Couldn't they use electrics on SLE and then switch in New Haven or have another trainset for Danbury, or have one on diesel, and the rest on electric? It just seems counter intuitive to run diesel under the wires.
On the F's, if locos were built before 1973, they are exempt, did they lose this because they were rebuilt at some point? Plus, couldn't they install pollution control devices or retrofit the engine to meet these standards? If ConnDot abandons these great locomotives, I'd love to see these things run in a pair at a museum/ tourist line. :D
How could the M-8's be 22 cars short? Aren't there only 20 needed assuming 4 trainsets, 4 cars each, one spare? That' pretty generous even.
Yeah, that's no good, I would think brakes should have more than dynamic. Nonetheless, its not the like the train is out of control. It will still stop.
The blister still weighs something, and at Amtrak NEC speeds, would also have more wind resistance instead of the smooth plumbing pipe effect. Although with AEM-7's, I'm not sure that would matter. :D
Um, we were saying the brakes sucked, not that they were completely dysfunctional.
Ok, that explains why they didn't buy E60's, but they should have gotten something by now. Running diesel under the wire is a total waste. Plus, with locomotives, you can uncouple the cars and use a diesel, like Amtrak used to do on the NEC in NHV. M-8's can't do that, but they have other stuff now for diesel runs I guess.
Oh yeah, the BL20's and even the Geep's are 100% reliable.
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... =ebtmikado
Hmmm, looks like the first loco died (I was there for the opening of Madison station, it died in Westbrook, 55 minutes late, was shoved with it's HEP running and prime mover idling but unable to move the loco). Not all locos are reliable. FL9s could be just as reliable as the GP's or BL20s if they are well maintained (although I think I just said nothing looking at the BL20 problems and that GP shove).
Trains that are 50 or 60 years old are just fine for commuters. Look at the City of San Francisco's light rail system. In the city, many of the cars are much older than 60 years (cable cars and street cars). They have PCC's and cars much older, and the thing looks like a west coast version of the Branford trolley museum crossed with the city's transit system.
The F's have a good public image, as any F carbody is perceived by the public as a locomotive from the golden days of railroading, and it is aesthetically pleasing, especially so in New Haven paint. Anything else (BL20, GP40, P40) to Joe Public is just a big, noisy box that moves the train (although the NH paint helps a little on the GP's).