Passenger Trains > Ailing Chargers Shoved Back To Los Angeles

With a Washington state Charger locomotive leading the shove, two Chargers and a pair of Amtrak locomotives limp back to Los Angeles from Northridge tonight, after an ill-fated attempt to send the equipment to Seattle on train 14 today.

Shortly after departing Los Angeles this morning, the train developed mechanical issues, and the suspect equipment was set out at Northridge.

Number 14 took a 3-hour hit. The Chargers were shoved back to Los Angeles at restricted speed after Surfliner 785 — the last northbound Amtrak train of the night — passed about 8 p.m.

The video shows the start of the shove. The photo shows the train on the main, prior to departure.

As luck would have it, I just stumbled on the scene at the right moment. I went down to Santa Susana to catch number 11 tonight, and once I was there it dawned on me that I was just over the hill from Northridge. It was still light, so I decided to go check it out. At best, I figured maybe I would get a shot of the locomotives on the siding. But to my surprise, they were just getting ready to move them when I arrived.

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I didn't see any headlights or ditch lights illuminated on the leading Charger.
Aren't those supposed to be on?

That's very interesting. Any word on the cause of the problem?

(Knocking wood) The Brightline sets in Florida seem to do be doing well with their testing, stopping, accelerating with their trains, etc. Two and sometimes three sets are out most days.

PHall Wrote:
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> I didn't see any headlights or ditch lights
> illuminated on the leading Charger.
> Aren't those supposed to be on?


Dead in tow. No power available to power the lights.

Pardon but if the cables are connected to operating locomotives, that gives them electrical power for lights doesn't it. Otherwise you would have to hang an EOT on the rear coupler. You wouldn't be allowed to drive your car with no tail lights at night.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/17 09:16 by dcfbalcoS1.

NJ Transit usually hangs red flags on the rear of its "hospital trains" during daylight hours. Sometimes a blinking red light. It's possible that electric failures etc might make illumination impossible from the HEP or locomotive.

PHall Wrote:
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> I didn't see any headlights or ditch lights
> illuminated on the leading Charger.
> Aren't those supposed to be on?

According to the information I have, that is because they were technically not leading. It was a backup move.

Those darn engines have inconvenienced hundreds of passengers

mp51w Wrote:
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> Those darn engines have inconvenienced hundreds of
> passengers

Yet there are those making statements like Metrolink should have bought Chargers instead of the F125s.

El_Duderino Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I didn't see any headlights or ditch lights
> > illuminated on the leading Charger.
> > Aren't those supposed to be on?
>
>
> Dead in tow. No power available to power the
> lights.

If the MU cables are connected and the Headlight selector switches are properly positioned. There will be lights.
Even if the battery switches in the chargers are open. Power comes through the MU cable...

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
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> Pardon but if the cables are connected to
> operating locomotives, that gives them electrical
> power for lights doesn't it. Otherwise you would
> have to hang an EOT on the rear coupler. You
> wouldn't be allowed to drive your car with no tail
> lights at night.


HEP is not supposed to be run through the Chargers when they're dead. A marker is only required during daytime hours on occupied passenger equipment, otherwise it's only required during periods of low visibility. A flashlight mounted to the rear quaifies as a marker. Heck, many years ago I was a conductor on an overnight hospital train with no HEP. Once the batteries in the last car died I held my flashlight out the rear, up until my flashlight's batteries died. Then I found a glowstick and held it out the rear. After that, for a while I carried and handful of red glowsticks in my bag just in case that ever happened to me again. I only recently got rid of them because I discovered they expired several years ago, and I haven't replaced them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/17 13:01 by OTG.

None of those sound like a highly visible marker, lol.

Posted from Android

Power through an MU cable does not involve the HEP lines.

Why where they even down here in Los Angeles?

CPRR Wrote:
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> Why where they even down here in Los Angeles?


routing from Pueblo: added to the SW Chief at La Junta (?) to LA, on to Seattle on the Starlight. A while back it was reported that the impacts of going through Denver make the change in routing after the run in in Pueblo was complete.