Passenger Trains > More on the Wolverine problems

Posted in a previous thread:

After the Thursday Meltdown, orders came down from on high to put power on both ends for a Michigan trains thru the weekend.  NO EXCEPTIONS!

Wolverine 350(29) went out with the AMTK 59 trailing   See VR screen grab.

 There's something you can't tell from the pic:  AMTK 59 is DIC.  It was dead leaving CHI, never got it started, but they sent it anyway.  With no actual protection in case of a Charger crapout, a mechanical rider was sent along to babysit.

In the evening, 350's equipment turn is to Train 355.  355 showed leaving OT, but that was a pencil whip move.   Actually 355(29) departed 51 mins late.  But Let's give Amtrak Mechanical in Pontiac a big applause!  They got  AMTK 59 started and it was able to run as the lead engine on 355(29).  In the process, it left PNT late and out of slot.

355(29) kept moving west, athough at a  reduced speed with tired old AMTK 59 (scheduled to be retired and scrapped in 2026).  Train never exceeded around 80 mph on that Midwest High Speed 110mph corridor up to two hours late, arriving CHI 1 hr 36 mins late thanks to recovery time.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/25 11:38 by GenePoon.

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All you said was put power on both ends, you didn't say they both needed to be working !

Englewood Wrote:
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> All you said was put power on both ends, you
> didn't say they both needed to be working !

Someone found a use for all the dead Siemens junk sitting around Chicago!

Thanks for the rest of the story. Two hours late is better than a cancel.

Posted from Android

Are there any other specific P42s that are picked for scrapping next year besides 59?

I wouldn't scrap any Genesis as long as it can be coaxed to run.  The carrier is power short by any measure.

NPRocky Wrote:
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> Are there any other specific P42s that are picked
> for scrapping next year besides 59?

I sure hope not - Amtrak needs all the locomotive power it can get these days.........

Englewood Wrote:
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> All you said was put power on both ends, you
> didn't say they both needed to be working !

Reminds me so much of the night I was visiting my NYC colleague after work. His shift started and ended an hour later than mine. He stuck out a message:

You are SV-2, the world's fastest freight train. If the power is still running at Elkhart, goes through. If not, goes to the house.


TAW