Passenger Trains > Hiawathas---charger teething problems?

Earlier this week 332 from MKE-CHI was cancelled due to mechanical problems on train 329 (which is it's turn). 332 is a VERY busy 8am departure from MKE.

Today I see the 334 and it's turn 335 are cancelled due to mechanical problems.

Chargers having some teething problems?

Posted from Android

Did they bus everybody?

MNNRfan Wrote:
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> Chargers having some teething problems?

How old does something have to be before it is no longer considered "teething" problems?

DevalDragon Wrote:
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> MNNRfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Chargers having some teething problems?
>
> How old does something have to be before it is no
> longer considered "teething" problems?

Have they been in service for more then one year yet?

Not having any trainsets laying over in Milwaukee, like in the past, contributes to a lack of resiliency!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/19 17:49 by mp51w.

The worst part is cancelling a Chicago to Milwaukee trip, that unbeknownst to those passengers, 335 has an equipment connection to the moribund Milwaukee train!
No contingency plan!  They can't even cobble together a minimal 3 car coach replacement train out of the yards!  Sad!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/19 17:53 by mp51w.

Teething problems= Siemens not stocking parts on hand to support equipment failures post warranty expiration! All of WSDOT and the 6 original Northern California Chargers are out of warranty, and facing similar issues.

Siemens wants to sell locomotives, but not be in the spare parts business.

Now 334/335/338/339 cancelled. Sounds like a set is stuck in Milwaukee maybe? I wonder if 342 will be cancelled too. 

EMD, we miss you.

So from what I found out, the charger isn’t the issue. And the trainset has been bad-ordered in Milwaukee. Going to be there overnight.

Alternative transportation was being arranged. Sometimes they'll put people on #8. Not sure what's its status was today or what they did.


Interesting that it was the trainset.
Wonder if it was air problems or bad flatspots on the wheels (which is doubtful)

Posted from Android

BrightLine seems to have very good availability for its Siemens Chargers.  It's extremely rare for a train to be cancelled, although it does happen.

The units have been operating long enough, in many different places, for some general trends to be determined...

Siemens is under contract to perform maintenance and has equipment availability incentives,. That is a huge difference from Amtrak’s situation.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> BrightLine seems to have very good availability
> for its Siemens Chargers.  It's extremely rare
> for a train to be cancelled, although it does
> happen.
>
> The units have been operating long enough, in many
> different places, for some general trends to be
> determined...

And someone says once they hit the LD Network problems will not happena gain, yeah right!

KM-ML4000 Wrote:
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> Siemens is under contract to perform maintenance
> and has equipment availability incentives,. That
> is a huge difference from Amtrak’s situation.
>
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BrightLine seems to have very good availability
> > for its Siemens Chargers.  It's extremely rare
> > for a train to be cancelled, although it does
> > happen.
> >
> > The units have been operating long enough, in
> many
> > different places, for some general trends to be
> > determined...


Thanks.

Incentives can get a lot of things to happen correctly.

Train 331 was bad ordered for wheels in Milwaukee and stayed there until 7:35pm when Amtrak 822 was sent from Chicago to pull the train to CUS

According to a previous poster no trains lay over in MKE.
I ASSUME that none are maintained in MKE.
Therefore 14th St must be the maintenance base.

If so we must ASSUME that the trainset left Chicago with a perfect
set of wheels that degraded over the 85 miles to Milwaukee. Probably
all that torturous curvature on the old Milwaukee Road.  

Would be interesting to know if the wheels were B/O because of 
an enroute occurrence that caused one or more to get flat spots
over the FRA limit
OR
like many things in Chicago there was a supernatural degradation of the
equipment between the time it left the yard after its last maintenance period
and the time someone not connected with 14th St. looked at it.

Since many Amtrak management teams since Claytor have tried to straighten out
Chicago and failed I suggest an alternative.  Bring in some paranormal investigators.
There must be some supernatural force at work that attacks the trains after the
top notch forces at 14th St. have gone over them with their usual fine tooth comb.

Wick Moorman said he would put 24/7 eyes into 14th Street Chicago. And he sent a retired NS mechanical guy in there.

That was a long time ago...

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Wick Moorman said he would put 24/7 eyes into 14th
> Street Chicago.

And he sent a retired NS
> mechanical guy in there.

Another guy looking to get another pension check, like his NS penson wouldn't be enough
>
> That was a long time ago...
>
> Posted from Android

Nobody has been able to straighten it out.
Troubles must be beyond normal human intervention.
Hence my call for paranormal investigation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/19 07:37 by Englewood.

Does Wisconsin have the leverage to cancel their Amtrak contract for Hiawatha trains, and put out to bid or award to Metra ? It needs to happen somewhere at least once to give Anderson/Gardner/Coscia a wake-up call that their corridor-only agenda can also go up in smoke. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/19 08:19 by joemvcnj.