Amtrak Siemens Charger locomotive (SC44, ALC42, ALC42E) (2015 - 1Q 2024)

[Agent]

Yesterday, YouTube user Sky Rider filmed P42s AMTK 3 and 130 pulling the newly-released Chargers CDTX 2109 and 2110.

 

[Pere Flyer]

Yesterday, YouTube user Sky Rider filmed P42s AMTK 3 and 130 pulling the newly-released Chargers CDTX 2109 and 2110.

What type of livery do those Chargers have?

 

[Blackwolf]

Yesterday, YouTube user Sky Rider filmed P42s AMTK 3 and 130 pulling the newly-released Chargers CDTX 2109 and 2110.

CalTrans. (AKA California State trains.)

 

[Pere Flyer]

Yesterday, YouTube user Sky Rider filmed P42s AMTK 3 and 130 pulling the newly-released Chargers CDTX 2109 and 2110.

What type of livery do those Chargers have?

CalTrans. (AKA California State trains.)

Thanks. The sides are sparsely painted compared to other Charger units.

 

[railiner]

Perhaps they will have decals added later?

 

[jis]

Perhaps they will have decals added later?

May even be easy to apply/remove route specific ones - Surfliner, Capitol and San Joaquin.

 

[TiBike]

Maybe not for long

:

https://yescalifornia.org/

I didn’t realize that the people building the Chargers in California weren’t American.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

I didn’t realize that the people building the Chargers in California weren’t American.

yes American workers working for a German builder.

 

[jis]

I didn’t realize that the people building the Chargers in California weren’t American.

yes American workers working for a German builder.

Actually an American subsidiary of a German company, if one wants to pick nits

All those that are employed however, are American.

Even the American loco builders don't do as well in America anymore as they do outside America. And unbeknownst to the relatively insular American, American loco builders actually build and sell hundreds of passenger diesels either in subsidiaries or via license to partners all over the world. It is just that American don't run enough passenger trains to make it worth their while to deal with the complexities of the American environment anymore. The greater profits are elsewhere.

This incidentally, has been true for quite a while. Alco engines have lived on for decades though offshore manufacture and deployment literally in many hundred if not thousand way after Alco and MLW ceased to do anything in America.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I didn’t realize that the people building the Chargers in California weren’t American.

yes American workers working for a German builder.

And how many Germans work for American companies in Germany?

 

[jrud]

I didn’t realize that the people building the Chargers in California weren’t American.

yes American workers working for a German builder.

As a note. I read that a large percentage of the people working for Stadler in Utah had been brought in from Poland. Another Stadler plant is in Poland. Reading about the Siemens plant in California it appears to be mostly local workers. Maybe Stadler will change over Time.

 

[jis]

Stadler though is a Swiss company.

 

[railiner]

When foreign owned companies first set up production in the States, they will bring top management, as well as some middle and lower supervisor's over as well, to get the plant started, train American worker's in the Company culture etc., and over time, let American's grow into the higher ranks. This way they can insure quality control is up to their standards...

That is how the car manufacturer's did this. Sometimes, they also have to bring over skilled laborer's in some position's, due to a shortage of those skills over here....

 

[PVD]

My niece went to work for a German company, that decided to take a different course. They recruited heavily in the US for supervisory and most management positions and shipped them over to Europe for training after 3 months of company paid German language training in Arlington, VA. Germany had issues with the large numbers of highly compensated foreign workers (yes it was meant for then to train to come back here, I get it, but the German Gov't didn't). They ended up doing 6 months at company operations in Ireland and England where obviously the German language school was not something they needed.. This is a retail giant, not manufacturing, a bit different.

 

[cirdan]

Vastly larger number of EMD locomotives are now manufactured outside the US and indeed outside North America, either under license or in joint ventures involving EMD.

For example the diesel passenger workhorse of Indian Railways (WDP-4 and derivatives) is manufactured in India under license, together with a series of derivative designs. 100s of them are built each year. In addition EMD also has a joint venture factory for manufacturing a different class of freight locomotives.

In these days of globalization and global supply chains, there are doubtlessly myriad parts and components in those locomotives from other countries, or themselves made under license from manufacturers in other countries. For example the Indians have made a lot of progress in things like turbochargers and generators over this last decade or so and the US versions of those locomotives may well include parts made under license or with at least royalties baing payed to Indian companies. So when these designs are in turn licensed to Indian manufacturers, there are complex two-way payments of licenses going on-.

 

[seat38a]

Saw two Chargers parked at the Amtrak Depot Los Angeles. I'm guessing these are 2 of 14 that were ordered for the Surfliners.

 

[frequentflyer]

Saw two Chargers parked at the Amtrak Depot Los Angeles. I'm guessing these are 2 of 14 that were ordered for the Surfliners.

Thanks for the pic, I forgot the F59s are getting phased out too. Wonder if the "Surf" is getting a branding or livery change.

 

[keelhauled]

There was a picture I saw of a Charger with Surfliner lettering. As I recall it also had the Amtrak logo, which I thought was interesting. It had seemed like CADOT was branding their equipment as Caltrans and removing Antrak imagery.

 

[seat38a]

There was a picture I saw of a Charger with Surfliner lettering. As I recall it also had the Amtrak logo, which I thought was interesting. It had seemed like CADOT was branding their equipment as Caltrans and removing Antrak imagery.

The State owned EMD engines have always had Caltrans branding on them. None of the SoCal engines are State owned. The State Owned engines are primarily based in NorCal which is where you will see them the most.

 

[keelhauled]

Here we are. The original poster of this image said "courtesy Siemens," so I assume it's a publicity photo.

 

[cpotisch]

Here we are. The original poster of this image said "courtesy Siemens," so I assume it's a publicity photo.

Yay! Finally! I've always had a soft spot for the F59PHIs, but that is a worthy replacement.

 

[sitzplatz17]

Here we are. The original poster of this image said "courtesy Siemens," so I assume it's a publicity photo.

So far this would be my favorite Charger livery. None of them have been great, but I'm looking forward to seeing these locos paired with the rest of the Surfliner equipment.

 

[cpotisch]

I gotta say, I get the point of the spoiler, but it is ugly as hell.

 

[bcanedy]

I gotta say, I get the point of the spoiler, but it is ugly as hell.

My friends and I had a similar conversation last week that any locomotive looks a little funky when not attached to its train.

 

[seat38a]

Hmmmm I'm wondering if those two CalTrans Chargers that I saw were brought down to SoCal for testing and training for the eventual arrival of the Surfliner painted engines. The NorCal trains don't have any real separate brand identity other than the the names San Joaquins/Capitol Corridor but the SoCal train does.