Sprinter ACS-64 Electric Loco: Siemens.

ApproachMedium wrote: Ok that is innovative, but I can think that a standard prime mfg mirror like the AEM-7s have is a lot cheaper to replace than that camera will be when the glass gets broken or the thing gets knocked off, stolen etc. If this thing is gonna have the same windows as an ALP46 the Prime mirrors can be installed and viewable from the engineers seat no problem, both of them. It actually works very well talking from experience here.

actually , i wouldn't be surprised if a camera was cheaper than a mirror these days .

If anything, it would make the most sense to a) use the HHP-8s on baby Acelas or b) pawn them off on MARC. Either way, it isolates them in service with similar units.

Also, I was under the impression that whatever the problem with cab cars and HHP-8s, it had been rectified on at least a few units. Perhaps I'm thinking of the AEM-7ACs though - does one of the Amtrak folks know for certain?

mtuandrew wrote:If anything, it would make the most sense to a) use the HHP-8s on baby Acelas or b) pawn them off on MARC. Either way, it isolates them in service with similar units.

Also, I was under the impression that whatever the problem with cab cars and HHP-8s, it had been rectified on at least a few units. Perhaps I'm thinking of the AEM-7ACs though - does one of the Amtrak folks know for certain?

The HHP-8s do not work consistently with the Amtrak cabs cars. They do work with the MARC cab cars. The REMANS will be the last engine standing when these arrive.

Does MARC have toasters they can swap for the hhp's?

25Hz wrote:Does MARC have toasters they can swap for the hhp's?

MARC already uses 6 HHP-8's and 4 AEM-7's for its Penn Line service.

MARC and Amtrak HHPs will go bye bye, MARC gets pick at the good of the good for the remans, the rest will get sold off or dismantled and scrap the carbodies. The DC motors will be scrapped along with the too expensive and consistently breaking HHP-8s. There will be NO cabbage conversions. The idea now is if they purchase new cab cars, they will be half bag, half coach, and a little bit of cab car.

Mr. Approach, since your postings suggest that you're "on the inside", it will be interesting lo learn which locomotive will be considered the "flop of flops' between the E-60 and HHP-8?

R36 Combine Coach wrote:

Matt Johnson wrote:I'll be curious to see what happens to the HHP-8's when the ACS-64's come online. I understand that once all 70 are delivered, they're intended to replace the HHP's as well as the AEM-7's. Will Amtrak find an alternate use for the relatively young HHP-8 locos, perhaps in MOW duty on the NEC? (I'm guessing that'd be an expensive proposition, so likely not.) I also recall that Amtrak was considering the feasibility of having them rebuilt into Acela locomotives, to create new Acela Express sets with additional coaches being ordered.

The AEM7s were (for a while) proposed to be rebuilt as "cabbage" conversions. There are 15 HHP8s plus 47 AEM7s (minus wrecks, and out-of-service units due to fire), with 62 electric motors. It might be wise to keep the HHP8s around for a while as reserve or spare units and to ensure demands. Remember that the HHP8s cannot operate Keystones, which restricts their use.

Speaking of salads, this is the old cabbage topic, resurrected: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... &start=105

ApproachMedium wrote:The electric brake equiptment could have been put in to a locker under the car like the cab signal, and like NJTs EPIC that could protect it from those issues.

I dont see what the cost issue is with removing a diaphragm. Next time it his a car or some large body committing suicide they have to take it off and replace it anyways. Why not just not have it there? If nobody can pass thru car to car any longer its really pointless to have that item on the car. The window is still in fact there. I did not see anything different about the doors supposedly they are sealed but to me they looked no different inside than they have looked on the other cab cars.

Have you ever seen any electronic air brake system under a locomotive? The cab signal equipment constantly has water getting into the box so its not an ideal place either. At the time there was no other place to put the equipment.

DutchRailnut wrote:What happened to the topic ?

I think the ACS-64 Locos will perform great once they enter service and their bugs are fixed. There, back on topic.

morris&essex4ever wrote:I think the ACS-64 Locos will perform great once they enter service and their bugs are fixed. There, back on topic.

This is a currently in service product.

How reliable are they and what is their reputation elsewhere? I searched the thread and noticed a lot of discussion about ALP-46(A) and the current fleet workhorse the AEM-7 as well as the dozen or so HHP-8s but very little if any discussion about the Sprinter.

Based on experience elsewhere what should our expectations be?

Aren't the Eurosprinters reliable locomotives?

The ACS 64 will be a lot more HP than the ALP46, and if the amount of eurosprinters build is any indication than they will be succesfull locomotives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroSprinter

DutchRailnut wrote:The ACS 64 will be a lot more HP than the ALP46, and if the amount of eurosprinters build is any indication than they will be succesfull locomotives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroSprinter

But the ACS-64 is being built on the Vectron platform, which is somewhat different from the Eurosprinter platform which has been deployed in many hundred locomotives. Vectron OTOH is in early stages of deployment and Amtrak's is one of the first major orders based on that platform. Just repeating stuff that I read from the Wiki page references above.

Is the Vectron platform a new build from the wheels up or an incremental improvement on the Eurosprinter?