems it wasn't too long ago they were running along side the Gs at Ivy City. makes me feel OLD how time does fly. thought Electrics were Promoted as being Good for 40 years of service ? Spikre 
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 23, 2016 11:44:40 GMT -8
Wow,30 years old already !! seems it wasn't too long ago they were running along side the Gs at Ivy City. makes me feel OLD how time does fly. thought Electrics were Promoted as being Good for 40 years of service ? Spikre Optimism always seem to be used when defining the future years of service. Most electrics are good for many years, but it would seem that technology has overturned the normal life of any electrics or diesels. In the USA, the older diesels are suffering the same fate. Larry |
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Post by Amboy Secondary on Aug 23, 2016 16:00:22 GMT -8
Technology has a lot to do with it, usage also has a lot to do with the actual life of a locomotive.
The GG1, for instance, had frame crack issues which plagued the remaining motors from the 60s until the last one was retired. The 1930s era technology had long since been eclipsed, but like the energizer bunny...
The E60, was a POS from the get go, but Amtrak committed to them without sufficient testing, and they still managed to last from the early 1970s through to about 2002. Basically, an updated E44, with a box cab, and an MA set. Never met expectations, and after the test train wrecked, they were suspect.
The AM7 was the locomotive that did it all. Sustained 125MPH speed with 7-8 car trains daily from the late 1970s to just recently. The most successful motor during my career.
The HHP8 the absolute worst POS to ever run on the rails. Never met basic expectations along with frequent road failures. Plus poor visibility, and a no escape cab, the most confining loco ever.
ACS-64 Never on one, but sounds like it may work out.
All electrics, are by nature quirky, quite unlike diesels. They do go where a diesel can't. Now that they may have resolved the motor problem, they can acquire some new coaches to replace the 1960s technology Amfleet.
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Post by GP40P-2 on Aug 24, 2016 15:29:55 GMT -8
Wow,30 years old already !! makes me feel OLD how time does fly. Spikre Well at least the AEM-7 aged well, unlike a certain well known actor of the same era:  Feeling old yet? |
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Post by el3672 on Aug 25, 2016 14:40:51 GMT -8
LOL  
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 19:26:29 GMT -8
Amtrak also has a new electric to replace the Acela.
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Post by stevef45 on Aug 26, 2016 21:22:24 GMT -8
Didn't finish teh video. But the future replacement looks kinda cool. But I am surprised they would go with Alstom again after the debacle they had with the Acela and HHP's.
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Post by alcoc430 on Aug 31, 2016 8:55:55 GMT -8
Amtrak also has a new electric to replace the Acela. Thanks for posting the video. Great that they showed the train going over the Portal bridge. Love the paint scheme. |
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Post by antoniofp45 on Sept 1, 2016 5:50:19 GMT -8
Man I am with you from the heart! I still clearly remember when the AEM-7 was first announced. Don't remember the exact words but basically I said something along the lines of "That little box is what's replacing the GG1 and E60CP?". Of course, a few years later I had to eat humble pie regarding that thought, lol  ! Jim makes good points regarding electric power. But as a biased railfan/modeler, the E60 series had the features I liked: Big, sleek, boxy, with lots of pulling power. Even with their faults and 90mph restrictions, a single unit could still haul a sixteen car LD passenger train at speed. No doubt, that the ACS-64 is a "Fast and Furious" racer that should perform well for Amtrak. With that said, (I know this is silly) I can't help it sometimes when I look at that cab face and still laugh! I'm convinced that the designer in charge is or was an anime' cartoon fan!  Just my warped imagination again. Wow,30 years old already !! seems it wasn't too long ago they were running along side the Gs at Ivy City. makes me feel OLD how time does fly. thought Electrics were Promoted as being Good for 40 years of service ? Spikre Optimism always seem to be used when defining the future years of service. Most electrics are good for many years, but it would seem that technology has overturned the normal life of any electrics or diesels. In the USA, the older diesels are suffering the same fate. Larry |
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Post by Amboy Secondary on Sept 29, 2016 8:50:57 GMT -8
Didn't finish teh video. But the future replacement looks kinda cool. But I am surprised they would go with Alstom again after the debacle they had with the Acela and HHP's. Problem wasn't necessarily Alstom with the Acela, It was that it was a consortium with Alstom supplying the technology, and Bombardier building the train sets. The only thing those two companies had in common was the both spoke French. Once someone at Amtrak developed the courage to say Do it, most of the problems with the Acela went away. They are pretty reliable. Reminiscent of the development of the original Metroliner, back in the '60s, too many hands in the kitchen resulted in conflicting technology, within a car body or train set. Amtrak's reluctance to buy off the shelf (ICE train), for fear of criticism from the FRA or Congressional/Media critics, spawned the Acela program. This time, it's Alstom's all the way. This time, I hope the display software is in English.  |
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Post by jonklein611 on Sept 29, 2016 9:12:57 GMT -8
Didn't finish teh video. But the future replacement looks kinda cool. But I am surprised they would go with Alstom again after the debacle they had with the Acela and HHP's. Problem wasn't necessarily Alstom with the Acela, It was that it was a consortium with Alstom supplying the technology, and Bombardier building the train sets. The only thing those two companies had in common was the both spoke French. Once someone at Amtrak developed the courage to say Do it, most of the problems with the Acela went away. They are pretty reliable. Reminiscent of the development of the original Metroliner, back in the '60s, too many hands in the kitchen resulted in conflicting technology, within a car body or train set. Amtrak's reluctance to buy off the shelf (ICE train), for fear of criticism from the FRA or Congressional/Media critics, spawned the Acela program. This time, it's Alstom's all the way. This time, I hope the display software is in English. I think it was the HHP that was the real issue. Yes the Acela had some teething issues, but the HHP's just didn't work well, ever. |
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Post by stevef45 on Sept 29, 2016 16:45:03 GMT -8
Didn't finish teh video. But the future replacement looks kinda cool. But I am surprised they would go with Alstom again after the debacle they had with the Acela and HHP's. Problem wasn't necessarily Alstom with the Acela, It was that it was a consortium with Alstom supplying the technology, and Bombardier building the train sets. The only thing those two companies had in common was the both spoke French. Once someone at Amtrak developed the courage to say Do it, most of the problems with the Acela went away. They are pretty reliable. Reminiscent of the development of the original Metroliner, back in the '60s, too many hands in the kitchen resulted in conflicting technology, within a car body or train set. Amtrak's reluctance to buy off the shelf (ICE train), for fear of criticism from the FRA or Congressional/Media critics, spawned the Acela program. This time, it's Alstom's all the way. This time, I hope the display software is in English. We'll see what happens in a few years I guess. Was hoping to see some of that Siemens stuff from europe. I can't remember the names or maybe it was almost or bombadier that made those incredibly great looking multilevel cross country trains. Then there is that "ferrari" painted acela looking train too. |
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Post by stevef45 on Sept 29, 2016 17:47:00 GMT -8
Just spent some time looking at the high speed train sets available. NJ Transit should look into that Coradia regional range for their Arrow III replacements.
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