HEP Cars

Back in the late 70's early 80's, I remember each and every Amtrak train pulled by a GG1 with Amfleet cars had an HEP car either right behind the G or at the end of the train. I never read anything about these cars. I do not know where they came from or where they ended up when the G's were retired. Anyone know how many there were? How did they work? They looked like old baggage cars. Anyone have any info. they would like to share?

I don't have exact number or dates (I am sure somone else can supply a link to an alltime Amtrak roster.) You are right; most were former baggage cars; I think some former "B" unit (cabless) locomotives were also used during the steam to HEP transition in the late 70s-early 80s. When the AEM7s came online, they were no longer needed and joined the GG1s in the scrap line. I don't think any survived-certainly none have seen service in 20 years or more.

I saw (and rode behind) a number of these on the NEC in the early days of Amfleet use, beginning on or about 10/1/75. The ones I saw were either ex-baggage cars, or ex-coaches (the latter with the windows taken out and replaced by wire mesh). I never saw the inside of one and often wondered what the inside of one looked like. I assume the car interiors were all gutted out, and some kind of diesel generator was installed.

One power car that may still be in existence, but older than these Amtrak affairs, is the one for the PRR's Budd Tubular "Keystone" train. Some Michigan agency bought the whole train for the Grand Trunk Western commuter line to Pontiac just before the service was abandoned, it may have gone to a museum?

Here is one such car noted by Messrs. Curtin and Sernak

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/amtk/amtk-p688ags.jpg

SimplySam wrote:I don't have exact number or dates (I am sure somone else can supply a link to an alltime Amtrak roster.) You are right; most were former baggage cars; I think some former "B" unit (cabless) locomotives were also used during the steam to HEP transition in the late 70s-early 80s. When the AEM7s came online, they were no longer needed and joined the GG1s in the scrap line. I don't think any survived-certainly none have seen service in 20 years or more.

There may be some around for fan trip excursion service. When a historical era diesel or steam locomotive is used to pull modern equipment on a mainline excursion, HEP is needed. For example, the C&O 614 excursions on NJ Transit some years ago used a HEP car (don't know if it was ex-Amtrak) to power the NJT coaches.

I only got to work on the HEP cars on several occasions. To the best of my recollection, the engine/alternator setup was almost identical to what Amtrak used in the GE P30 units.

The P30 units had two head end power units and only one was needed to meet power demand on shorter trains, and both could be used and sychronized for higher HEP demands on longer consists.

This synchronization is not possible with the present units in the fleet. In any locomotive consist of two or more P42 units, only one locomotive is supplying all the power to the coaches.

In regards to "B" units, I only remember seeing one in the Chicago facilities, and it was for tractive effort and not HEP.

I have no idea if this is the same car as being discussed here, but the Providence & Worcester has at least one HEP car in service for excursion trips:

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20040 ... 363531.jpg

Dave

Yes, the P&W's HEP "car" is an ex-Amtrak converted E9B. It was originally UP 952B, then Amtrak 456, and became Amtrak 688 upon conversion to an auxiliary power supply unit. P&W has had it since the 1980s.

Not the best photo, but here is a G and a Power Car:

http://www.hebners.net/Amtrak/amtGG1900/amt906b.jpg

Also, a photo of a Power Car on the rear of a GG1 hauled Amfleet train, circa 1978

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=71761

Lastly, when Google was an "ars gratia artis" research tool, it would return a photo of a G and a ex-up Coach Power Car at Wash, but darned if I can find it today (guess no one is advertising to sell a GG1).

Hey Google, if a subscription is required for the same searching capacity you once had for free, why not offer such for sale?. I am prepared to accept that "internet freebies' are going the way of typewriters, LP phonograph records (remember I knew 78's), and photographic film, but why not not offer the service as a subscription you did "back when".

Gilbert B Norman wrote:...when Google was an "ars gratia artis" research tool, it would return a photo... Hey Google, if a subscription is required for the same searching capacity you once had for free, why not offer such for sale?...

Huh? Google isn't subscription driven... At least not as of a few minutes ago when I stopped and checked after reading your post. Could you elaborate about what happened to you? Is it possible that you've been a victim of a "browser hijack" or other unintended "redirection"?... ...Or am i missing something? Something sounds fishy!

Mr. Techfan, it seems to me that Google is less of an ars gratia artis research tool today than in past. Their business plan today is to sell advertising.

Case in point is that photo I noted; another case was looking at their map for Glamis, CA (regarding the recent UP derailment resulting in annullment of the Sunset) and the map retruned with at least six pointers to dirt bike dealers.

If such is their business plan, so be it as they are not any kind of a public utility. I was simply wondering if a user wanted their same research power as enjoyed in years past, could they sell subscriptions for such?

That's all I had in mind.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:

Mr. Techfan, it seems to me that Google is less of an ars gratia artis research tool today than in past. Their business plan today is to sell advertising.

Ah, yes... You are certainly correct in that regard. I guess my mind has been so numbed by this sort of stuff on way too many internet sites that I did not realize to what you were referring... It appeared to me that you were suggesting that Google had required you to purchase a paid subscription to use their search engine...

...I was thinking you paid cold hard cash for a subscription, whereas you are actually paying for it by being subjected to all of the targeted "ads"!! ...I guess we really all are "paying" for it!

I'm researching these care for a project. Does anyone have any particularly clear shots of the roof and the underbody, or possibly scale drawings? i've searched Hebners and the RRpictureArchives, but haven't found anything fantastic just yet.

You could try looking for Power Cars on UP, BNSF, where freight power pulls an executive or excursion train. In some cases, the unit contains a Cat genset to make HEP for the train. I don't remember if Amtrak had any Steam Generators like they do on Algoma Central , CN & other Canadian lines.