Passenger Trains > SC44s

Am I mistaken or did Amtrak order 75 SC44s for it's long distance trains?   I wonder how many P42s are covering the long distance trains now?

Thanks for any answers.

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

Amtrak has 75 SC44s ordered and an option of buying up to an additional 100 (175 total).

P42s and Dash 8s are holding down the West Coast LD trains. I have no idea what is being used elsewhere.

The P42s are covering all of the long distance trains as well as many of the corridor diesel sets, especially in the Northeast. It’s a waste of power seeing them on the Springfield Line shuttles.

Posted from iPhone

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The P42s are covering all of the long distance
> trains as well as many of the corridor diesel
> sets, especially in the Northeast. It’s a waste
> of power seeing them on the Springfield Line
> shuttles.
>
> Posted from iPhone

What other units are available?

Lease a few switchers and put the P32 units on the shuttles.

Posted from Android

Lol but that won't be happening. In fact, a P32-8BWH not only has poor acceleration, but it is worst than a Genesis unit. The P32-8BWH units are only good for 80 and on the Springfield Line, Amtrak trains get up to 90 between just north of Mill River Interlocking and a few miles south of Wallingford. They are able to do 110 between Berlin and Hartford. P42s and Amfleets are good for 110 mph.

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lol but that won't be happening. In fact, a
> P32-8BWH not only has poor acceleration, but it is
> worst than a Genesis unit. The P32-8BWH units are
> only good for 80 and on the Springfield Line,
> Amtrak trains get up to 90 between just north of
> Mill River Interlocking and a few miles south of
> Wallingford. They are able to do 110 between
> Berlin and Hartford. P42s and Amfleets are good
> for 110 mph.

Why are the P32s only good for 80? They were geared for 103 when built weren't they? Have they been regeared?

Duane Witte
Holt, MO

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lol but that won't be happening. In fact, a
> P32-8BWH not only has poor acceleration, but it is
> worst than a Genesis unit. The P32-8BWH units are
> only good for 80 and on the Springfield Line,
> Amtrak trains get up to 90 between just north of
> Mill River Interlocking and a few miles south of
> Wallingford. They are able to do 110 between
> Berlin and Hartford. P42s and Amfleets are good
> for 110 mph.


Correction, they are good for 100

So, would Amtrak be better off putting the P32 units on long distance trains, leaving the P42 units on the CT shuttles, and leasing some switchers to handle the current P32 duties?

Is Amtrak rebuilding / renewing any of the P42 units replaced by new state sponsored units? Or are they sitting out behind the roundhouse. Losing a part here, a part there, etc.

AMTRAK has around 15 P32 locomotives.  That is obviously not enough to have them run the long-distance trains.  We have about 180 P42s which explains why they are the main locomotive for the off-corridor trains.

The new Siemens contract is for 75 locomotives.  Most likely, they will put a Siemens with a P42 until they get more money to buy more SC44s (for the trains that use two locomotives).  I want to express that AMTRAK engineers have little faith in the Siemens engines performing well in a long-distance role.  They run extremely hot.  They have four turbochargers on top of the engine with additional emissions equipment on top of that running at a very high temperature to meet diesel emissions standards.  We've had lots of trouble with these engines.  Maybe with time they can sort it out, Siemens is a good company.  However, the engines have terrible problems with wheel slip that will be a big issue in the mountains that some long-distance trains traverse.  And finally, they have a pathetic plow, which will be an issue in the winter with heavy snow, large boulders, and trees.  Not looking forward to their addition to the fleet.  All that being said, they may make changes to the commuter version to improve their long-distance performance (larger plow).  We will see.

I don't know if Amtrak plans to use bio-diesel on its SC-44 units, but BrightLine does.  There's a stencil on each unit reminding that Florida Power & Light and BrightLine use recycled cooking oil as part of the fuel mixture.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know if Amtrak plans to use bio-diesel on
> its SC-44 units, but BrightLine does.  There's a
> stencil on each unit reminding that Florida Power
> & Light and BrightLine use recycled cooking oil as
> part of the fuel mixture.

The ONLY reason BrightLine Florida is able to use bio-diesel is because they have the infrastructure and supply contract in place for it.

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't know if Amtrak plans to use bio-diesel
> on
> > its SC-44 units, but BrightLine does.  There's
> a
> > stencil on each unit reminding that Florida
> Power
> > & Light and BrightLine use recycled cooking oil
> as
> > part of the fuel mixture.
>
> The ONLY reason BrightLine Florida is able to use
> bio-diesel is because they have the infrastructure
> and supply contract in place for it.

Having FPL on your side helps, too.

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't know if Amtrak plans to use bio-diesel
> on
> > its SC-44 units, but BrightLine does.  There's
> a
> > stencil on each unit reminding that Florida
> Power
> > & Light and BrightLine use recycled cooking oil
> as
> > part of the fuel mixture.
>
> The ONLY reason BrightLine Florida is able to use
> bio-diesel is because they have the infrastructure
> and supply contract in place for it.

They're also a "closed loop" operation. The locomotives don't leave.