Passenger Trains > Acela Departed Colorado 29 April 2021

Amtrak's Acela train set with power cars 2100 and 2101 departed the Transportation Technology Center via Avondale, CO, on 29 April 2021 behind Amtrak 169, P42DC.  Train operated by Amtrak with BNSF pilot over the Pueblo Subdivision to La Junta, CO, where Amtrak took the train east towards Chicago, IL, about 1:30 PM 29 April.

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Eastbound Amtrrak 169 with the Alstom built Acela train set passed NA Junction east of Boone, Colorado, 29 April 2021.  Track maintenance was being done by CWC Rail, LLC, guy on the Colorado Pacific RR Kiowa Subdivison (former Missouri Pacific Towner Line).

Video NO sound.

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Awesome stuff!!! Thank you for sharing your information and shots!!!

Vert cool!!

Any updates on this move?  I heard that it made it onto the Topeka Sub last night around 23:30.

- Jeff Carlson

Not the best on appearance. That nose makes it look like a duckbill platypus or deranged woodpecker.lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/21 06:04 by grlhughes.

Past the LaPlata, MO Virtual Railfan webcam at 6:02 this morning and Fort Madison, IA cam at 8:15am.  Galesburg, IL  cam will be the next chance to see it

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/21 07:03 by Spoony81.

After looking at this thing I have to wonder about the ride quality with only 4 wheels on each car and that they are permanently coupled together.  We'll have to wait and see how the public reacts to the ride quality.  I don't care for the engines either; however, this is progress so they say.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Agree on the looks (or lack thereof) - been commented on many times, and I'm sure the comments will continue far into the future.

As for the ride quality, I would expect it to be fine - Talgo equipment has a similar two axles per car (albeit a different configuration), and they ride quite nicely, even over rough track.

Paint scheme on the coaches is bland and looks like Britrail or B&O up through the 1970's.

Passed the Galesburg railcam at 9:56

Noticed there are no engine numbers and car numbers on these new cars and engines,

rbenko Wrote:
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> Agree on the looks (or lack thereof) - been
> commented on many times, and I'm sure the comments
> will continue far into the future.
>
> As for the ride quality, I would expect it to be
> fine - Talgo equipment has a similar two axles per
> car (albeit a different configuration), and they
> ride quite nicely, even over rough track.

Not quite. While both are articulated, Talgo has a single “wheelset” (actually, two wheels independent of each other) located directly under the articulation point between the coaches, whereas the new Acelas have a Jacob’s Bogie ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobs_bogie ) under each articulation joint, which means two wheelsets with physical axles between the coaches rather than one wheelset without an axle. The result, twice as many wheels per coach as compared with Talgo while retaining the advantages of both trucks (better absorption of both vertical and lateral forces) as well as articulation.

Posted from iPhone

Just passed "MH Tower" (in Chicago) toward Chicago Union Station at 12:38

grlhughes Wrote:
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> Not the best on appearance. That nose makes it
> look like a duckbill platypus or deranged
> woodpecker.lol

A good paint job could make that thing look like an aardvark. 

New Acela's nose owes design credit to Matt Groening's Simpson family characters.
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5071397,5071433#msg-5071433
 

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inCHI Wrote:
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> Just passed "MH Tower" (in Chicago) toward Chicago
> Union Station at 12:38

Obviously not the same set that was at the Biden announcement in Philly. That one had less advertising but an American flag forward of the engineer's cab door.