Superliner Replacement Request For Proposal Released

GWoodle wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:13 am A little surprised Auto Train doesn't use a DPU Put 1 unit in front of the auto racks. If full this could be heavy part of the train?

Mr. Woodle's proposal has merit. "Distributed power" overseas (well, Continental Europe) is quite common. I have observed OBB RailJets meet at Salzburg, one from Innsbruck (they do not go over the Brenner Pass into Italy) and another from Bregenz (Easternmost point in Austria). At Salzburg, they are coupled together to make one fourteen car train with one engine center, and another, depending whether the sets are in push or pull mode, on head or rear as the case may be.

"Meanwhile back in the States", if there were to be an engine mid-Auto Train, breaking the passenger and auto rack consists would be expedited. Simply cut the cars at the mid train engine, passenger cars pull in, Yard crew (Engineer only) boards second engine and handles the set of racks to the stub vehicle handling tracks.

Sounds nice until you look at the numbers and how the Auto Train is set up in its consist. Your Railjet train example was just 14 cars in length after both trains were assembled. The Auto train usual consist has 16 Superliner cars and 33 Autoracks. Per Wiki:
"Two GE Genesis locomotives in the front, a transition sleeper car, three sleeping cars, a sightseer lounge car, a full-service dining car, five sleepers, a cafe dining car, four coaches, and up to 33 autoracks."
One locomotive powers the starboard HEP bus, and the second locomotive powers the port HEP bus, placing eight Superliner cars being powered from each bus. The odd cars in the consist are powered off one bus, the even cars off the other bus.
Having the locomotive back to back allows refueling at the halfway point from a single refueling truck.
And yes, these locomotives need refueling because the distance traveled between Lorton and Sanford is 855 miles (1,376 km), with a P42 distance range without refueling between 880 and 1012 miles. See data and math below.

Do you really want to risk running out of fuel a few miles short of your destination?

Per another website left unmentioned.
"Based on the Dec 2010 report (the most recent) trains average between 2.2 and 2.5 gallons per train mile. In the figures your looking for, that would be between .4 and .46 miles per gallon."
A P42 locomotive has 2200 gallons of fuel per Wiki
Math = 2200 x .4 =880 miles, or 2200 x .46 = 1012 miles

I wish to add that while there are very few mountains to climb along this corridor, few Amtrak trains have as heavy a load to pull. therefore the .4 miles per gallon is closer to the truth than .46 miles per gallon.

west point wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:22 pm

electricron wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:47 pm One locomotive powers the starboard HEP bus, and the second locomotive powers the port HEP bus, placing eight Superliner cars being powered from each bus. The odd cars in the consist are powered off one bus, the even cars off the other bus.

Unless Amtrak has changed its HEP distribution that wiki statement is false. That HEP method is not even the same as VIA's crossover ,method as Amtrak has considered t9o change to VIA's method but rejected it as too expensive.

I think the quotes above were misidentified which I have fixed in this reply. Maybe I had confused what VIA does with the Canadian with Am6trak on the Auto Train. If I had, sorry for the misinformation. Never-the-less, the need to refuel midway happens on every train in both directions because of the distance traveled.
As for the running a separate section of the train for the autoracks, someone has to pay for the additional two crews per direction or an additional four crews every day, whether or not Amtrak or another rail operator runs the autorack train sections.

And that my friends, places a long distance train that occasionally earns a profit deeply into not breaking even. I doubt Congress believes the American taxpayers should help pay for transporting "automobiles" to and from Florida.

The reason Amtrak occassionally earns a profit with this train is because it is one long train and not two shorter trains.

scratchyX1 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 7:11 pm Does auto train run with MAS of 79 mph, or 60 mph?

As of my final AT ride #52(the day Kobe Bryant was killed), MAS over the ACL was 70 mph, 60 over the RF&P.

west point wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:24 pm Of course no way to go to CHI.

Since all but two long distance Superliner trains go to Chicago, that height restriction would be a disaster for taller cars.
I guess they could implode Union Station and rebuild it from scratch????????.

west point wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 2:51 am do not forget Auto Train #3. Correct about CHI. But it is going to need fixing for at least several platforms and tracks. That is because the clearances are not tall enough for the future HSR CAT to be installed for present Superliners. As for METRA and the CAT???

All but two Superliners go to Chicago. One being the AutoTrain and two being the Coast Starlight. Hmmm, three being the Heartland Flyer. Oooops, I was wrong technically, but not figuratively. For all practical purposes, the new Superliners need to fit into Chicago's Union Station.