Passenger Trains > Amtrak #4 Has Stalled at cicero, IL!!!

About 5 minutes ago #4 called the Union Ave dispatcher and said that they stalled. All four engines just stopped. I dont know how it happened. And #6 is stuck behind #4 now. Ill make an update later.
-Kevin

If #4 did not have those roadrailers #6 could just push #4 into Chicago. That would be something!
-Kevin

BNSF is going to put a couple of NS motors on #4 and tow #4 into Chicago. #6 is now on its way to Chicago Union Station.
-Kevin

Amtrak #4 is on the move at 1623. NS 8802 and NS6513 are towing it to CUS.
-Kevin

Wow if Amtrak hadn\'t abandoned the EMD line of passenger locomotives they might have been able to make it to Chi town. Have seen more GE\'s shutdown or even freeze up over the years than EMD will ever lose.

Regards

Q-GP30

The fact that #4 has G.E. LOCOMOTIVES and their reliability is at fault is Hipocritical. Long Island Railroad has a fleet of EMD Locomotives DE30AC and DM30AC that have more shop hours than run hours not to mention the numerous times that they have caught on fire in Penn Station. Every locomotive has problems every now and then. If the Genesis units are so bad why did Metro North, VIA AND CDOT choose them over EMD products. Q-GP30 wrote:

> Wow if Amtrak hadn\'t abandoned the EMD line of passenger
> locomotives they might have been able to make it to Chi town.
> Have seen more GE\'s shutdown or even freeze up over the years
> than EMD will ever lose.
>
> Regards
>
> Q-GP30
>
> [%sig%]

Rail4Life wrote:

If the Genesis units are so bad why did
> Metro North, VIA AND CDOT choose them over EMD products. Q-GP30

Answer: you can sell an inferior product if you wrap superior financing around it.

Whereas, most beancounters prefer GE; most hogheads prefer EMD. Bob

Hey Rail4Life, how many shirts have you had ruined by GE\'s chucking lube oil? Ever been stalled on a hill account constant ground relays? Tired of the high pitched squeal made by a slipping GE (older U-boats that is, the new C44\'s and AC44\'s do it by computer aid). Ever bumped your head getting into one of those low-height GE cabs? How about slow throttle response and loading? I\'ve seen more GE\'s with engine fires then I care to ever see (only one EMD).

I don\'t mean to give GE\'s a bad rap but man-o-man they aren\'t a very longlasting locomotive (besides the traction motors). The only GE I ever liked was the C30-7 and their almost gone now. They were a tough breed when they ran right

Like all businesses, the bean counters usually win. Low bid does not always mean the best bid.

As for the Long Island units, I don\'t consider them true EMD\'s as they were built by Super Steel-Schenectady. I last heard they are no longer building units there.

I shall step down from the podium, let the flames engulf me.

Regards
Q-GP30

As far as the LIRR units they are true EMD products because all Super Steel did was assemble the units. EMD designed the the units and all of the faulty parts. The genesis units may have their faults but at least you dont have to have a fire crew around every time one pulls into a station. Also since Emd is so great maybe the LIRR units can actually log some road hours for the first time. And I also belive that emd had Super Steel assemble an order of SD70 locomotives. Are they having trouble. I dont hear our friends up north complaining about the performance of their Genesis units. Metro North and CDOT SEEM TO BE PLEASED also. Long Live Genesis.

As a former EMD partisan while in freight, and also in my early Amtrak years, I have to reluctantly admit a growing respect for the reliablility, fuel efficiency, crew comfort, and plain power of the GE Genesis units. How quickly you all forget the frequent Amtrak failures requiring freight motors all the time assisting F40 powered trains in the past. In the last several years working Amtrak trains, I recall having a freight motor exactly once, and we really didn\'t need it, the Amtrak folks were concerned because of prior failures to the train, so they left the engine on as a protect measure - all the thing did was hold us to 70MPH.

I am not criticizing the beloved F40, I loved them and their freight counterparts, particularly the GP 40\'s on my freight road. However, like all things, their days are over, GE is making a superior locomotive today by all common measures, so we all have to adjust our thinking a bit, if you don\'t want to be stuck hopelessly in the past... On the passenger side, my acquaintance with EMB F59\'s is very negative, although they are fuel efficient 12 bangers. Ride is terrible, reliability not even close to GE Dash 8 500\'s on Amtrak, or the Genesis series. Sorry EMD lovers, from a former EMD guy....

Betcha a pair of AT&SF 3460\'s woulda put N0. 4 into Chicago on-time. Without the "freight" hung on the back, a single one would have done just fine.