ACS-64 Heads Up

[Acela150]

Any news on when one unit might be put into service?? :unsure:

 

[engr08]

Any news on when one unit might be put into service?? :unsure:

I heard by thanksgiving but please don't quote me on that.

 

[Acela150]

I would hope that they put at least one unit in service by then. Considering they use all available power and cars.

 

[ACS-64]

606 conveyed from Siemens today. Expect it to be eastbound on the Zephyr Saturday November 9th.

 

[Agent]

606 conveyed from Siemens today. Expect it to be eastbound on the Zephyr Saturday November 9th.

Thank you.

Leaving California on train #6(09) would have it going through Denver on the 10th and arriving in Chicago on Monday the 11th.

And then if it is going on the Capitol Limited to Washington D.C., it will leave Chicago on Tuesday the 12th and arrive in D.C. on Wednesday the 13th.

Did I get that right?

 

[engr08]

603 is in Sunnyside.

 

[jis]

603 is in Sunnyside.

Hasn't it been there since last Monday or so?

 

[engr08]

603 is in Sunnyside.

Hasn't it been there since last Monday or so?

No the 603 was sitting just.outside Penn station in a layup yard. Now is.at the engine house probably for.mechanical training.

 

[jis]

Ah! Got it! Thanks.

 

[engr08]

Just a quick update if any of you guys are.wondering.where these motors are

600- in Wilmington shops

601- still in Sacramento

602- at Wilmington shops hooked up to some amfleet cars and the.953

604- sitting In ivy city yard in Washington

605- in Boston

606-enroute via train 6, someone sent a picture.of.it.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

I would hope that they put at least one unit in service by then.

Considering they use all available power and cars.

Main thing is to be sure, absolutely sure, there won't be

some mess-up covered on the evening news -- and in

an endless loop over the 4-day weekend on Faux News.

But if one unit is available, and confidence is 100%, then

the timing should be up to the P.R. Dept.

I'm not a professional in TV news. But I have a hunch that a

Thanksgiving inaugural would work well. The local news

outlets along the NEC would be handed a photogenic,

feel-good news item, requiring one crew of one person

holding the camera and another one with good hair holding

the mic and chattering about the new engines.

The local stations could even be given a prerecorded, ahem,

"video press release" including a snip of Boardman citing

facts, and thereby taking some load off the good-hair

reporters assigned to the story.

Such an item could run on Thursday or Friday or Saturday,

depending on if the competition was running the story and

how. The cable news channels could run a 'new engine'

story as well. Send out different version of the "video

press release" -- one with Boardman, one with Amtrak's

current Board chair Cascia, one with ex-chair Carper,

one with Secty of Transportation -- so different news outlets

would have different stuff in their packages. One video

press release could contain footage from the Sacramento

factory. Another could have footage of the testing in Pueblo,

another concentrates on acceleration, another looks at

energy recycling. One could point out that the new

locomotives along with the small order for Viewliner

cars will cut costs and upgrade service on the long

distance trains that use the NEC.

But I don't know if Amtrak has the bodies or the budget

to spoon feed the media the way it needs to be done.

 

[jis]

Just a quick update if any of you guys are.wondering.where these motors are

600- in Wilmington shops

601- still in Sacramento

602- at Wilmington shops hooked up to some amfleet cars and the.953

604- sitting In ivy city yard in Washington

605- in Boston

606-enroute via train 6, someone sent a picture.of.it.

Wasn't 601 in Pueblo at one point? Or am I remembering wrongly?

 

[Agent]

Just a quick update if any of you guys are.wondering.where these motors are

600- in Wilmington shops

601- still in Sacramento

602- at Wilmington shops hooked up to some amfleet cars and the.953

604- sitting In ivy city yard in Washington

605- in Boston

606-enroute via train 6, someone sent a picture.of.it.

Wasn't 601 in Pueblo at one point? Or am I remembering wrongly?

601 should still be at Pueblo, unless it was somehow sent back for some reason and no one noticed.

 

[PRR 60]

Per a report at Trainorders, the first ACS-64 will enter revenue service on Friday, November 15.

 

[engr08]

Don't quote me but someone told me the 600 and 601 went back to Sacramento to be cleaned up and redecaled. 600 made its way back and now sits in Wilmington the 601 may still be in Sacramento. TTCI in publeo are only allow to test engines for 72 days.

 

[Acela150]

Per a report at Trainorders, the first ACS-64 will enter revenue service on Friday, November 15.

Thanks Bill!! Hoping I can catch her! Any word on which unit?

 

[PRR 60]

Per a report at Trainorders, the first ACS-64 will enter revenue service on Friday, November 15.

Thanks Bill!! Hoping I can catch her! Any word on which unit?

No clue on that. It will be neat to see them in service.

 

[ACS-64]

600 was at Pueblo from 5-26 through 10-12, on 10-12 went Pueblo to LAJ, then went East on 4(11OCT) LAJ-CHI, then on 30(14OCT) CHI-WAS. Never went back West. Must have been re-decaled at Pueblo.

 

[engr08]

600 was at Pueblo from 5-26 through 10-12, on 10-12 went Pueblo to LAJ, then went East on 4(11OCT) LAJ-CHI, then on 30(14OCT) CHI-WAS. Never went back West. Must have been re-decaled at Pueblo.

Maybe you're right

 

[ayezee]

Wasn't it also for mods thought I saw that on another forum but may be wrong

 

[Acela150]

Those Mods were being done by Amtrak at the Wilmington Shops. It was a simple one, changing the headlights from halogen to LED. But that has been rectified and they are now being installed by Siemens on the current units being built.

600 was re-decaled at TTCI. Never went back to Siemens. 601 although is still MIA..

 

[rickycourtney]

Just a quick update if any of you guys are.wondering.where these motors are

600- in Wilmington shops

601- still in Sacramento

602- at Wilmington shops hooked up to some amfleet cars and the.953

604- sitting In ivy city yard in Washington

605- in Boston

606-enroute via train 6, someone sent a picture.of.it.

It's not listed here but 603 had been sent to Alstom's Hornell plant for indoor climate testing. Is it still there?

 

[engr08]

Sorry Ricky I thought I put it up, 603 is in Sunnyside yard at the engine house

 

[jis]

Have they re-decaled 602 into standard livery yet?

602 has been on the NEC longest, so maybe that is the one that will do the honors? Just a SWAG (Simple Wild A$$ed Guess)

 

[afigg]

Main thing is to be sure, absolutely sure, there won't be

some mess-up covered on the evening news -- and in

an endless loop over the 4-day weekend on Faux News.

But if one unit is available, and confidence is 100%, then

the timing should be up to the P.R. Dept.

I think you are over estimating the usefulness and cost effectiveness of a big media event on the entry into revenue service of the ACS-64. I expect Amtrak will do something, news release and maybe a modest scale media event with Boardman at WAS. But it will get little more than a short mention in the Washington Post and most other press.
The traveling public does not ride in the locomotive so it is not something that they interact with. There will be a new locomotive on the front of their train which most will not even notice. "That thing on front is the locomotive and its electric? Oh, didn't know that." New eastern corridor coach cars or an Acela II that the public will sit in and use will get a lot more attention when they show up (someday).