Sen. Casey urges slower speeds for high-speed rail contracts

From GoErie.com:

GoErie.com wrote:U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is urging a federal agency to slow it down when it comes to speed requirements for companies bidding to build high-speed rail locomotives.

Casey's office said a lower minimum speed -- from 125 mph to 110 mph -- would allow most U.S. companies, including GE Transportation, to bid on contracts that otherwise might go to foreign companies.

Casey, D-Pa., urged the lower-speed contract parameters in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Most American companies do not yet build a 125-mph locomotive.

Read more at: http://www.goerie.com/article/20111210/ ... -contracts

already covered
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 46&t=89399

Progress Rail / EMD already announced that they are going to build a 125 mph passenger locomotive prototype. It must be GE that has a problem.

It turns out that GE / MPI does have a candidate for this contract in the MBTA order for 20 HSP - 46 locomotives to operate on AMTRAK. the trouble is that its designed for 110 mph. Hmmmmmm.

and 110 is still not High speed, a P32acdm or P40 or P42 is rated for 110 mph.

DutchRailnut wrote:and 110 is still not High speed, a P32acdm or P40 or P42 is rated for 110 mph.

Don't these locomotives already have quill drive traction motors like all the 125 mph electric locomotives? If so it should be easy to push them to 125 mph just to meet the spec.

My impression (though I can't recall seeing any explicit statement) was that P32acdm, P40 and P42 had conventional nose-suspended traction motors similar to those on U.S. freight diesels: GEB-13 or 752.