Passenger Trains > Two New Chargers En Route

Evidently there are two "new" Chargers headed to Chicago on Train 4, coming out of FRA's facility east of Pueblo. #26 and #30.
Presumably these "consortium units" are eventually destined for Michigan Wolverine and/or Bluewater service, which has already had 2+ years of delay while the locomotives were "tested and outfitted."
In a related note, Amtrak has modified the order for "long distance" chargers to install a larger pilot, and a removable nose cone.
This coming from Illinois experiences, that already indicate the European locomotive design does not work well with North American trucks/trailers at road crossings.
Oddly, there will also be a third rail cutout in the pilots.
While just an opinion, this indicates that the intention is not to use Chargers on long distance trains at all, but to use them in the northeast corridor.
There is absolutely no need whatsoever for new Chargers to run on New York City third-rail territory (where they are presumably banned from actual operation).
Is this another case where "long distance train money" will be subsidizing commuter services on the NEC?
A whole fleet of them parked at New Haven just in case the caternary or a substation goes down?
Or is it merely so that the new engines will have the flexibility of being towed back and forth through Penn Station en route to other duties?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/19 09:33 by 79mph.

The plows on the F40PH's had the "third rail notch" too.

Locomotives that could run in Maine and the Connecticut Valley need to be able to access Washington, and that means haulage encountering LIRR 3rd rail. It has nothing to do with hauling commuter trains.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/19 16:32 by joemvcnj.

Spec for the P40/42 was that it could travel anywhere on the Amtrak system.
The spec for the charger hasn't changed in that regard.

79mph Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Evidently there are two "new" Chargers headed to
> Chicago on Train 4, coming out of FRA's facility
> east of Pueblo. #26 and #30.
> Presumably these "consortium units" are eventually
> destined for Michigan Wolverine and/or Bluewater
> service, which has already had 2+ years of delay
> while the locomotives were "tested and
> outfitted."
> In a related note, Amtrak has modified the order
> for "long distance" chargers to install a larger
> pilot, and a removable nose cone.
> This coming from Illinois experiences, that
> already indicate the European locomotive design
> does not work well with North American
> trucks/trailers at road crossings.
> Oddly, there will also be a third rail cutout in
> the pilots.
> While just an opinion, this indicates that the
> intention is not to use Chargers on long distance
> trains at all, but to use them in the northeast
> corridor.
> There is absolutely no need whatsoever for new
> Chargers to run on New York City third-rail
> territory (where they are presumably banned from
> actual operation).
> Is this another case where "long distance train
> money" will be subsidizing commuter services on
> the NEC?
> A whole fleet of them parked at New Haven just in
> case the caternary or a substation goes down?
> Or is it merely so that the new engines will have
> the flexibility of being towed back and forth
> through Penn Station en route to other duties?

Apparently they will have the same nose cone design as the Via Rail units.