Amtrak ACS-64 Sprinter Discussion

Darryl Rule wrote:I know this pic isn't the quality of the previous photos that have been posted by everyone on this page.......Again, nothing award winning, but kinda cool taking the boys out to watch some Amtrak/NJT action! Hope they stay interested as they get older! lol

]

I'm not that big into pictures of trains (unless they involve bridges or spectacular scenery) but even I think that is a very cool shot. I think it is the best one I've seen. It is taken as if the engine as aside. It could be any piece of equipment going down the track, but we know it is the new engine. As for the boys? They're not that concerned.

This is a great picture all around.

Darryl Rule wrote:I know this pic isn't the quality of the previous photos that have been posted by everyone on this page, but I took my twin 19 month old boys over to Princeton Jct. to watch the #600 and train 159 pass by. Figured since I had the camera in the car from earlier, I'd bump the ISO way up and see what I could get. Again, nothing award winning, but kinda cool taking the boys out to watch some Amtrak/NJT action! Hope they stay interested as they get older! lol

8T3K3133.jpg

Darryl, that photo is timeless in its own right, the young children getting their first taste of trains. very nicely composed in its own way. Great shot.

Great pic Darryl. That's a nice shot by far and one my personal favorites involving 600. Hope ur kids get interested in trains .

The black and white is so well done and good job with the photography at night (I assume) Princeton JCT is a pretty fast stretch and you did a great job capturing it.

gokeefe wrote:

acelaphillies wrote:Here is my video, also from Levittown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9I_HSE ... ata_player" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Enjoy!

Great video! I noticed the "whoosh" of the engine seemed remarkably smooth. You could barely hear it.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed! Great pictures and videos to everyone else that posted as well!

Darryl Rule wrote:I know this pic isn't the quality of the previous photos that have been posted by everyone on this page, but I took my twin 19 month old boys over to Princeton Jct. to watch the #600 and train 159 pass by. Figured since I had the camera in the car from earlier, I'd bump the ISO way up and see what I could get. Again, nothing award winning, but kinda cool taking the boys out to watch some Amtrak/NJT action! Hope they stay interested as they get older! lol

Nice picture! I see that you made it to Princeton Jct! That is a special memory.

I saw the ACS-64 today at Trenton (in the snow - train 159). A few observations:

* The headlights, yeah they're nice and bright. You can't mistake these things for anything else.
* Inverter noise both stopping and leaving was a bit lower than the '46 seems to be.
* Blower noise seemed a bit higher than a '46. Nothing obnoxious.
* The unit is about as quiet as you'd expect a modern motor to be.
* The conductor popped out of the head end in a good mood - maybe because they were right on the schedule.
* NJT needs to be scrapped and started over from scratch - both my trains down and up to Princeton sucked.
* Oddly, the one back up was Comets and an ALP-45. The ALP was quiet as heck sitting at PJ, but a bit noisy pulling out (blower noise). I thought these things were able to hit 100? We never topped 80 and ended up 2 minutes down at PJ...

As an aside - I managed to get on a Riverline train that broke down. I got off at Bordentown, and as it pulled out, it died in the curve, and boy, did it stop on a dime (and give a few cents change back). Also about the worst riding Riverline car I was ever on. Red-haired stepchild of the fleet, maybe?

Nasadowsk wrote:* NJT needs to be scrapped and started over from scratch - both my trains down and up to Princeton sucked.
* Oddly, the one back up was Comets and an ALP-45. The ALP was quiet as heck sitting at PJ, but a bit noisy pulling out (blower noise). I thought these things were able to hit 100? We never topped 80 and ended up 2 minutes down at PJ...

I rode on one of those Princeton Junction expresses last week, it was terribly slooooow all the way down. We must've gone over 70 only once. But that's a topic for another thread.

As I operated train 159 with motor 600 on sat and sun. I must say the units are nice although the 600's performance in the snow tonite didn't totally sell me on it. However compared to what we have now operating it performed a little better. The dynamic is great almost as good as some of AC and Gevo freight diesels I ran during my CSX days. Well see the bugs are still being worked out of it.

I'm a little late in uploading video from Friday's first revenue run. I've included footage of both the Conrail freight and the Crescent in the video since both were shown in the still photo I posted earlier. Both northbounds cleared with about 15-20 seconds to spare 600 passed.

Here it is at North Elizabeth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqqVqW_jgQ

Oh, and thanks for the compliments on the still photo!

Rob

Here is Amtrak ACS-64 No. 600 weekend service as it operated on Train No. 152 and Train No. 159. Enjoy it

http://youtu.be/BMyoVVAr3-U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

r40slant wrote:As I operated train 159 with motor 600 on sat and sun. I must say the units are nice although the 600's performance in the snow tonite didn't totally sell me on it. However compared to what we have now operating it performed a little better. The dynamic is great almost as good as some of AC and Gevo freight diesels I ran during my CSX days. Well see the bugs are still being worked out of it.

r40slant,

Thanks for posting!

What was your impression of the acceleration coming out of the station? I couldn't tell from the videos if there was much of a difference with an AEM-7.

JR4815D2 wrote:Here is Amtrak ACS-64 No. 600 weekend service as it operated on Train No. 152 and Train No. 159. Enjoy it

http://youtu.be/BMyoVVAr3-U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is a really interesting video for two reasons. At about 1:58 I think you can hear the regenerative brakes being used (notice the tone with the declining note). On the departure you can hear two sets of ascending notes. I'm not entirely clear what that would be. I tend to think its a second phase of power coming online into the propulsion system as the engine throttles up but I don't really know the correct terminology or the electrical mechanics.

Darryl Rule wrote:I know this pic isn't the quality of the previous photos that have been posted by everyone on this page, but I took my twin 19 month old boys over to Princeton Jct. to watch the #600 and train 159 pass by. Figured since I had the camera in the car from earlier, I'd bump the ISO way up and see what I could get. Again, nothing award winning, but kinda cool taking the boys out to watch some Amtrak/NJT action! Hope they stay interested as they get older! lol

8T3K3133.jpg

Way to go DAD! Excellent picture!

Erie Limited wrote:I'm a little late in uploading video from Friday's first revenue run. I've included footage of both the Conrail freight and the Crescent in the video since both were shown in the still photo I posted earlier. Both northbounds cleared with about 15-20 seconds to spare 600 passed.

Here it is at North Elizabeth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqqVqW_jgQ

Oh, and thanks for the compliments on the still photo!

Rob

Excellent video! Thanks for sharing!

gokeefe wrote:

JR4815D2 wrote:Here is Amtrak ACS-64 No. 600 weekend service as it operated on Train No. 152 and Train No. 159. Enjoy it

http://youtu.be/BMyoVVAr3-U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is a really interesting video for two reasons. At about 1:58 I think you can hear the regenerative brakes being used (notice the tone with the declining note). On the departure you can hear two sets of ascending notes. I'm not entirely clear what that would be. I tend to think its a second phase of power coming online into the propulsion system as the engine throttles up but I don't really know the correct terminology or the electrical mechanics.

I want to say the second set of ascending pitch you hear from the locomotive departing are the blowers starting up, much like you hear on the HHP-8s and the Acelas.