Passenger Trains > Amtrak Engine Failures 4/18/26 - 4/20/26

I will add more later, but here is what I've cpmpleted so far. 4/18, 4/19 (none), and 4/20. I included the NEC and state supported services this time along with the LD trains. 

4/18/26:

290(18) Rutland, VT - 704 and 9701 with 161 customers was delayed at Rutland due to receiving a penalty on locomotive 704 that prohibited movement. Mechanical determined it was necessary to cut out cab signals to allow the train to recover. 59mph to Albany. At Albany, locomotive 700 capped 704 to NYC. 39 minute delay. 

661(18) Philadelphia, PA - 602 and 653 with 5 cars and 169 customers experienced cab signal failure on locomotive 653 at Zoo interlocking. After cutting out the cab signals, train 661 was able to proceed at speeds not exceeding 59mph for the remainder of the trip to Harrisburg. 37 minute delay                              

716(18) Turlock-Denair, CA - cabcar 8310, 7 cars, locomotive 2010 and 74 customers onboard was delayed at Turlock-Denair station while crews worked to troubleshoot a locomotive control issue. The crew reported problems with the alerter system, noting the locomotive repeatedly went into penalty and continuously requested movement of the handle to suppression preventing normal operation. The crew coordinated with local Amtrak management and TASI mechanical techs to reboot the locomotive systems. once the alerter fault was resolved, the locomotive was verified safe for service and train 716(18) was released. 57 minute delay. 

564(18) West of San Diego - 2115, 5 cars, cabcar 6907 experienced excessive wheel slip at Scripps 14 miles west of San Diego. The delay was attributed to low sand on the loco, resulting in the train  being unable to crest the grade. During the troubleshooting, HEP dropped. There were 155 customers aboard. Unable to resolve the issue at location, the crew shoved back to NCTD Sorrento Valley station where customers were transferred to train 566(18). Train 564(18) was terminated at location and the equipment was deadheaded to San Diego. Train 574(18) was delayed for train 564(18) to clear.       

4/19/26: None

4/20/26: 

2222(19) Philadelphia, PA - was delayed at 30th street station at (6:50pm) due to an unknown and unrecoverable penalty. The engineer was unable to get the brakes to release. The crew consulted with HSR mechanical personnel. Per HSR tech Salino, the train would noy build air. Passengers were transferred to trains 80(19), 2274(19), and 166(19).   At 8:01pm crews resolved the issue and equipment departed 30th street station.  

283(19) New York, NY with engines 95, 706 and 5 cars at 12:40pm when coming from Sunnyside yard lost 3rd rail power in line 1 and had smoke coming from engine 706. They were able to restore power and went back to Sunnyside yard to troubleshoot the problem. This did cause a delay in departure from New York. 1 hour and 18 minute delay. 

121(19) South Trenton, NJ - train 121 with cab car 9640, engine 668 and 10 cars with 607 customers onboard reported they were stopped on the mainline with no HEP and a no battery charge alarm at MP 68.7 on track 3. Train KN720 arrived to assist to pull past and then back onto train 121. The train operated dark to Philadelphia. in Philadelphia engine 632 was added and cab car 9640 dropped. Conditions onboard were reported to be good just getting a little warm. Service recovery was initiated. Turns of equipment in Washington were changed. Train 195 turned for 122 and 121 turned for 104. 

66(18) East of New York, NY - Engine 625 with 5 cars and 232 customers onboard reported that they lost power and were not able to recycle engine 625. The train was without HEP due to IO station faults ad the batteries not charging. New York readied engine 609 and crew to cap the train. It was reported that most passengers were sleeping and service recovery was initiated with snack packs and bottled water to the customers that were awake. Once engine 609 arrived and was added, the crew was still having problems with the communication cable. Train 2290 dropped mechanical personnel to assist with the problem. As of 07:45 they were able t restore HEP and as 08:05 they were back on the move. 2 hour and 17 minute delay. 

710(19) Corcoran, CA - train 710(19) with cab car 6965, six cars, engine 2012 with 126 passengers onboard experienced a delay at Corcoran station after the crew reported the prime mover shutting down with a hot engine alarm. Upon inspection, the crew determine that the engine coolant level was low, resulting in a coolant pressure fault that caused repeated automatic shutdowns. The crew coordinated with TASI mechanical technicians and Amtrak management via phone and was able to restart the locomotive, allowing the train to depart Corcoran. 
Mechanical issues persisted, however, requiring the crew to restart the locomotive multiple times as the remain operated ay reduced reliability towards Wasco, CA. With train 712 approaching the area, the decision was made to couple the two trainsets together to ensure all customers were moved safely to Bakersfield. Due to the equipment failure and resulting operational delays train 719 was cancelled, and affected customers were reaccommodated on train 703. Additionally, two buses were sourced to provide onwards transportation from Stockton ACE station. 710 was delayed 1 hour and 42 minutes then terminated. 719 cancelled. 

41(19) Chicago Union Station - Train 41(19) with engines 369, 81, 11 cars, and 213 customers to board was delayed departing Chicago due to the late release of equipment by Chicago mechanical. Engine 369 was shopped at 10:29am for HVAC failure. The replacement engine 160 was cut off inbound train 6(17) at 3:59pm. Engine 160 was shopped for a missing cab signal unit. Engine 98 off of 48(19) was selected to lead train 41(19). train 41 was released by mechanical at 7:10pm. Upon release, train 41 was shoved to the depot and departed at 8:10pm. 

738(19) Oakland, CA - engine CDTX2014, 5 cars, and 24 passengers onboard terminated at Jack London station due to a coolant lead on CDTX2014 that began on 729(19). 

4/21/2026

49(20) Schenectady, NY - stopped after attempting to depart Schenectady station due to air issues with engine 112, the train shoved back into the station where it was met by mechanical personnel from Albany. the issue was resolved. 1 hour and 27 minute delay. 

93(20) Boston, MA - Train 93(20) with 188 customers was delayed departing Boston due to engine 628 shopped for a hot bearing. Equipment originally scheduled to operate as train 173(20) with engines 640 and 618 with nine cars was moved up and utilized for train 93(20) and departed Boston at 9:54am 34 minutes late. 

534(20) West of Sacramento, CA - cabcar 6962, four cars, loco 2107 and 24 customers onboard was stopped one mile west of Sacramento station after the locomotive shut down. The crew coordinated with CNOC mechanical desk and CNOC Siemens desk to troubleshoot the issue and successfully restarted the unit and the train completed its scheduled trip. Due to continued reliability concerns, several proactive adjustments were made. Train 536(20) was reassigned to turn for 547(20) and 540(20) was turned as train 551(20) which ran as a double set to return the affected set to Oakland for inspection and follow up servicing. While enroute the double set was required to operate at reduced speed due to brake issues and heavy train handling, resulting in additional delays. As a result, train movement was terminated at Emeryville, with customers destined for Oakland Jack London accommodated by bus 6651. 534 was delayed 35 minutes and 551 double set was 1 hour and 20 mins late and terminated in Emeryville. 

25(20) Gulfport, MS - engines 507 and 365 with 3 cars ands 54 passengers was delayed departing Gulfport, MS due to PTC problems on engine 507. The crew had to cycle the PTC breaker in order to restore functionality. 44 minute delay leaving Gulfport. 

523(20) Oakland, CA - engine 2003 with 5 cars and 29 passengers stopped south of Oakland due to locomotive 2003 shut down with "engine coolant pressure start disable" fault. TASI mechanical instructed the crew to turn off HEP before rebooting the main engine on locomotive 2003. The train continued to hayward, CA where the main engine shut down again. the following plan was placed into effect: train 523 terminated at hayward, the 28 passengers were accommodated on 527. 542 was cancelled, 19 passengers accommodated on 544. 

Very interesting.

Posted from Android

Thanks for the detailed report.

BB

Thanks very much for this information. Obviously it helps us get a better picture of the spotty Amtrak locomotive situation. The question now is what's causing all these problems. I keep sensing a lot of over-computerization and complication. I've often thought these Chargers are going to need a lot of modification (mostly simplification) before they can be reliable. Here in the Seattle area, I believe four of our eight Washington state Chargers are out of service as I write this. That's the count I'm getting on the Olympia-Lacey railcam. Fortunately, Amtrak is still giving us just enough P42s to keep virtually all of our Amtrak Cascades trains going,

sethamtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will add more later, but here is what I've
> cpmpleted so far. 4/18, 4/19 (none), and 4/20. I
> included the NEC and state supported services this
> time along with the LD trains. 
>
> 4/18/26:
>
> 290(18) Rutland, VT - 704 and 9701 with 161
> customers was delayed at Rutland due to receiving
> a penalty on locomotive 704 that prohibited
> movement. Mechanical determined it was necessary
> to cut out cab signals to allow the train to
> recover. 59mph to Albany. At Albany, locomotive
> 700 capped 704 to NYC. 39 minute delay. 
>
> 661(18) Philadelphia, PA - 602 and 653 with 5 cars
> and 169 customers experienced cab signal failure
> on locomotive 653 at Zoo interlocking. After
> cutting out the cab signals, train 661 was able to
> proceed at speeds not exceeding 59mph for the
> remainder of the trip to Harrisburg. 37 minute
> delay                           
>   
>
> 716(18) Turlock-Denair, CA - cabcar 8310, 7 cars,
> locomotive 2010 and 74 customers onboard was
> delayed at Turlock-Denair station while crews
> worked to troubleshoot a locomotive control issue.
> The crew reported problems with the alerter
> system, noting the locomotive repeatedly went into
> penalty and continuously requested movement of the
> handle to suppression preventing normal operation.
> The crew coordinated with local Amtrak management
> and TASI mechanical techs to reboot the locomotive
> systems. once the alerter fault was resolved, the
> locomotive was verified safe for service and train
> 716(18) was released. 57 minute delay. 
>
> 564(18) West of San Diego - 2115, 5 cars, cabcar
> 6907 experienced excessive wheel slip at Scripps
> 14 miles west of San Diego. The delay was
> attributed to low sand on the loco, resulting in
> the train  being unable to crest the grade.
> During the troubleshooting, HEP dropped. There
> were 155 customers aboard. Unable to resolve the
> issue at location, the crew shoved back to NCTD
> Sorrento Valley station where customers were
> transferred to train 566(18). Train 564(18) was
> terminated at location and the equipment was
> deadheaded to San Diego. Train 574(18) was delayed
> for train 564(18) to clear.       
>
> 4/19/26: None
>
> 4/20/26: 
>
> 2222(19) Philadelphia, PA - was delayed at 30th
> street station at (6:50pm) due to an unknown and
> unrecoverable penalty. The engineer was unable to
> get the brakes to release. The crew consulted with
> HSR mechanical personnel. Per HSR tech Salino, the
> train would noy build air. Passengers were
> transferred to trains 80(19), 2274(19), and
> 166(19).   At 8:01pm crews resolved the issue
> and equipment departed 30th street station.  
>
> 283(19) New York, NY with engines 95, 706 and 5
> cars at 12:40pm when coming from Sunnyside yard
> lost 3rd rail power in line 1 and had smoke coming
> from engine 706. They were able to restore power
> and went back to Sunnyside yard to troubleshoot
> the problem. This did cause a delay in departure
> from New York. 1 hour and 18 minute delay. 
>
> 121(19) South Trenton, NJ - train 121 with cab car
> 9640, engine 668 and 10 cars with 607 customers
> onboard reported they were stopped on the mainline
> with no HEP and a no battery charge alarm at MP
> 68.7 on track 3. Train KN720 arrived to assist to
> pull past and then back onto train 121. The train
> operated dark to Philadelphia. in Philadelphia
> engine 632 was added and cab car 9640 dropped.
> Conditions onboard were reported to be good just
> getting a little warm. Service recovery was
> initiated. Turns of equipment in Washington were
> changed. Train 195 turned for 122 and 121 turned
> for 104. 
>
> 66(18) East of New York, NY - Engine 625 with 5
> cars and 232 customers onboard reported that they
> lost power and were not able to recycle engine
> 625. The train was without HEP due to IO station
> faults ad the batteries not charging. New York
> readied engine 609 and crew to cap the train. It
> was reported that most passengers were sleeping
> and service recovery was initiated with snack
> packs and bottled water to the customers that were
> awake. Once engine 609 arrived and was added, the
> crew was still having problems with the
> communication cable. Train 2290 dropped mechanical
> personnel to assist with the problem. As of 07:45
> they were able t restore HEP and as 08:05 they
> were back on the move. 2 hour and 17 minute
> delay. 
>
> 710(19) Corcoran, CA - train 710(19) with cab car
> 6965, six cars, engine 2012 with 126 passengers
> onboard experienced a delay at Corcoran station
> after the crew reported the prime mover shutting
> down with a hot engine alarm. Upon inspection, the
> crew determine that the engine coolant level was
> low, resulting in a coolant pressure fault that
> caused repeated automatic shutdowns. The crew
> coordinated with TASI mechanical technicians and
> Amtrak management via phone and was able to
> restart the locomotive, allowing the train to
> depart Corcoran. 
> Mechanical issues persisted, however, requiring
> the crew to restart the locomotive multiple times
> as the remain operated ay reduced reliability
> towards Wasco, CA. With train 712 approaching the
> area, the decision was made to couple the two
> trainsets together to ensure all customers were
> moved safely to Bakersfield. Due to the equipment
> failure and resulting operational delays train 719
> was cancelled, and affected customers were
> reaccommodated on train 703. Additionally, two
> buses were sourced to provide onwards
> transportation from Stockton ACE station. 710 was
> delayed 1 hour and 42 minutes then terminated. 719
> cancelled. 
>
> 41(19) Chicago Union Station - Train 41(19) with
> engines 369, 81, 11 cars, and 213 customers to
> board was delayed departing Chicago due to the
> late release of equipment by Chicago mechanical.
> Engine 369 was shopped at 10:29am for HVAC
> failure. The replacement engine 160 was cut off
> inbound train 6(17) at 3:59pm. Engine 160 was
> shopped for a missing cab signal unit. Engine 98
> off of 48(19) was selected to lead train 41(19).
> train 41 was released by mechanical at 7:10pm.
> Upon release, train 41 was shoved to the depot and
> departed at 8:10pm. 
>
> 738(19) Oakland, CA - engine CDTX2014, 5 cars, and
> 24 passengers onboard terminated at Jack London
> station due to a coolant lead on CDTX2014 that
> began on 729(19). 
>
> 4/21/2026
>
> 49(20) Schenectady, NY - stopped after attempting
> to depart Schenectady station due to air issues
> with engine 112, the train shoved back into the
> station where it was met by mechanical personnel
> from Albany. the issue was resolved. 1 hour and 27
> minute delay. 
>
> 93(20) Boston, MA - Train 93(20) with 188
> customers was delayed departing Boston due to
> engine 628 shopped for a hot bearing. Equipment
> originally scheduled to operate as train 173(20)
> with engines 640 and 618 with nine cars was moved
> up and utilized for train 93(20) and departed
> Boston at 9:54am 34 minutes late. 
>
> 534(20) West of Sacramento, CA - cabcar 6962, four
> cars, loco 2107 and 24 customers onboard was
> stopped one mile west of Sacramento station after
> the locomotive shut down. The crew coordinated
> with CNOC mechanical desk and CNOC Siemens desk to
> troubleshoot the issue and successfully restarted
> the unit and the train completed its scheduled
> trip. Due to continued reliability concerns,
> several proactive adjustments were made. Train
> 536(20) was reassigned to turn for 547(20) and
> 540(20) was turned as train 551(20) which ran as a
> double set to return the affected set to Oakland
> for inspection and follow up servicing. While
> enroute the double set was required to operate at
> reduced speed due to brake issues and heavy train
> handling, resulting in additional delays. As a
> result, train movement was terminated at
> Emeryville, with customers destined for Oakland
> Jack London accommodated by bus 6651. 534 was
> delayed 35 minutes and 551 double set was 1 hour
> and 20 mins late and terminated in Emeryville. 
>
> 25(20) Gulfport, MS - engines 507 and 365 with 3
> cars ands 54 passengers was delayed departing
> Gulfport, MS due to PTC problems on engine 507.
> The crew had to cycle the PTC breaker in order to
> restore functionality. 44 minute delay leaving
> Gulfport. 
>
> 523(20) Oakland, CA - engine 2003 with 5 cars and
> 29 passengers stopped south of Oakland due to
> locomotive 2003 shut down with "engine coolant
> pressure start disable" fault. TASI mechanical
> instructed the crew to turn off HEP before
> rebooting the main engine on locomotive 2003. The
> train continued to hayward, CA where the main
> engine shut down again. the following plan was
> placed into effect: train 523 terminated at
> hayward, the 28 passengers were accommodated on
> 527. 542 was cancelled, 19 passengers accommodated
> on 544. 

What’s really pathetic here is the low loads on most of these trains versus the length of the consists. What in the world is going on here? Most of the trains don’t have more than 15 passengers on board per car being hauled. The load factors look to be pretty bad on most of these trains and this is a pretty wide sampling throughout the system.

Posted from iPhone

On the Caifornia side, sounds like TASI has problems. lack of knowledge ? Don,t give a damn attitude ?  Also noted that the locos are a mix of Chargers, and F-59s. What the hell is going on over there ?

@alan2955, I thought the same thing. Wonder how Amtrak makes money. Seems like these trains handle a lot more people than are riding. 

Mike ONeill
Okahumpka, FL