ALP-45DP's - Usage and Delivery

Tommy Meehan wrote:To operate on the NEC trains have to be able to achieve a pretty high minimum speed. About 105 mph I think.

the regular ALP46s can only do 100. I think 90-100 is the minimum threshold. Any faster with a PL42 at least would result in the bucking and heaving from the suspension throwing the engineer out of his chair.

beanbag wrote:Any faster with a PL42 at least would result in the bucking and heaving from the suspension throwing the engineer out of his chair.

Exactly, and apparently the heavy MPI diesels have high speed tracking issues as well (MARC's MP36's are still restricted to 90 mph on the NEC). That's why I'm curious about the 145 ton ALP-45DP's with their 125 mph advertised capability.

Matt Johnson wrote:

beanbag wrote:Any faster with a PL42 at least would result in the bucking and heaving from the suspension throwing the engineer out of his chair.

Exactly, and apparently the heavy MPI diesels have high speed tracking issues as well (MARC's MP36's are still restricted to 90 mph on the NEC). That's why I'm curious about the 145 ton ALP-45DP's with their 125 mph advertised capability.

Lol, well, we won't know until they try it....

Thirdrail, Ive been there, done that in the past with his other screennames. Its not worth wasting the electrons and energy anymore. My favorite was the argument about the Path tracks west of Newark Penn....that was fun "just put a bumping block up" riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

Like i said in an earlier post here, the PL42AC is essentially a purpose built single ended replacement for the F40PH's, GP40FH's and GP40PH-2's. Even the prime mover is simply a newer model of the lineage used in the geeps.

I personally have witnessed a 4300 series (i think it was 4301) hauling serious ass west past levittown station on track 4 with an ACL set of comet 4's. It was going about 90 i'd estimate.

The combination of where these (the geeps and PL's) revenue locomotives usually run and the "built in" speed limits on those tracks plus the amtrak speed limits when they run on the NEC mean they never really get to rocket around like the electrics do, unless it's on a move like the one stated above.

Now, the ALP-45DP on the other hand was purpose built from the rails up to pul 12 multilevels up to 125 mph. The MLV's are not cleared for over 100 mph at this time so that is moot. My GUESS is that amtrak will allow these to run up to 100 once they enter service on the NEC/NJCL, and in the future, as with the ALP-46a, could possibly, with the certification of the MLV's, to run at those higher speeds. Knowing amtrak, they may put location specific speed restrictions here and there to reduce track wear, but again, just my guess. We will all just have to wait and see. Folks at amtrak are not stupid, they know these locos are a serious monetary investment for NJT and represent an opportunity for NJT to really use all of this equipment to its maximum potential and really turn their system up a few notches. And, amtrak is upgrading a huge chunk of NEC within NJ, and i think that will ultimately be where these locomotives (both the 45 and 46a) get to go up over 100.

One last point, is that most of if not all of track 1 and 4 is not rated higher than 110 running, and a huge amount of NJT moves are on track 1 and 4, so that definitely plays a roll.

It would be awesome to see them in service on all the different lines used to their full potential. At the end of the day these units are doing work to get people places and them working properly and moving trains on time is what matters.

Right on cue he goes again. Try adding him to your ignore list. You'll save your sanity.

He knows he has an audience.

That audience doesnt include me.

Is it safe to say that his thread has run its course now that the 45's have run into NYP in revenue service?

morris&essex4ever wrote:Is it safe to say that his thread has run its course now that the 45's have run into NYP in revenue service?

Not necessarily, there are still at least thirteen 45s no one has seen yet in revenue service.

The thread is also "usage." I think we have a long way to go.

Don't forget, these locomotives are going to be around for many many years. In just a few short decades we'll be discussing the second-generation dual-mode replacement units!

Btw a friend-of-a-friend who works at FRA was surprised to learn the units operated through the Hudson River tunnels and into Penn Station this past weekend, even if it was only a temporary use. He said obviously Amtrak must've okayed it but he wondered if FDNY was notified.

I think it would be warranted to change this threads name to status and use now that they're all delivered, we could use it like the BL20 thread over in the MNRR forum. Just because they're here doesn't mean we can't use the rthread for discussion purposes and such.

Tommy Meehan wrote:He said obviously Amtrak must've okayed it but he wondered if FDNY was notified.

Isn't posting in rr.net adequate public notice?

beanbag wrote:I think it would be warranted to change this threads name to status and use...

That sounds reasonable.