P32-8BWH providing electricity for New Orleans jail

The 3,200-horsepower Amtrak locomotive hums on track No. 3, powering the temporary jail for a lone prisoner who paces back and forth in his cell.

So it came to be: The novel idea of a locomotive-powered jail was born in crisis. Today, the only bus at the terminal is one from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, and the only train the 511 locomotive. A giant generator, Amtrak left it behind to keep perishables in its commissary cold but gladly offered it to desperate prison authorities who needed it for a higher purpose.

Read the full article at:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-cane ... -headlines

old news

The article is dated September 17 -- that's today.

they are running slow in florida, this has been coverd on Amtrak tread for a week.
the Jail(station) is back to regular power for at least 4 or 5 days already.

Slow news day, I guess.

Nevertheless, I thought it would be of interest to GE fans who don't frequent the Amtrak board.

At most major Stations they keep a back up unit for power.

The same was done up in Canada (Montreal I think) after a nasty ice storm 1998... they used an Alco and believe it or not, removed it from the rails and ran it down a street, parked it next to a hospital where it provided power.

difference was in New Orleans they just used the 800kw HEP with full instrumentation and protection.
In Canada they used the Main Generator of a Freight engine for powering half a town.
They had the diesel running at 900 rpm but no protection like Circuit breakers etc, kind of a risky business for the users.