Amtrak California buying 27 coach cars, 2 engines

IIRC, there is no track >90 outside of the electrified NEC. Gearing them for 100 would be a good idea.

Amtrak7 wrote:IIRC, there is no track >90 outside of the electrified NEC. Gearing them for 100 would be a good idea.

Poughkeepsie - Albany - Schenectady is >90, but anyway, the top speed for the Surfliner is indeed 90 mph.

BuddSilverliner269 wrote:

jamesinclair wrote:

electricron wrote:I'm surprised Amtrak needs a new diesel locomotive with a top speed of 125 mph in California?

How so?

Pacific Surfliner goes at 110mph. Makes sense to get something that can go a bit faster.

It does?To the best of my knowledge, and Im not qualified out there on this territory, but the fastest any Amtrak train goes in California is 90 mph. Am I mistaken?

My mistake, 90 currently, 110mph in the near future thanks to HSR grants from last year. While most of the grants went to the actual HSR project, a good portion of the money went to the conventional lines....and most of that to the pacific surfliner.

I believe the San Joaquin is also states to go from 79mph to 90mph in one section.

Amtrak7 wrote:IIRC, there is no track >90 outside of the electrified NEC. Gearing them for 100 would be a good idea.

The Michigan line (Porter-Kalamazoo) is > 90.

i spose that they looking at the 20 year life of an engine , where 125 mph is hopefully likely in that timeframe .

They've had EMD rebuild at at least one member of their F59 fleet to ECO standards.

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline ... comakeover

Assuming that was successful, perhaps their "new" locomotives won't be new at all? There are no shortage of Go Transit F59PH's on the market that could go through a ECO rebuild and presumably be functionally all but identical to their F59PHI fleet after they all go through a rebuilding program that this appears to have been a test run for. On the surface, it would appear to be the cheaper option of the two (Buying two brand new passenger units isn't going to be cheap, where as existing units can be bought for scrap value and be completely modernized with new components for far less) and maintain commonality with their existing fleet. I believe one or two other lines have successfully sent F59PH's through the ECO rebuilding program.

What are the two units they want to retire? I'm assuming it's their two ex Amtrak P32-8WH's?

Amtrak7 wrote:IIRC, there is no track >90 outside of the electrified NEC. Gearing them for 100 would be a good idea.

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... mit#p31159

NellieBly wrote: The work between Harrisburg and "Roy" has already been finished, and the speed limit is currently 105. The rail here is secondhand 131# CWR.

Hopefully I'm not ruffling feathers. is NellieBly wrong, or are you including Harrisburg to be part of the NEC, as in the classic John Kneiling definition of a corridor with lots of office doors opening onto it.
Of course electrified Harrisburg doesn't much need diesel locomotives, so I'll let you slide this time, but reserve the right to remind you if Amtrak once again decides to deelectrify the Keystone service which I think they did for about 10 years.

It should be noted that Brookville usually works on smallish orders, I don't think 2 units is a bad deal for them. That said, with any sense Amtrak will piggyback this order onto another one, either internal or in conjunction with a commuter operator. That's how Autotrain ordered their 4 B36's, piggybacked onto a host-road SCL order. My conjecture is that it's likely be 710 powered as most of the Amtrak Cali fleet is 710-powered.

Until PTC becomes operational, the only way to exceed 79 MPH is with automatic train stop. Parts of the former AT&SF in California still have the 1920s-vintage "intermittent inductive" train stop, and permitted speed is 90 MPH.

The CSX line from Poughkeepsie to Albany has cab signals with enforcement, and the maximum speed north of CP 125 is 110. As far as I know, that's the highest speed limit off the NEC. South of CP 125, max is 90.

The Harrisburg Line has cab signals with enforcement, and the speed limit is 105 east of Harrisburg, could be 110 fairly soon. And the Harrisburg Line is usually considered part of the NEC.

Harrisburg Line already has 110mph sections and don't forget you need Class 6 track standards to go above 90mph. There are currently no major freight trunk lines that exceed class 5 due to the cost of trying to maintain tracks to class 6 tolerances when continually beaten down by 100 ton freight cars.

the HBG line from mp 44 to State is good for 110 mph and has been for some time now. I'd take a guess for at least a few years now.

the ATSF inductive train stop is also still active in Missouri and parts of KS and NM. It's a fun ride through MO.

A similar technology was employed on IC between CHI and NOLA until IC single-tracked and CTC'd in the 1980's. IC was famous for running the Panama quite fast.

Here is a timetable showing some modern 90mph operation on the Needles subdivision.

http://www.socalrailfan.com/subdivision ... s_sub.html

Tadman wrote:A similar technology was employed on IC between CHI and NOLA until IC single-tracked and CTC'd in the 1980's. IC was famous for running the Panama quite fast.

In fact, I believe I have read that the Panama/CNO derailed at around 100mph shortly after A-Day.

Without diverting too far from topic, here is Associated Press material regarding the June 1971 City of New Orleans derailment incident occurring at Tonti, IL (Salem is actually on the C&EI - route of the detoured Texas Eagle):

http://www3.gendisasters.com/illinois/1 ... -june-1971