• Amtrak ALC-42 Procurement (Long-Distance LD Charger Variant)

  • 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

  by Jeff Smith
 
^Pertinent slides are 1-3. For discussion of other procurements/projects, see appropriate thread.
  by DutchRailnut
 
I would not bet on numbering , the Document is NOT amtrak .
  by Tadman
 
Does Amtrak use 3-digit numbering to avoid confusion with freight power?
  by MattW
 
Freight has 3-digit engine numbers. Heck, CSX goes all the way down to single digits. A quick search tells me NS goes into two-digits in theory, UP might go down into 3-digits.
  by NH2060
 
The livery makes me think someone was watching "Finders Keepers" a little too much :wink:

Not that Phase V would look great on the Chargers either (the renderings from December 2018 prove that). The "Amtrak Midwest" livery OTOH suits those units quite well.
  by jt42cwr
 
DutchRailnut wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:12 pm I would not bet on numbering , the Document is NOT amtrak .
GojiMet86 wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:09 pm Looks like they will be the 300s, unless it's just for the rendering.
Amtrak Five-Year Asset Line Plans Fiscal Years 2020–2025 (Base + Five-Year Strategic Plan) has anartist-rendering of one numbered 901 (page 36): -

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/proj ... Y21-25.pdf

Not sure how that would work if they took up a substantial portion of the option of up to 100 more locos.
  by west point
 
As an outside observer it appears GE has gone the planned obsolesce route. Spare parts certainly seems a problem. Cannibalizations of out of service locos has been the watchword on GE locos ?
  by mtuandrew
 
west point wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:42 am As an outside observer it appears GE has gone the planned obsolesce route. Spare parts certainly seems a problem. Cannibalizations of out of service locos has been the watchword on GE locos ?
As another outside observer, I think “planned obsolescence” has been part of GETS’ sales strategy from the day they inked a sale on their first U25B. EMD has pretty consistently offered component reuse for trade-ins, rebuild kits, and straight trade-in credit for older units; GETS tended to only offer trade-in credit. The Super Series U-boat rebuilds of the 1970s and 1980s are the big exception to that rule, and they weren’t that popular as compared to the thousands of rebuilt EMDs from the same period (whether from the factory or from railroads like the Rock and the Santa Fe.)

Going forward three decades, I think the Siemens units will likely also be found insufficient for a full frame-up rebuild.
  by Backshophoss
 
GE/WABTEC has never allowed licenses to the aftermarket part suppliers,and now has stopped support for the P32's,40'sand 42's.
GE claims proprietary parts and cards are company secrets forever!
This is forcing the shutdown of units due to the lack of parts,cards and support, creating a surge of GE power headed to scrap yards.
Too soon to tell how well Siemens and Cummings will support the SC-44's and 42's long term.
  by Tadman
 
Usually there are both laws and contractual provisions for how long spares must be available. When I sell equipment to federal agencies, often there are provisions that say something like "spares must be available for a period of X years". In the private sector it's more common to buy spare at the time of the main acquisition and gamble that they'll be enough.
  by Amtrak706
 
mtuandrew wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 11:10 am
west point wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 4:42 am As an outside observer it appears GE has gone the planned obsolesce route. Spare parts certainly seems a problem. Cannibalizations of out of service locos has been the watchword on GE locos ?
As another outside observer, I think “planned obsolescence” has been part of GETS’ sales strategy from the day they inked a sale on their first U25B. EMD has pretty consistently offered component reuse for trade-ins, rebuild kits, and straight trade-in credit for older units; GETS tended to only offer trade-in credit. The Super Series U-boat rebuilds of the 1970s and 1980s are the big exception to that rule, and they weren’t that popular as compared to the thousands of rebuilt EMDs from the same period (whether from the factory or from railroads like the Rock and the Santa Fe.)

Going forward three decades, I think the Siemens units will likely also be found insufficient for a full frame-up rebuild.
I think GE has been quite willing to support their products. Several railroads are currently rebuilding older Dash 9s and AC series locomotives to AC44C6M and similar models. And GE was willing to try the C40-8WM rebuild program with CSX. Similarly, the Amtrak RFP specified either a rebuild or replacement of the Genesis, and GE put in bids for both of those options.
  by ST Saint
 
Article: https://media.amtrak.com/2020/08/amtrak ... ive-fleet/
Transitional paint scheme on the first ALC-42 Siemens Chargers
WASHINGTON – Amtrak today released renderings and other information about the first of the diesel-electric locomotives that will replace the current fleet on the National Network, including all long distance and many state-sponsored routes.

Five of the first six locomotives will have this version of our current Phase VI paint scheme (a “livery” in trade terms) and one will be painted to recognize next year’s 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Amtrak service. A final livery will be unveiled later as part of a fleet-wide plan.
Image

Image

Image

Full size renders: https://media.amtrak.com/media-images/a ... comotives/

Look at that pointless arrow throwback!
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