Safety of NEC Amfleet cars.

Are Budd cars safe at 125 MPH?


https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/in ... et-safety/

I don't see why they wouldn't be. They are inspected and updated and maintained. Budd Metroliners were literally designed with a 150mph MAS so operating at 125 is well below design spec.

Paul Reistrup has a superb engineering and passenger railroading reputation. If he’s cautioning that these cars have served their day, then if I were VP Operations of Amtrak, I’d be running studies.

Reistrup was at the helm when the Amfleets were delivered, 1975-1977.

As for their safety, only two major incidents stand out: Chase and Frankford.

Amtrak's FY22-27 Five Year Service and Asset Line Plans already calls for the complete replacement of the Amfleet I fleet with ICTs (Aero trainsets) and state-owned Siemens Venture cars and the retention of the Horizon fleet for service expansion.

That Railway Age article sounds like its targeting Congress as it also discusses privatizing the Acela services, expanding the Acela I trainsets to 16 cars each to replace to all the NEC Regional services (what of Regionals that extend beyond the existing electrification?), but does not discuss intentions to cease using the Amfleet cars, but just run them slower in the Midwest and on select LIRR, Metrolink, and NJ Transit routes.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 5:56 pm Reistrup was at the helm when the Amfleets were delivered, 1975-1977.

As for their safety, only two major incidents stand out: Chase and Frankford.

Yes, but those were not caused by the Amfleet cars themselves. Chase was an engineer under the influence blowing a signal. Frankford was the engineer loosing concentration and speeding through a restricted curve.

Has there been any accidents where a Budd Amfleet was the sole source of the incident?

I can't think of any, and I would assume there would be some in the first few years after delivery. Maybe it's true: Budd don't break.

Helm!!

Mr. R36, we are addressing a railroad, and not a waterborne vessel

But to follow up your point, the first order for 57 A-I's was placed while Roger Lewis was at the throttle.

I distinctly recall that order was front page in The Times; however, the reporter referred to them as "non-powered Metroliners.

But regardless, A-I's will likely still be in revenue service ten years from now. With all the esoterics, such as battery powered engines and whatever else, I foresee another equipment procurement fiasco "blowing in the wind".

While Siemens may well have a "five star" reputation for rail equipment "over there" (first-hand knowledge; the OBB and CD Rail Jets are superb), their track record "on this side of the Ditch" with Amtrak to date has not been proven all to be all that impressive.

Page apparently not found any more.

I found the article on archive.org:

https://web.archive.org/web/20230327081 ... et-safety/

Not sure why Railway Age took it down.

The only thing I like from this article (that has disappeared) was using Amfleets to supplement LIRR service out on the forks. For the same reason of the longer trip times from Penn but also from the fact that LIRR woefully needs more equipment.

The article kinda just reads like rail fan nonsense though despite the credentials of the people proposing. Converting Acela cars for coach service would be an undertaking.

If you read the letter attached to the article it proposes two things:
- No Amfleet on NEC over 80 MPH
- All Acela Liberty units should be sold to a private entity to extend (by adding 3rd/coach class) and run
which leaves Amtrak with slow trains competing against fast trains operated by someone else for the same fares.

It feels to me this was a subtle hit job against Amtrak and it was taken down because the author (or someone else at Railway Age) realized that.

Is Railway Age trying to become Passenger Train Journal or Railfan and Railroad?

Enquiring mind wants to know.

Railway Age has an updated article that includes responses from both Amtrak (basically: we are already scheduling replacements) and the FRA (basically: freight cars have a age limit because they get abused).

Remember a Trains Article about the Chase accident and it stated the investigators were surprised the Amfleet held up . Nothing could have the first Amfleet car in the Colonial consist from physics in the crash, but behind it, the cars held up very well going from 125 mph to 0.

The lead Amfleet at Frankford (business class car 81528) was completely ripped. Most of the fatalities were in this
car.