Railroad Forums
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AMTK822401 wrote:On this first page: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 6&t=151460" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (though to be fair, the thread title is about the acquisition process, not the specific equipment.)Fan Railer wrote:This is old news and was being discussed elsewhere in this forum.Charger=/= ACS 64. Besides, there is no topic on it on the first page
AMTK822401 wrote:as mtu stated... you should read into threads before jumping to conclusions.Fan Railer wrote:This is old news and was being discussed elsewhere in this forum.Charger=/= ACS 64. Besides, there is no topic on it on the first page
I think Siemens inexpereince with the realties of American diesel locomotives will make these units fail. What it does mean, however, is Amtrak is actively looking for a replacement for the good ol' GenniesDon't sell Siemens short. They're probably the global leader in railway motive power. We think highly of GE and EMD, but they only build diesel locomotives, Siemens does a whole lot more, and I would not under estimate the Germans in anyway.
ngotwalt wrote:I think Siemens inexpereince with the realties of American diesel locomotives will make these units fail. What it does mean, however, is Amtrak is actively looking for a replacement for the good ol' GenniesDon't sell Siemens short. They're probably the global leader in railway motive power. We think highly of GE and EMD, but they only build diesel locomotives, Siemens does a whole lot more, and I would not under estimate the Germans in anyway.
Cheers,
Nick
gokeefe wrote:I think it is interesting to observe a foreign company inching in on territory that has almost always been a lock for American products. First they made their move with the ACS-64. No big deal there, electric traction has been imported for a long time now especially since the less than stellar performance of the E60s. Easy enough for executives at EMD and to a lesser extent at GE to write off as "insignificant", "meaningless" or "trivial".As Ngotwalt previously mentioned, this is a small order. The ACS-64s are barely on the beam and what is operating is less than stellar thus far. The game is too young for this sort of speculation.
Not so "trivial" would be the entry of a third major diesel-electric option into the American motive power market. While the Siemens product is likely a "passenger-first" design I doubt that anything powered by Caterpillar would have much difficulty being repurposed for freight. By securing the Amtrak contract Siemens provided startup work for their California plant, quietly gained a foothold in North America (which has one of the largest motive power markets in the world) and now is slowly ramping up to produce a diesel-electric option. I hope the suits in the Executive Suites in La Grange and the Heller Building in Chicago (GE Transportation) are taking this threat to their market dominance seriously.If they don't it could cost them their jobs.
AMTK822401 wrote:Fact check: both engine manufacturers are American companies... aside from the stipulation that high speed diesels have yet to fully prove themselves in the rail application. So far, I have not heard any major problems from the CAT engines in the ALP-45DPs running for NJT, nor have I heard of any major problem with the CAT engines running in the NS PR43C. Cummins has not seen any major rail action here as far as I know, but I don't doubt their ability to perform in the long run considering their track record in other applications.dowlingm wrote:What is this "I hope they fail" nonsense. If anything this should make EMD and GE being forward better offerings in specification and pricing terms - EMD has made an F125 sale which means there will be a running locomotive to compare vs the Charger. Also Siemens assemble in California rather than a race to the bottom state which cares little for advancing passenger rail (Indiana). That said, Cummins are placing a big bet here, having already had to substitute on Metrolinx' MP40 repower. Given their importance to rail (in the DMU space particularly) and non-rail transit engines a bad outcome for this contract could have significant wider implications.I really don't like these engines. Pardon me for being stupid and selfish, but I think their best bet would be a Tier IV compliant GEVO locomotive vs. an unproven combination of manufactures, some of whom have never built an American road diesel. The reason we don't run european equipment is because we run under different conditions. (Grades, constant idleing etc.) Check out the SP 9010 project, you will find that the German engines were not well suited to the conditions abroad. Also, my understanding is stationary generators don't make good locomotive engines right off the shelf. This is because generators run at a constant output while locomotive engines are much more variable and are often run harder. Good day to you sir.
Backshophoss wrote:Siemens will find out soon enough if Cummins can/can not deliver a reliable prime mover for RR use.These guys will find out even sooner - a repower of an SD90.
