Passenger Trains > ALL of CalTrain's diesel fleet and galleries to Peru

Caltrain Diesel Fleet to Bring Passenger Rail Service to Peru
11/15/2024

Caltrain’s old trains to provide sustainability and mobility improvements for millions of Peruvians

Caltrain will send its retired diesel fleet to the Municipality of Lima, Peru to continue operating passenger service.

An official solicitation process was initiated to find a new home for this long-serving equipment. Lima, Peru expressed its desire to acquire all of the retired fleet. Following negotiations with the government of Lima, Caltrain has finalized an agreement that will transfer 90 retired gallery cars and 19 diesel locomotives to Peru. Caltrain will be reimbursed over $6 million for the retired vehicles.

-CalTrain

https://www.caltrain.com/news/caltrain-diesel-fleet-bring-passenger-rail-service-peru



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/24 21:59 by GenePoon.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5944220

Just amazes me and bothers me that this equipment, here in America, paid for by American tax dollars, isn't being put to good use in a new corridor.  Front Range trains?  Southeast trains?  Commuter service somewhere?  Regional service anywhere?

 

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just amazes me and bothers me that this equipment,
> here in America, paid for by American tax dollars,
> isn't being put to good use in a new corridor.
>  Front Range trains?  Southeast trains?
>  Commuter service somewhere?  Regional service
> anywhere?

Doesn't bother me that much, as there are other huge wastes of American tax dollars that people have no clue about. Besides, other agencies feel they have enough equipment to provide the services. Remember that Metrolink transferred some of their Bombardier cars to Caltrain.

It's a relief that even the diesels will continue to be used elsewhere, recycling at its best. As I said elsewhere about mutilating the prime movers, it ain't so until it's done...  and it wasn't done! I congratulate Caltrain and the Peruvians.

Fun fact : There is a Caltrain gallery car and a Chinese steam loco that was headed to the Susie-Q sitting within a ship at the bottom of Bay of Bengal (whatever the correct name) when it sank in the 1980's.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/24 03:52 by joemvcnj.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just amazes me and bothers me that this equipment,
> here in America, paid for by American tax dollars,
> isn't being put to good use in a new corridor.
>  Front Range trains?  Southeast trains?
>  Commuter service somewhere?  Regional service
> anywhere?
>
>  

New start commuter operators prefer Stadler DMUs and any new regional Amtrak trains will use displaced equipment or new Airos.

Note also that there was plenty of time for other operators to come to the table with interest for at least some of the gallery cars. Apparently there was no real serious interest.  Getting $6 million for Caltrain and having them used is so much better than having cars waste away or being heavily stripped by vandals.  

This event reminds me of the time many more years ago when the Key System Bridge Unit Cars ended service. They used to run over the San Francisco Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco.  When the service ended, many were re-purposed and carried on for many more years in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

It is amazing to me that people complain when a good deal is reached which gives taxpayers some assets for their retired equipment, which is still useful.  Secondly, the life span of these locos and equipoment have far surpassed the amoiunt of funds that were originally used to purchase them.  Are you still driving that 1965 oldsmobile?

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just amazes me and bothers me that this equipment,
> here in America, paid for by American tax dollars,
> isn't being put to good use in a new corridor.
>  Front Range trains?  Southeast trains?
>  Commuter service somewhere?  Regional service
> anywhere?
>
>  

So how did they get around that "CARB" act for the F40's - was there a legal loophole ?
I expect some of the equipment they bought will be used for parts. 

I think an F40 and a Gallery car deserved a place in the Sacramento museum as part of California rail history, but not now. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/24 07:47 by joemvcnj.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just amazes me and bothers me that this equipment,
> here in America, paid for by American tax dollars,
> isn't being put to good use in a new corridor.
>  Front Range trains?  Southeast trains?
>  Commuter service somewhere?  Regional service
> anywhere?
>
>  

Alas, that's the USA we now live in. However, Peru runs some nice trains so I salute them for recycling our cast-offs. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So how did they get around that "CARB" act for the
> F40's - was there a legal loophole ?
> I expect some of the equipment they bought will be
> used for parts. 
>
> I think an F40 and a Gallery car deserved a place
> in the Sacramento museum as part of California
> rail history, but not now. 

That may be so but look what CSRM did with the Santa Fe collection. 

There is a functional Amtrak F-40, #281 at the 
Calif. State RR Museum.
Used occasionally  to pull
museum excursions.
It is stored out of sight in the Erection Shop
across the UP tracks.
George Andrassy  



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/24 15:24 by Auburnrail.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So how did they get around that "CARB" act for the
> F40's - was there a legal loophole ?


Another article on the transfer says they got a waiver, so they could ship them without destroying the prime movers.

"To send the trains to Lima for further use, Caltrain had to first procure a waiver from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District so the trains could still return to service."

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/caltrain-international-buyer-retired-diesel-fleet-19919903.php

I wonder who is paying to ship them.  

 

The San Diego Trolley sent cars to a South American city years ago. Perhaps someone with more time than me can dig up the link to that story. 😉

Posted from iPhone

PacificElectric1961 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The San Diego Trolley sent cars to a South
> American city years ago. Perhaps someone with more
> time than me can dig up the link to that story.
> 😉
>
> Posted from iPhone

Mendoza, Argentina.

stevef Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Note also that there was plenty of time for other
> operators to come to the table with interest for
> at least some of the gallery cars. Apparently
> there was no real serious interest.  Getting $6
> million for Caltrain and having them used is so
> much better than having cars waste away or being
> heavily stripped by vandals.  

Unfortunately, the old, tried and true gallery car design is just not fashionable anymore.  They are a great design and have obviously served well since 1950 primarily in the Chicago area.  But now, every agency wants the "multi-level" design (because "everyone else is doing it") so that is what we are going to be stuck with.
 

Topfuel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> stevef Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Note also that there was plenty of time for
> other
> > operators to come to the table with interest
> for
> > at least some of the gallery cars. Apparently
> > there was no real serious interest.  Getting
> $6
> > million for Caltrain and having them used is so
> > much better than having cars waste away or
> being
> > heavily stripped by vandals.  
>
> Unfortunately, the old, tried and true gallery car
> design is just not fashionable anymore.  They are
> a great design and have obviously served well
> since 1950 primarily in the Chicago area.  But
> now, every agency wants the "multi-level" design
> (because "everyone else is doing it") so that is
> what we are going to be stuck with.
>  

The "multi-level" design cars are handicap accessible while the galleries are not for starters.

gallery cars ( main level) i think  could be modified thru ramps with dock plates, new doors, or wheelchair lifts or both.  Anything handicap lift wether hydraulic  or electric will have issues from time to time, ramps are scary hard to spot perfectly, and to build a fixed object so close train side is scary to me.

so have lifts with doors and dock plates in case the lift fails? for backups.

nice to see these cars find a home instead of dying a slow death thru vandalism arson and scrapping before their useful service lives have been used.  Ton of gallery cars are rusting away as is.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/24 09:43 by dan.

PacificElectric1961 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The San Diego Trolley sent cars to a South
> American city years ago. Perhaps someone with more
> time than me can dig up the link to that story.
> 😉
>
> Posted from iPhone


MTS actually just sent a bunch of their SD100s to Mendoza last year as well.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Remember that Metrolink transferred some
> of their Bombardier cars to Caltrain.

They weren't transferred.  Caltrain paid $15M for 16 of them, around 10 years ago.