ALP-45DP's - Usage and Delivery

Cause once order is signed, componends are ordered and metal gets cut, so even when canceling you got to pay probably around 60% in penalties and material.

DutchRailnut wrote:Cause once order is signed, componends are ordered and metal gets cut, so even when canceling you got to pay probably around 60% in penalties and material.

Didn't stop Amtrak from canceling the Turboliners....just sayin'!

Port Jervis wrote:

Jtgshu wrote:yes, Amtrak has to allow the '45s over their railroad and approave testing before they might be added to the timetable, but i can't see why they would cause an issue. One would think the opposite in that they might require/want MORE testing, and check things out so they can be addressed quicker and easier than waiting til later on. Although you never can tell with those guys sometimes..............

Given the chaos that would be caused if one of these new beasts lays down in one of the Hudson River tubes, I can imagine it will take a LOT for Amtrak to feel comfortable allowing them into NYP.

How would it be any different than any other train breaking down in the tunnels? If they ended up having to do something like the LIRR with one dual mode on each end, (due to grades, or even reliablilty) in THEORY, the chances of it getting totally disabled would be halved, so that that could be a good thing.

if anything, in an absolute emergency, it might be able to rescue itself, if it died in Electric territory they could kick up the diesel, or if it died while in diesel land, well it would be stranded like any other diesel train that broke down.

Unless these units turn out to be real lemons, I don't foresee amtrak banning them and to be honest, I could see amtrak eyeing this unit up for future use. I doubt we will ever see amtrak order this unit but if it proves to be a good unit, there minds could be swayed towards wanting some. Its hard to predict whata railroad will do from one year to the next .let's get these units here and tested before we start judging how good or bad a unit willbe.

BuddSilverliner269 wrote:Unless these units turn out to be real lemons, I don't foresee amtrak banning them and to be honest, I could see amtrak eyeing this unit up for future use. I doubt we will ever see amtrak order this unit but if it proves to be a good unit, there minds could be swayed towards wanting some. Its hard to predict whata railroad will do from one year to the next .let's get these units here and tested before we start judging how good or bad a unit willbe.

I agree. Really the only use I think Amtrak may have for them are the Springfield trains(do they even change motors at New Haven anymore or do the pax just change trains?). I did hear from a friend that there is some new Amtrak-run commuter service in the works up there. I'm guessing it'll go to NYP....but what kind of capacity can the stretch between CP216 and Harold hold?

BuddSilverliner269 wrote:Unless these units turn out to be real lemons, I don't foresee amtrak banning them and to be honest, I could see amtrak eyeing this unit up for future use. I doubt we will ever see amtrak order this unit but if it proves to be a good unit, there minds could be swayed towards wanting some. Its hard to predict whata railroad will do from one year to the next .let's get these units here and tested before we start judging how good or bad a unit willbe.

Amtrak won't eye them. They'll want something else based on the 45.

cobra30689 wrote: I agree. Really the only use I think Amtrak may have for them are the Springfield trains(do they even change motors at New Haven anymore or do the pax just change trains?). I did hear from a friend that there is some new Amtrak-run commuter service in the works up there. I'm guessing it'll go to NYP....but what kind of capacity can the stretch between CP216 and Harold hold?

A141 & A148 is the only regional through train to Springfield during the week (there's a couple extra routs on Friday/weekends, which need engine changes at NHV), and then there's the Vermonter, which gets an electric motor removed from the front and a P40 slapped on both ends at NHV. Other than that, it's transfer across the platform to a P40+Amfleet coach+cab car set. Note that all of these Springfield shuttles are connections with BOS-WAS regionals, so even if Amtrak did get some dual mode engines, they would have to add additional routes if they wanted to do through service.

CDOT's long term plan is to run the new M8's for SLE service, and use their current diesel sets to run new commuter service to Hartford. I really doubt this new service will run west of Stamford, although there's a possibility of New London-GCT (NOT NYP) through trains when they start running M8s.

Amtrak can not run commuter service west of New Haven on Metro North, they have to be MNCR crews by labor contract.
also the Springfield line uses P42's not P40's

But they could run intercity service - say, Springfield to NYP - making the Regional stops (Bridgeport, Stamford, New Rochelle) west of New Haven and replace some or all of the shuttles with that arrangement. The current shuttle-Regional transfer is quite efficient, though, from my perspective as a passenger, and personally I don't think there's much that needs to be changed about it.

Of course all this discussion is moot if commuter service ever happens, I assume it would be scheduled to connect with Metro-North and that's enough for the majority of passengers who are interested in New York City.

I was looking at some maps, and I was thinking these locomotives would be perfect for secondary "old road" routes that spend a lot of time in electrified terminal areas, such as DC, Boston, Harrisburg, and I'm not sure if the lines are still up out west from the Milwaukee road, but you could theoretically utilize the old overhead scheme, even if new wires need to go up, from near the lakes before you cross the northern plains. I think there may be tunnels or avalanche shields out there that may not be suitable for overhead lines, in which case in the longer tunnels you could utilize overhead rail. But that's an Amtrak thing, not nj transit.

As far as nj transit uses, also dis some reading up and looking at maps. I feel these locomotives have the potential, over time, to restore quite a bit of former passenger service in nj especially central and southern. You could end up with a statewide rail network verses a new York and Hoboken centric system. Sure, the current lines, extended a bit or not, would stay pretty unhchanged, but I mean, I think there's a market for both summer beach service, and cape may area service. It would help keep jobs in the state, allow families to be closer (if they want), and it would un-clog tue turnpike of intra-state traffic.

HBLR wrote:As far as nj transit uses, also dis some reading up and looking at maps. I feel these locomotives have the potential, over time, to restore quite a bit of former passenger service in nj especially central and southern. You could end up with a statewide rail network verses a new York and Hoboken centric system. Sure, the current lines, extended a bit or not, would stay pretty unhchanged, but I mean, I think there's a market for both summer beach service, and cape may area service. It would help keep jobs in the state, allow families to be closer (if they want), and it would un-clog tue turnpike of intra-state traffic.

Yea, you seem to be forgetting the part where it's just a tad bit difficult to just create passenger service where there isn't any now. Does MOM ring a bell?

Shame MBTA didn't consider 'em, but instead is going with some MPI locomotive.

Matt Johnson wrote:Shame MBTA didn't consider 'em, but instead is going with some MPI locomotive.

It makes no sense for MBTA to consider them. Electric mode could only be used on the Providence Line, and they have already expressed no interest in electric locomotives(they don't want a dedicated fleet for one line because it is easier to just rotate sets around various lines), nevermind dual modes. They would really be wasting $12M a pop for locomotives that would only allow one line on the South Side to get electric operations.

If they had more electrified lines (or at least partially electrified ones), then it could be feasible. But now, it would be beyond pointless.

ns3010 wrote: If they had more electrified lines (or at least partially electrified ones), then it could be feasible. But now, it would be beyond pointless.

Running 80 mph diesel powered trains on a 150 mph section of the NEC seems pretty ridiculous though.

No matter what power MBTA uses their cars are restricted to 80 mph.
As for ALP45DP ?? are they gone work ?? will they perform like $12 million locomotive ??
Is performance good enough to offset lugging half of non functioning locomotive when running in other mode ??
To many questions and no one here has answer, but until we get answers, it will remain a uneducated crap shoot