MARC AEM7 locomotives 4900 to 4903

On my two most recent visits to the MARC Penn line I have not seen the MARC AEM7 locomotives in use on Penn Line trains. Can anyone please confirm the status and any sightings of these locomotives in use on MARC Penn line passenger trains. Thanks in advance.

I saw one of them on its weekend hideout at Penn Station in April. can't remember which.

MARC has a habit of using diesels off of peak hour Brunswick and Camden line trains on the mid-day Penn Line trains, as apaprently Amtrak's charges for traction power are quite high.

Both 4900 and 4903 were paired on train 432 for yesterday's afternoon rush.

Must have a few bananas out of service... I'm going to go out Monday morning for the rush and hopefully I'll see them then as well.

Thank you for the sightings. I noted that two MARC AEM7's were at Wilmington Amtrak workshops on my last two visits but I was unable to see the numbers. I was on the North East Corridor on October 29th 2005 and again on May 5th 2006. Can anyone tell me if these two locomotives were the same on each occaision, their numbers and have they been removed from service or are the MARC AEM7s receiving a works overhaul?
Thank you in advance.

All of the electrics are Amtrak maintained as part of the contract to operate the Penn Line, so the MARC units could be in Wilmington for any work they can't do in the Ivy City shops in DC. Wilmington, of course, can do pretty much anything to the electrics that Maryland would want to pay for...

I heard that the AEM7s were getting rebuilt, and that they were getting a new paint scheme....anyone here know what it looks like?

any news on MARCs AEM-7s and their alleged(no pun intended) new paint job?

I haven't seen a new paint job, but there was an Amtrak AEM-7 on the front of the 3:34 from Washington either Thursday or Friday - didn't catch the number, but it looks like the MARC AEM-7's aren't back yet?

I have sporadically seen a MARC AEM-7 in service over the last couple of months. I haven't caught the number so I couldn't say whether or not it was the same unit or different units. All I can say is that the unit was in the original paint scheme and was quite dirty. I doubt that the unit(s) that I have seen have been overhauled yet. My guess is that MARC has been pressing a unit into service that is waiting to be overhauled when power is needed.

spvanhart wrote:I have sporadically seen a MARC AEM-7 in service over the last couple of months. I haven't caught the number so I couldn't say whether or not it was the same unit or different units. All I can say is that the unit was in the original paint scheme and was quite dirty. I doubt that the unit(s) that I have seen have been overhauled yet. My guess is that MARC has been pressing a unit into service that is waiting to be overhauled when power is needed.

That AEM-7 is 4903 which apparently never went to Wilmington with the others. I have also seen it at least once or twice a week this past spring and winter (usually on train 411). I agree that MARC probably couldn't afford to take all that electric power out of service at one time. 4903 is the only one that didn't get sent to rehab, the other three went. The others should have been back since Feb/March 08, since it was a 18-month rehab program (starting Aug '06), so they should start turning up any time soon.

HokieNav wrote:I haven't seen a new paint job, but there was an Amtrak AEM-7 on the front of the 3:34 from Washington either Thursday or Friday - didn't catch the number, but it looks like the MARC AEM-7's aren't back yet?

I've seen Amtrak AEM-7s pull MARC trains on occasion as well. I think any time there are a significant amount of MARC electrics out of service, Amtrak will lend MARC an AEM-7 (but never a HHP-8 ).

I don't get it does it cost too much for Amtrak crews,NEC electric bill, etc? With the rising gas prices and global warming on top of it beings HOT summer time 85+ degrees outside to run more electric locomotives?

check this out an HHP-8 in service in 2008!

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=237373&nseq=0

Look at this!

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=238744

P.S. does Amtrak have a uniform? And not everyday will you see a woman driving or riding in a locomotive

That girl is new and is assigned/ bidding to a yard job and NO the yard crews don't have to wear a uniform and neither do the road engineers thank god. She is a good worker so i am told, but doesn't want to work the road as do alot of yard birds.
craig

realtype wrote: I've seen Amtrak AEM-7s pull MARC trains on occasion as well. I think any time there are a significant amount of MARC electrics out of service, Amtrak will lend MARC an AEM-7 (but never a HHP-8 ).

Amtrak 916 was on the front of train 400 this morning, we were both stopped at Bowie State at the time. I ride in the back of the train, so at first all I saw was the locomotive and wondered why the heck an Amtrak train was stopped there, then once we pulled away I saw the good old MARC cars in tow.

That girl was subject to quite a lot of discussion on railpictures.net

gprimr1 wrote:That girl was subject to quite a lot of discussion on railpictures.net

Why's that? Link?