Amtrak #6(30) Has Union Pacific Leader

[Agent]

The eastbound California Zephyr that's due into Chicago later today has a Union Pacific locomotive leading it. Trains of Nebraska filmed this Amtrak #6 with UP 5731 leading this morning running about six hours late near Minden, Nebraska.

 

[Agent]

Here is the train passing Agency, Iowa close to seven hours late.

 

[Dakota 400]

Here is the train passing Agency, Iowa close to seven hours late.

Agent, thank you for posting tour videos. I enjoy them.

I wonder: does it make a difference which Company employs the Engineer when there is a UP in the lead or an Amtrak engine? In other words: who is sitting in the Engineer's seat?

 

[Acela150]

Agent, thank you for posting tour videos. I enjoy them.

I wonder: does it make a difference which Company employs the Engineer when there is a UP in the lead or an Amtrak engine? In other words: who is sitting in the Engineer's seat?

Amtrak throttle jockey. There are some differences between the UP unit and the Amtrak units, but not enough to have UP throttle jockey at the stick.

 

[user 13416]

I see two Amtrak engines. Does this consist require two engines, so when one goes down they had to get UP's help? And if so, is one of the Amtrak engines providing power along with the UP?

Or was one of the Amtrak engines already a deadhead and couldn't be fired up when the lead engine quit?

 

[chakk]

I see two Amtrak engines. Does this consist require two engines, so when one goes down they had to get UP's help? And if so, is one of the Amtrak engines providing power along with the UP?

Or was one of the Amtrak engines already a deadhead and couldn't be fired up when the lead engine quit?

I doubt that the UP engines can provide the HEP needed to provide juice for the superliner air conditioning systems, car interior lights, etc. So at least one Amtrak engine must be functioning for that purpose.

 

[Acela150]

I see two Amtrak engines. Does this consist require two engines, so when one goes down they had to get UP's help? And if so, is one of the Amtrak engines providing power along with the UP?

Or was one of the Amtrak engines already a deadhead and couldn't be fired up when the lead engine quit?

Second Amtrak unit is always online. In this case it wasn't facing east, so it couldn't lead. That is one benefit of having your power "elephant style". You can just flip flop them.

I doubt that the UP engines can provide the HEP needed to provide juice for the superliner air conditioning systems, car interior lights, etc. So at least one Amtrak engine must be functioning for that purpose.

No they can't.

 

[chakk]

Second Amtrak unit is always online. In this case it wasn't facing east, so it couldn't lead. That is one benefit of having your power "elephant style". You can just flip flop them.



No they can't.

I 've experienced the flip-flop on #5 at Soldier Summit, Utah in the dark of night during a February snowstorm. The lone engineer in the lead unit solicited the assistance of the conductor to babysit in the cab of one unit while he was moving the other unit. The whole process -- using the crossovers and the east main near the summit to park one unit while moving the other -- took well over an hour and tied up both mains with approval by the dispatcher for each engine movement. Thank goodness we weren't stopped in the Price River Canyon where radio coverage is spotty in places.

 

[F900ElCapitan]

So this has probably been answered before, but why can’t HEP be engaged in the first unit and then run through the second unit if it is dead? Sort of like when there is an actual deadhead engine. For instance, recently some of the F-59s from CA to Metra weren’t running when shipped or like when the AEM-7s were deadheaded to CA.

 

[chakk]

In my case at Soldier Summit, the problem was that the first unit had a faulty "dead man's pedal", which kept applying the brakes on the train even when the engineer made all of the correct hand "touches". Flipping the locomotives was the solution, since the trailing unit's "dead man's pedal" was working correctly.

Note that in these modern locomotives, it is not actually a pedal (as shown in the movie "Silver Streak") but an electronic system that detects appropriate "movements" by the engineer.

 

[PeeweeTM]

Amtrak throttle jockey. There are some differences between the UP unit and the Amtrak units, but not enough to have UP throttle jockey at the stick.

That's interesting! So a lot is standardized between cabines from different locomotive types and suppliers?

Here in Europa we have to be educated and examined on every locomotivetype we use. And take re-examinations at least once every three years.
(Not that I need that for all locomotives under normal operations, but especially modern locomotives have some ...ehhh... character to start-up and with trouble shooting. IT crowd: "Did you try turning it off and on again?")