Passenger Trains > Amtrak #6 CA Zephyr at Truckee

Today's eastbound CA Zephyr arrived in Truckee today an hour and 40 minutes late.  The delay was caused at Roseville by remove an Amtrak locomotive and adding UP 5197.

At Truckee six police personnel, four with dogs, boarded a coach.  The conductor closed the door and off they went.   Probably the cops were checking for drugs rather for a specific person.  Maybe just dog training?

Gerry

hmm interesting amtrak 5 had some police n dogs get off via the sightseeing car

just hitting the train

Look at this bizarre claim that Amtrak is making about that UP engine you mentioned...

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

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What's so bizzare, they are making a mostly accurate statement.

Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth. The UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak engines can go 79 MPH.

and some times they can't go 70

They carefully worded the announcement to avoid saying why the freight locomotive was added.

Had the said the an Amtrak locomotive broke down and we had to add a freight locomotive to make the hill, the annoncement would have been understood differently.

PHall Wrote:
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> Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth. The
> UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> engines can go 79 MPH.

He was making an ironic/satirical statement. Its Bizzare that Amtrak Alerts actually produced an alert that wasnt total BS-not that freight locomotives are limited to 70. 

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth. The
> UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> engines can go 79 MPH.


Oops! Please forgive my ignorance. I genuinely had no idea that freight units were limited to 70 mph. I thought they topped out at 79 like the P42's on the Zephyr route. Thank you for letting me know! I know that passenger units on other routes go up to 110 mph, but are there any freights that go above 70 ever? Like intermodel Z trains or anything? Just curious. Thanks!

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth.
> The
> > UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> > engines can go 79 MPH.
>
> He was making an ironic/satirical statement. Its
> Bizzare that Amtrak Alerts actually produced an
> alert that wasnt total BS-not that freight
> locomotives are limited to 70. 

Too bad your innuendo-laced assumption is wrong.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth. The
> UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> engines can go 79 MPH.

79 mph on this route. Higher (89 mph) on the southern Transcon and higher yet on the midwest CHI-STL and NEC routes.

some GE freight engines are set up to go 75,but when they grab some old unit off a local, tie train or something you will be suprised how often the amtrak saviors go belly up  as well. as they havn't had any work in yeARs, nor have they been run at a brisk clip.

OmahaTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth.
> The
> > UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> > engines can go 79 MPH.
>
>
> Oops! Please forgive my ignorance. I genuinely had
> no idea that freight units were limited to 70 mph.
> I thought they topped out at 79 like the P42's on
> the Zephyr route. Thank you for letting me know! I
> know that passenger units on other routes go up
> to 110 mph, but are there any freights that go
> above 70 ever? Like intermodel Z trains or
> anything? Just curious. Thanks!
>
> Tom Loftus
> Omaha, NE

Yeah, it's interesting that there is a difference, and I'm sure there's some backstory and reasons why freights won't generally go faster than 70.  It's been that way for a while, and I believe part of it has to do with gearing between the electric motors and the axles they are turning.  In the past there were freight locomotives that could go faster for the ATSF Super C or the UP Fast Fourties (SD40s).

Nathan

Cumbresfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nothing bizzare about it Tom, it's the truth.
> The
> > UP engine is limited to 70 MPH while Amtrak
> > engines can go 79 MPH.
>
> 79 mph on this route. Higher (89 mph) on the
> southern Transcon and higher yet on the midwest
> CHI-STL and NEC routes.

However, no speed limits in California on this route east of Roseville above 70 MPH.

First speed limits above 70 mph will be encountered eastbound at Hazen, NV.

Hakk

OMG  you ppl cant be that ignorant.  The top speed of any road loco is based on the motor gearing. 
UP DD40's and the 8000 series "fast 40's"  SD40;s were geared for 80 mph.  
NJT GP40 variants are geared for 102 mph.   UP could gear their GP40's for 102mph, but why? 

The freight RR's generally, gear their locos for 70MPH these days, bc the higher the gearing, the less low speed torque and lugging power they have.
Its all simple physics, really.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/26 11:36 by pdt.