Coming soon: AEM-7 "cabbage" conversion!

[Matt Johnson]

I saw mention on another forum of this item in the Amtrak 5 year plan.

Another item in our short term fleet plan is the conversion of our current AEM-7 locomotives. As
mentioned above, we will be procuring 20 new electric locomotives to replace the outdated DC
locomotives that are in use today. As they are taken out of service, Amtrak plans to convert these
locomotives to cab cars, removing the power function and returning them to service as baggage /
cab cars.

[electricron]

Fleet Equipment brief:
At the end of FY 2009, the active equipment fleet will include 1,457 cars, 341 diesel and electric road locomotives, 22 non-powered control units, 20 Acela train sets, and 5 Talgo train sets.

To ensure that adequate rolling stock is in place to safely meet operating needs, Amtrak maintains the “System Five Year Fleet Plan.” It includes replacement requirements for equipment that has reached the end of its forty year lifespan. For the 2009-2014 periods, that includes the following equipment needs:
 130 single-level long-distance cars (baggage, baggage-dormitory, dining and sleeping cars)
 20 single-level cab cars
 20 electric locomotives
Replacement of aging and/or retired heritage equipment and augmentation of the sleeper inventory in the single-level long distance fleet will enable Amtrak to more effectively operate the current long distance network.

In addition to these baseline state-of-good-repair needs, a specification is in development for a single-level coach car, which can be utilized for either long-distance or corridor service. Orders will need to be placed in the near term, as funding sources are defined, for new single level corridor cars needed to replace the 470 Amfleet coaches that are approaching the end of their useful lives, and also to create a potential source of supply for passenger cars of this type for interested States seeking to expand or develop corridor service.

The Acela trainsets that serve the Northeast Corridor, and represent the only true High Speed Rail service currently in operation in the United States, are also capacity constrained due to increasing demand. In the meantime, we currently have the track capacity to add five or more trainsets to our current high-speed fleet, so Amtrak may seek to acquire additional Acela trainsets in the interim to augment current capacity and to serve as a bridge to evolving the current equipment to higher technologies available in the world market.

Another item in our short term fleet plan is the conversion of our current AEM-7 locomotives. As mentioned above, we will be procuring 20 new electric locomotives to replace the outdated DC locomotives that are in use today. As they are taken out of service, Amtrak plans to convert these locomotives to cab cars, removing the power function and returning them to service as baggage/cab cars.

Additional equipment needs will be addressed and explained in more detail in our comprehensive fleet strategy which will be released in February with our FY 2011 budget justification. This plan will contemplate our short and long term acquisition strategy.

[Cadet57]

I hope 901 is spared. She tends to follow me around.

[Jersey_Mike]

That;s a waste, they should be rebuilt like the other AEM-7AC's. If you're not getting 40-50 years out of an electric locomotive, you're not trying hard enough.

[BuddSilverliner269]

I agree with Jersey Mike on this one. I do think that the AEM7 AC units are pretty nice for rebuilds. Theres certain quirks about them I dont like but overall I think they are great and should just rebuild the remaining unrebuilt units into AC units. Of course this is my opinion but hey what do I know I only run these babies for a living. If Amtrak is going to order new electrics, then maybe if they were to rebuild the DC units,they can be much like whatever the new units are like, much like the AME7 rebuilds are alot like an HHP, considering it should be since Alstom did the rebuild. Basically an AEM7ac is an HHP8 with just a different body.

[orulz]

Is the per-unit cost really that much cheaper to rebuild an AEM-7 than to buy a large order of 20 new electric locomotives? A rebuild sounds like an awful lot of custom work and machining, whereas for a new locomotive there is probably already an assembly line in place. Not to mention Amtrak gets more cabbages out of the old AEM-7's, which they can probably put to use in a hurry. Are you guys just "attached" to the AEM7's? Or is this really a waste of money?

[Gilbert B Norman]

Fleet Equipment brief:
Another item in our short term fleet plan is the conversion of our current AEM-7 locomotives. As mentioned above, we will be procuring 20 new electric locomotives to replace the outdated DC locomotives that are in use today. As they are taken out of service, Amtrak plans to convert these locomotives to cab cars, removing the power function and returning them to service as baggage/cab cars.

It would appear that bi-directional running of more Corridor trains will be the "maxim'. Must say it will be interesting to see an AEM-7 NPCU show up in, say, Lynchburg.

[amtrakhogger]

Fleet Equipment brief:
Another item in our short term fleet plan is the conversion of our current AEM-7 locomotives. As mentioned above, we will be procuring 20 new electric locomotives to replace the outdated DC locomotives that are in use today. As they are taken out of service, Amtrak plans to convert these locomotives to cab cars, removing the power function and returning them to service as baggage/cab cars.

It would appear that bi-directional running of more Corridor trains will be the "maxim'. Must say it will be interesting to see an AEM-7 NPCU show up in, say, Lynchburg.

Well I could see AEM7NPCU's on all Keystone trains and say bye-bye to all those cramped and drafty 9600 series cab cars.

[Jersey_Mike]

Well I could see AEM7NPCU's on all Keystone trains and say bye-bye to all those cramped and drafty 9600 series cab cars.

Metroliner cab cars have a railfan window. That's a good thing.

[Jtgshu]

Man, I hope they put a lot of weight in them because taking out the guts and making the loco lighter is going to make for one hell of an uncomfortable ride at track speed! Ive never been in an AEM7 at track speed, but I have ALP44s and they ride pretty bad at times with all that weight in there!!!

[The tram man]

I saw mention on another forum of this item in the Amtrak 5 year plan.

Another item in our short term fleet plan is the conversion of our current AEM-7 locomotives. As
mentioned above, we will be procuring 20 new electric locomotives to replace the outdated DC
locomotives that are in use today. As they are taken out of service, Amtrak plans to convert these
locomotives to cab cars, removing the power function and returning them to service as baggage /
cab cars.

OUTDATED!?!?!? Ha! They are only 31 years old! The oldest unit in regular use here in Sweden is 42 years of age. And thats the same loco version as the AEM-7prototype X-995!
But our OLDEST regular use locomotive here is 57 years old.

[ENGR41]

Listen the 9600's cab cars need to go. I use to love running them until i thought about something. Remember that accident that occur around rt.1 when a car was stuck on the track and train 172 hit it with an HHP8. The HHP8 was damage pretty good, now what if that was a cab car! Youre sitting in that cramped seat and you see youre about to strike this car but its hard to get out the seat because of the control stand that is sitting to the left close to you. The seconds that you are trying to get out could be the seconds that determine if you make it or not.

[MudLake]

The ex-Metroliner cars won't last forever and then what? Amtrak is going to need some type of replacement.

Also, wouldn't it be quite beneficial to have an NPCU that can fit through the New York tunnels?

This AEM-7 conversion effort makes a lot of sense, IMHO.

[HokieNav]

OUTDATED!?!?!? Ha! They are only 31 years old! The oldest unit in regular use here in Sweden is 42 years of age. And thats the same loco version as the AEM-7prototype X-995!
But our OLDEST regular use locomotive here is 57 years old.

Amtrak's recent rebuild of MARC's AEM-7 locomotives stretch on for years and years because the manufacturer for a replacement part was no longer around (or no longer producing the part). Significant time/testing (read: megabucks) went into developing a workaround to get these locomotives back in service. In the interim, MARC was canceling and shortening trains due to a lack of electric power.

Sure, you can run them for 40 or 50 years with the right parts support, but sometimes that isn't an option. Not to mention, this isn't going to happen until there are a sizable number of AEM-7 follow-on locomotives in service. Since the RFP just went out recently, these locomotives will be very close to attaining the 42 years of service that you cite.

[electricron]

Between 1980 and 1982, 47 AEM-7s (900-946) went into service. Amtrak ordered seven more AEM-7s (947-953) in 1987 which were completed by 1988. A total of 54 AEM-7s were built for Amtrak.AEM-7s numbers 900, 903 and 913 were scrapped after wrecks, leaving 51 in service.

29 of the 51 locomotives were refurbished into AEM-7AC locomotives during 2000 and 2001. They are:
901, 904, 905, 908, 914, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 923, 924, 925, 927, 928, 929, 934, 935, 936, 938, 939 , 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 946, and 948.

That leaves 22 AEM-7s, and Amtrak is only making cabbage cab cars out of 20 of them? Those presently classified as AEM-7s are:
902, 906, 907, 909, 910, 911, 912, 915, 922, 926, 930, 931, 932, 933, 937, 945, 947, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953.
That still leaves 2 left as AEM-7s after 20 are made into "Cabbage" cab cars.