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  • Amtrak F40PH head end power questions

  • 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

 #897521  by MEC407
 
rckingsnorth wrote:When multiple units are used, is it the crew’s option which unit provides HEP? Crew comfort/fatigue would seem to be an important consideration.
Yes. Last night I was on the Downeaster; we had a P40 leading, and a P42 on the other end of the train. The P40 was in non-HEP mode, while the unoccupied P42 at the other end of the train was roaring away in HEP mode.
 #897623  by EricL
 
Yes, HEP can be supplied from any unit. It is usually advisable to leave it on the lead/operating unit whenever possible, since the controls are right there in case the engineer needs to shut it down. It is not possible to "officially" shut down and isolate HEP, without physically traveling to the unit/source providing it. The only way to "remotely" shut down HEP is to cause a break in the TLC (Train Line Complete) circuit - switching the "position in consist" switch on the trailing/opposite unit will do it. But this method is not advisable, since it's not difficult to defeat TLC protection.
 #897624  by DutchRailnut
 
On the Genesis the lead unit can shut down and start HEP on trailing units.
Whatever unit supplies HEP as long as it is properly MUed will respond to buttons in lead unit
 #897814  by slchub
 
DutchRailnut wrote:On the Genesis the lead unit can shut down and start HEP on trailing units.
Whatever unit supplies HEP as long as it is properly MUed will respond to buttons in lead unit
Partially correct. We can shut the trailing motor's HEP down from the lead unit, however, if you need to start it up, you need to do so from the trailing unit. That's one of the pain in the rear kind of deals where you are rolling down the tracks at 79 MPH and your hear the HVAC system cut-out (the blowers on the HVAC are loud, even at the low speed setting) and the Conductor calls out on the radio "Hey, we lost our HEP!" You then have to bring her to stop, walk back to the second motor (most of the time it is either 100 degrees outside or blowing snow and 18 degrees on uneven ballast) to get her to start again. GE would have done well to incorporate the ability to start the trailing HEP much as they do with the AESS system.
 #897821  by John_Perkowski
 
Gee. Who'd a thunk it? Those industrial designers in the 40s and 50s actually had a reason for nose doors and end doors.

Another example of Amtrak knowing better than their predecessors including the Pullman Company...not.
 #897834  by Tadman
 
JP, believe it or not, UPRR welded the nose doors shut on 951 and 949 a few years back. Most Gennies have rear doors, but they're useless when running 2+ units elephant-style. In this digital age, a simple reset or start button would probably be best. Heck, the RI banned employees from entering the engine compartment toward the end because they couldn't afford to maintain the equipment well enough, and a steam gen failure hurt a guy. I don't know where Amtrak's preventative maintenance falls, although I'm sure it's much better than the Rock in the 1970's.
 #897857  by David Benton
 
Can you not just start the hep in the lead unit ??? Otherwise would it be better to have the conductor trained and authorised to start / stop the Hep , so it couyld be done by him if more convienient .
 #897879  by cobra30689
 
David Benton wrote:Can you not just start the hep in the lead unit ??? Otherwise would it be better to have the conductor trained and authorised to start / stop the Hep , so it couyld be done by him if more convienient .
Unfortunately no. There is a switch you have to flip to isolate the dead unit from the HEP trainline first before you fire up another. At least on the older units, the same switch determines which outlets on the engine are live...F end, B end, or passthrough (isolated). I try to make sure my conductors are trained to start/stop the HEP, that way if it drops while i'm in push mode they can get it back up without much delay........
 #897980  by TrainManUPRR
 
The Dash8-32BWH also is locked in at 900 rpm when providing HEP. The 900rpm lock on the P32/P40/P42 is basically like the unit is stuck in notch 6. Like said before, the F40PH is also locked at 900rpm, but 900rpm is notch 8 on EMD locomotives. Any unit can be used for HEP. Usually in the summer on Metra they use the lead locomotive- the air conditioners that were installed on the cab roof awhile back will only work if that unit is providing HEP, so if you want a/c on your locomotive, you turn the HEP on.
 #897985  by DutchRailnut
 
The Genesis series will have all 480 equipment running from trainline so any locomotive can provide HEP.
As for B 8-32Bw its not really a passenger unit but a converted freight unit, GE just added some stuff to create a emergency stop gap measure for Amtrak.
The P32(acdm) does not run at 900 RPM for HEP since its a AC propulsion unit, the HEP is fed of 1400 volt DC bus, to create the 1400 volt bus the engine can run anywhere from 600 to 1047 rpm
 #897987  by TrainManUPRR
 
Sorry Dutch- I should rephrase that. When I was referring to the P32 being locked at 900rpm (notch 6) in HEP mode, I was talking about the Dash8-32BWH. Also I'd like to add that with a 500kW HEP load, a Dash8-32BWH makes only 2100hp, and a P40DC makes 2525hp with an 800kW HEP load. Does anyone know how much traction horsepower the P42DC and F40PH make in HEP mode?
 #897999  by DutchRailnut
 
both P40 and P42 are same HP for few years now with full 800Kw HEP it runs around 3850 max at 900 rpm (minus 1000 Hp for HEP).
The F40 only had 500 Kw and main engine was officially only 3000 HP at max RPM.