MikefromCrete
Engineer
The press release is still not posted on Amtrak.com. Could this be "fake news?"
For that limited application, 70 mph max speed and not meeting northeast clearance dimensions would not be an issue.Word on the street is they are for Auto Train.
I doubt it. TBH, I wasn't supposed to post it; but I didn't know at the time. A friend of mine regularly sends me links to news articles & such about Amtrak, usually from the closed-off sections of Train Orders. He had just sent me something else from TO, then sent this. Since I had not seen it before & didn't see anything online about it, I shared it. Twasn't till much later I found out he had gotten it from a friend of his who is a manager @ Amtrak & it wasn't supposed to have gone public. At that point it was too late to do anything about it.The press release is still not posted on Amtrak.com. Could this be "fake news?"
I'm pretty sure the ET44AC has 6 traction motors, I didn't see anything in the e-mail that indicated they would be using the ET44C4.the ES44AC is a design of over 10 years old , it only had 4 traction motors (A1A-A1A) so what would be gained ?? 200 hp over a P42 barely enough to make up for extra weight .
Not so sure ride is going to be comfortable at that speed in a lead sled of such dimensions. not to mention extra maintenance of the 6 wheel trucks and problems with clearances in North East ?
I doubt you will see much in terms of potential purchase, as locomotive in no way would conform to PRII requirements.
And the relevance of that on what diesel engine is used in diesel territory is?The LD trains leaving NYP/SSYD all leave electric except the LSL which runs with a DM until Albany
Oh. Well, that would work. Most passenger trains need "passenger gearing" so they can decelerate quickly to a stop and accelerate quickly away from a stop; for fuel efficiency you really want regenerative braking as well. You want a passenger unit.Word on the street is they are for Auto Train.
Considering the fact that GE has demonstration units already built for prospective freight railroads looking to test power, and I'm sure that some of them are of the "heavy" variety that is annotated by the H in the type designator, I would expect the program to be operational at about the middle of July.I got sent an internal press release via a friend from Amtrak (he doesn't work for Amtrak). I'll work on getting a link to it. But in essence it states that GE will be installing HEP into two Tier 4 ES44ACH locomotives to evaluate the performance of the locomotives in a "passenger-oriented environment." They mention that the current fleet of P40/2s is slated to be replaced by the end of FY 2025.
"These tests are scheduled to continue through the duration of 2017 and will coincide with future programs involving the testing of new single-level passenger equipment on long-distance trains." (Viewliners?)
peter
Previously six-axle passenger locomotives (P30CH, etc.), based upon freight designs, have been rated for about 100 mph, which is also the maximum design speed for the Superliner passenger cars they'd be hauling.Oh. Well, that would work. Most passenger trains need "passenger gearing" so they can decelerate quickly to a stop and accelerate quickly away from a stop; for fuel efficiency you really want regenerative braking as well. You want a passenger unit.Word on the street is they are for Auto Train.
But the Auto Train has practically a freight profile, being point to point, with only one intermediate stop for the crew change, and a very long heavy consist.
Also the Auto Train will never need to exceed the top speed of these locos (whereas the Lake Shore Limited already does need to, and the Texas Eagle, Coast Starlight, and others might need to in the forseeable future).
It remains to be seen whether this thread represents fantasy or not.Boy - this group can really run off on a wild fantasy trail based on next to nothing!
True, though a minor point of clarification is that I believe the Superliner IIs are technically good for 125 mph like the California/Surfliner bilevels, but since they're used interchangeably with the Superliner Is with their 100 mph trucks, Amtrak never bothered to certify 'em for 125. Either way, 90 mph is the max speed of any of the long distance trains in diesel territory currently with the exception of the Lake Shore Limited, which can hit 110 mph briefly in New York.Previously six-axle passenger locomotives (P30CH, etc.), based upon freight designs, have been rated for about 100 mph, which is also the maximum design speed for the Superliner passenger cars they'd be hauling.
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