Railroad Forums 

  • Amtrak ACS-64 Sprinter Discussion

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1226605  by 25Hz
 
MBTA F40PH-2C 1050 wrote:602 test extra passed my train in Attleboro, 11/2 around 7am....and the 901 that was trailing developed some sort of mechanical problem at Readville shortly before 8am, locked axle??? because at 12:30p, she was still sitting on Trk 2 at Readville disabled, lite
That does not sound good..
 #1226624  by ACeInTheHole
 
25Hz wrote:
MBTA F40PH-2C 1050 wrote:602 test extra passed my train in Attleboro, 11/2 around 7am....and the 901 that was trailing developed some sort of mechanical problem at Readville shortly before 8am, locked axle??? because at 12:30p, she was still sitting on Trk 2 at Readville disabled, lite
That does not sound good..
If anything.. This paints the picture clear as day that the AEM7s are shot, precisely the reason 602 was testing, to replace the AEMSs.
 #1226626  by ApproachMedium
 
901 has not been in revenue service for well over a year now folks. That engine is a problem child, it always has been, which is why its being used for TESTING and not on live passenger trains leaving the other engines that actually run available for the trains that actually need to get somewhere.

As for the ACS engines, they have been making their rounds for crew training. The 603 was spyed in PSNY today for crew familiarization most likely.
 #1226628  by ACeInTheHole
 
Not to dumb things down Approach but if youre gonna run a test train dont you want a good running locomotive as backup in case a failure occurs? I mean I understand the logic of restricting the troublesome 901 to non revenue work, but testing.. I would want a good locomotive as a backup. Granted the 602 seems to have kept itself out of board discussion here which I assume by the logic "no news is good news" is a good thing. But what if the hypothetical problem child in the making of the ACS fleet (again, hypothetical.. We clearly dont know which locomotive it will be if there will in fact be one) is testing with the 901 and it craps the bed, then while trying to bring the test train back, the 901 dies too? Putting a locomotive that is a known brat with a locomotive that youve never used before for an extended period just seems like it could be a recipe for trouble.
 #1226630  by acelaphillies
 
beanbag wrote:Not to dumb things down Approach but if youre gonna run a test train dont you want a good running locomotive as backup in case a failure occurs? I mean I understand the logic of restricting the troublesome 901 to non revenue work, but testing.. I would want a good locomotive as a backup. Granted the 602 seems to have kept itself out of board discussion here which I assume by the logic "no news is good news" is a good thing. But what if the hypothetical problem child in the making of the ACS fleet (again, hypothetical.. We clearly dont know which locomotive it will be if there will in fact be one) is testing with the 901 and it craps the bed, then while trying to bring the test train back, the 901 dies too? Putting a locomotive that is a known brat with a locomotive that youve never used before for an extended period just seems like it could be a recipe for trouble.
What you are saying is very logical....BUT when the 901 dies on the test train it makes for a interesting situation for a few Amtrak employees (while they are still getting paid to sit there with a dead locomotive). When the 901 dies on the train that the 9XX should have had, it makes 500 passengers UNHAPPY while they are faced with a major inconvenience.
 #1226632  by ApproachMedium
 
With how tight the power is at Amtrak, they want anything thats good for road service on the road. the 901 runs but has had random problems. The worst that happens is it could limp the train around. if the poster of the problem is correct,the 901 had a locked axle something that could happen to any engine. That could be either a traction motor failure or a bearing failure. They spend quite a bit of time training engineers on locked axle conditions. Its not common but it can happen, and when it does happen they have ways to deal with it.
 #1226635  by ACeInTheHole
 
Yeah I understand you acela.. however say the test train dies at a crucial choke point on the NEC and the 901 has a problem? Again the chances of what im saying happening are very minimal but provided there is problem at a choke point during a daylight run, you do kind of want to know the locomotive backing you up will get you out of there. Thanks for the clarifier though Approach. Merely asking a question and I got my answer, not looking to start a fight.
 #1226636  by acelaphillies
 
beanbag wrote:Yeah I understand you acela.. however say the test train dies at a crucial choke point on the NEC and the 901 has a problem? Again the chances of what im saying happening are very minimal but provided there is problem at a choke point during a daylight run, you do kind of want to know the locomotive backing you up will get you out of there. Thanks for the clarifier though Approach. Merely asking a question and I got my answer, not looking to start a fight.
Yeah, I see both sides of it. I think that we are all just hoping that when the ACS-64's are put into service Amtrak will not have to deal with reliability issues very often at all! :)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 200