Panograph Down Order

When an Amtrak train is issued a panograph down order, how do they re-raise the panograph?

Is it a spring loaded mechinism or does the motor have it's own re-chargeable batteries?

A locomotives during a Pan Down order still has Batteries and still has air in its systems, it will just coast tru the Pan Down zone when your clear you just push the button or switch and pantograph raises.

The pantographs on our cars (South shore) are air operated. The air pressure keeps the pans down. When you hit the "Pan UP" button the springs in the pan raise it.

NJT was issuing pan-down orders through phase gaps today. Did amtrak do anything similar?

gprimr1 wrote:When an Amtrak train is issued a panograph down order, how do they re-raise the panograph?

Is it a spring loaded mechinism or does the motor have it's own re-chargeable batteries?

gprimr1 wrote:Is it a spring loaded mechinism or does the motor have it's own re-chargeable batteries?

If the main reservoir are empty and the unit is dead under a wire, a small air pump that is battery driven (DC motor) supplies air to the Panographs and MCB. This process is slow but once the Panograph is raised, and the MCB closed the main compressor engages to pump up the main reservoir.
Battery reference:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... highlight=

The compressor is only used to unlatch the pantograph, all pantographs on Amtrak and MNCR equipment are pushed up by springs and down by air, the latch needs air to let the pantograph spring up.
On MNCR the M series cars have a small hand pump under the car to onlatch the pantograph.

Sorry guys

I am referring to AEM-7's. I remember watching the pantograph rising while the pump was pumping. There was talk of adding springs but I did not see any...

Having the paqntograph up funtion by air is very very unreliable since failure of regulating device or freezing of a regulating device could force the pantograph to hard into wire and cause damage to both wire and pantograph.
By having the funtion done with springs the pressure is constant, and only the little winglets are needed to compensate for wind pressure On the AEM-7 its a torq spring in bottom crossmember.

DutchRailnut wrote:Having the paqntograph up funtion by air is very very unreliable since failure of regulating device or freezing of a regulating device could force the pantograph to hard into wire and cause damage to both wire and pantograph.
By having the funtion done with springs the pressure is constant, and only the little winglets are needed to compensate for wind pressure On the AEM-7 its a torq spring in bottom crossmember.

Makes sense to me...