Passenger Trains > Siemens #300 in Shelby, MT

Y'all would take away my foamer card if I didn't post this.

We're stopped for crew change and for schedule time in Shelby MT, headed west ... and parked "right here" is #300, one of the new Siemens engines.
Shelby is a crew base, so familiarization I assume.

#1: a somewhat clean picture
#2:  location "proof"
#3 there is a transition sleeper on the rear, going to Portland with us I guess.

Total consist:
3 x P42
Baggage
2 x Sleeper (Seattle)
Diner (Seattle)
Coach (Seattle)
Sightseer Lounge (Portland)
Coach (Portland)
2730 Sleeper (Portland)
Transition Sleeper

1,400 HP per car, we go zoom now, ya sure.

Very light passenger load today; more in sleepers than coach

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/22 16:15 by dcautley.

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Interesting, thanks,

Bob

Good to see #300 out there for crew training/familiarization. 

I can't believe though that they have reduced the Empire Builder down to just TWO Superliner coaches, essentially. They'd rather tag along a Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleeper to hold the baggage than put a regular baggage car on the rear - when there's plenty of baggage cars to be had. It would be great if the Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleeper was opened up to revenue passengers (on the Portland end), but never seen that - just the Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper on the front that goes to Seattle has been used for revenue space.........

In fairness ...
There aren't enough coah passengers today to fill half a coach ....
And a bunch of hat checks say "Whitefish" ....

dcautley Wrote:
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> In fairness ...
> There aren't enough coah passengers today to fill
> half a coach ....
> And a bunch of hat checks say "Whitefish" ....

Whitefish is a huge intermediate point - especially for winter with all the skiers and winter sports. Will that consist hold up on weekends - be it Whitefish and Sandpoint along with the corridor from Twin Cities to Chicago. Today's a Monday. Weekends are different stories. Typically Amtrak is operating a fixed train set. I understand where you are coming from, it's just that I have NEVER seen the Empire Builder with just two coaches in the entire consist on a regular basis that is - EVER! I get that today may be light, but this is a train that does have good end to end traffic, let alone intermediate traffic and the corridor traffic as mentioned. 

Quite the juxtaposition

Posted from Android

Good place for it .

Posted from Android

I read in 1 or 2 PTJ issues ago that 1 of the Midwest Chargers and all the LD Chargers have a completely redesigned dynamic braking system that is far less susceptible to snow and ice. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I read in 1 or 2 PTJ issues ago that 1 of the
> Midwest Chargers and all the LD Chargers have a
> completely redesigned dynamic braking system that
> is far less susceptible to snow and ice. 

I heard this too but didn't get confirmation. Glad to hear it was published.

From what I understand the new grids have more resistors, a much higher CFM blower and a quick-replace high volume intake/filter (which is apparently heated to keep ice from forming). Supposedly this is a warranty retrofit for the Midwest chargers and is already on the VIA units.

That's good to hear, now to retrofit the other so they don't have issues like last year, but on the other hand watch these new units have issues too since it seems Amtrak, especially in Chicago, seems to have the habit on not properly maintaning their locomotives anyway!