Passenger Trains > Chargers NOT living up to their name

On the same rail line as the prior post:

Amtrak Train 393(26), Illini, departed the platform at Chicago Union Station on time, perhaps a phony "on time" (for which Illinois should possibly be assessing Amtrak a penalty) which became a quick breakdown of its Siemens Charger.  A replacement Charger was sent to rescue it.  The train was about 2 hr 40 minutes late all the way to Carbondale but that engine had problems too.  The engineer was able to get it to its destination. 

Train 393 turns to Train 390, Saluki but the Charger was unserviceable...so Train 390(27) was cancelled and bustituted.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/23 17:11 by GenePoon.

They've been peices of junk since Amtrak bought them and the states, they should look at EMD and GE again for better reliable power in the future!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> They've been peices of junk since Amtrak bought
> them and the states, they should look at EMD and
> GE again for better reliable power in the future!

They probably would if GE and EMD were in the passenger locomotive building business, which they currently aren't.
You can't buy what is not offered.

We've seen EMD's last offering......

Posted from Android

P42 working the Hiawatha, and dash-8 519 on the other set. Seems like train 364 had a P42 and so did one of the Lincoln Service sets. 

Operation normal for wintertime. Every winter Chicago runs short on working chargers and has to call out P42s and 500s to work Midwest trains.... 

andrewamtrak Wrote:
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> We've seen EMD's last offering......

Would Progress Rail/EMD or Wabtec (former GE) want anything to do with Amtrak anyway?  Perhaps the reason why Siemens got the Amtrak contracts was because nobody else wanted them.

andrewamtrak Wrote:
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> We've seen EMD's last offering......
>
> Posted from Android

And Metrolink seems happy with them once they were modified to actually meet the specs they were ordered against.

PHall Wrote:
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> andrewamtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We've seen EMD's last offering......
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> And Metrolink seems happy with them once they were
> modified to actually meet the specs they were
> ordered against.

Metrolink is happy with EMD F-125 because local politics require it to be that way. The fact that NO OTHER ENTITY has purchased any speaks the truth.

sethamtrak Wrote:
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> P42 working the Hiawatha, and dash-8 519 on the
> other set. Seems like train 364 had a P42 and so
> did one of the Lincoln Service sets. 
>
> Operation normal for wintertime. Every winter
> Chicago runs short on working chargers and has to
> call out P42s and 500s to work Midwest
> trains.... 

Currently sat on Train 333 with engine 519 shoving up to Milwaukee.

A couple of pints in Broken Bat Brewing for Train 338 back to Chicagoland with the #58.

Englishman in America

Posted from iPhone

GenePoon Wrote:
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> andrewamtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We've seen EMD's last offering......
>
> Would Progress Rail/EMD or Wabtec (former GE) want
> anything to do with Amtrak anyway?  Perhaps the
> reason why Siemens got the Amtrak contracts was
> because nobody else wanted them.

Why wouldn’t those manufacturers want to work with Amtrak? You tell me Progress Rail is happy rebuilding some SD70 heaps for Metra only?

sethamtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> P42 working the Hiawatha, and dash-8 519 on the
> other set. Seems like train 364 had a P42 and so
> did one of the Lincoln Service sets. 
>
> Operation normal for wintertime. Every winter
> Chicago runs short on working chargers and has to
> call out P42s and 500s to work Midwest
> trains.... 

I have a friend who is an Amtrak engineer.  He hates the Chargers and dreads it when one is assigned to his run.  He mentioned one day that, despite Amtrak's often lackluster maintenance,  the old "Pepsi can"  500's just take the punishment and come back for more.  

TransitTyrant Wrote:
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> with Amtrak? You tell me Progress Rail is happy
> rebuilding some SD70 heaps for Metra only?

I am guessing that the specifications put forth by Amtrak were so unreasonable that manufacturers decided that it was not worth the effort.

I don't hear about Metrolink's EMD125s breaking down anymore and I see them pulling trains all of the time through Santa Clarita. Perhaps they are a good locomotive once the bugs were worked out.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com