Passenger Trains > Amtrak AEM-7s to Rhode Island

On Saturday night, about 15 Amtrak AEM-7s took the NEC north to a destination in Rhode Island. Anyone know where they are going?

Posted from iPhone

To storage in Davisville for now.

Alleged to have been bought by Keolis (operator of MBTA commuter rail) for testing purposes.

MBTA/Keolis testing 15 AEM7s for commuter rail is an interesting development for the commuter rail service that radiates out of South Station. Currently, except perhaps during rush hour, I believe south side service trains aren't dedicated to a specific route such that a Worcester line train can turn at South Station to become a Providence line train, etc. This gives the T flexibilty in using their equipment and perhaps minimizes dwell time at South Station's limited # of tracks. But with AEM7s in use, Providence line equipment will obviously not be able to be used elsewhere. Probably not a big deal but if the T's goal is to speed up Providence commuter trains to stay out of the way of Amtrak traffic (especially in the afternoon and evening), perhaps the T should start adding high level platforms at Canton Jct, Mansfield, Sharon, S Attleboro, and Attleboro suburban stations to deduce load/unload dwell time.

I also just read in a related discussion thread on railroad.net that a substation installed by Amtrak at Sharon MA when the NH to BOS track was electrified is insufficient to power both Amtrak service and MBTA electric-powered commuter trains. The net was that this capital $ would need to be invested to upgrade this substation before electrified T service could be implemented.Of course if MBTA/Keolis just wanted to evaluate electrification perhaps they could do so during off peak hours.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/19 03:03 by JPB.

Could they run a train with an AEM-7 on one end and a diesel on the other, and use them on any train with one loco off line, the other on line, the offline line one functioning as a cab car ?

Fifteen engines is alot for just testing.  The grand plan in Boston is to eventually electrify all the lines, with the Newburyport/Rockport Line to be done first on the North Side.  We'll see.

Strange choice of a North-of-Boston route foe electrification. Anybody know the logic?  

march_hare Wrote:
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> Strange choice of a North-of-Boston route foe
> electrification. Anybody know the logic?  

FWIR. the wanted to electrify a North Side route so that North Station gets wire up, with the hope of eventually doing the North South Rail Link.   Why the Newburyport Line, I do not know, except that it's really a two in one set up:  trains to Rockport as well as trains to Newburyport.

sums007 Wrote:
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> march_hare Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Strange choice of a North-of-Boston route foe
> > electrification. Anybody know the logic?  
>
> FWIR. the wanted to electrify a North Side route
> so that North Station gets wire up, with the hope
> of eventually doing the North South Rail Link. 
>  Why the Newburyport Line, I do not know, except
> that it's really a two in one set up:  trains to
> Rockport as well as trains to Newburyport.

The Rockport/Newburyport side also avoids any potential conflict with Pan Am about freight clearances under the wire. There might still be a customer or two in the Salem area and there are the stone trains to Boston Sand & Gravel, but that's about it. Just a thought.

Buying 15 locomotives for a service that is a decade, at least, in the future, seems like a hail mary pass.  Considering this is the same place that built the Big Dig.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Buying 15 locomotives for a service that is a
> decade, at least, in the future, seems like a hail
> mary pass.  Considering this is the same place
> that built the Big Dig.


But them now and store them so that they'll available when you need them.
The cost of buying new would probably eat all of the profits, if any.

Well, Keolis is a worldwide organization...... .  Are these a uniform lot of AC-motored machines, if anyone knows ?

SZ

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Buying 15 locomotives for a service that is a
> > decade, at least, in the future, seems like a
> hail
> > mary pass.  Considering this is the same place
> > that built the Big Dig.
>
>
> But them now and store them so that they'll
> available when you need them.
> The cost of buying new would probably eat all of
> the profits, if any.

True.  But these aren't nearly new units.  Built in the early 1980s, some were rebuilt, still they've got a lot of wear on them.

If all that it takes to put them on Providence trains is to upgrade a substation, that could be done in a lot less than a decade. To go to Wickford Jct., however, wire would need to be strung over the third main through Warwick to there.

Im gonna guess they paid 100K a piece for them. All for less than it cost for 1 new engine.
Figure 6 best for providence service, 2 spares,  4 for parts, 4 extra.

Just a guess...

I believe initial electrification out of North Station will not go all the way to Rockport or Newburyport.  Current discussions seem to focus on electric service defitiely to Lynn and probably Salem at one point. And for years there have been plans suggested to extend the Blue Line to Lynn and possibly to Salem.  I assume it will be quite some time before any type of work begins.

Are the New Jersey Transit ALP-44 units still sitting out in the wilderness somewhere? If Rhode Island wants old electric units, NJ might part with them for a few bucks.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Are the New Jersey Transit ALP-44 units still
> sitting out in the wilderness somewhere? If Rhode
> Island wants old electric units, NJ might part
> with them for a few bucks.

Are those still in one piece or have the metal thieves had their way with them yet?

toledopatch Wrote:
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> If all that it takes to put them on Providence
> trains is to upgrade a substation, that could be
> done in a lot less than a decade. To go to
> Wickford Jct., however, wire would need to be
> strung over the third main through Warwick to
> there.

Same for the two station tracks at Attleboro.

Were these the modified AC ones or DC ?

They're remans (AC).
905, 946, 940, 921, 943, 925, 948, 923, 927, 935, 908, 920, 919, 917, 941
The ALPs are in worse shape, and haven't been touched by anything but Sandy in years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/19 21:44 by tmurray.