Amtrak Siemens Charger locomotive (SC44, ALC42, ALC42E) (2015 - 1Q 2024)

[Cal]

The engineers on VIA have been known to pick up coffee from the BC galley behind the locomotive. Whether this is strictly permitted or not who knows? VIA uses F40's and P42's.

Well, wow! I stand corrected.

 

[jis]

The engineers on VIA have been known to pick up coffee from the BC galley behind the locomotive. Whether this is strictly permitted or not who knows? VIA uses F40's and P42's.

VIA is an entirely different matter. Canadian rules can be quite different from American ones. For example the Renn fleet would probably never have gotten approved for operation in the US.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

keep in mind that it requires a cdr to bring train orders to Engineer, unless Engineer can take those orders when train is stopped, so the argument that no one can move trough engine compartment might not be 100% true

 

[jis]

keep in mind that it requires a cdr to bring train orders to Engineer, unless Engineer can take those orders when train is stopped, so the argument that no one can move trough engine compartment might not be 100% true

Them is the rule by which Brightline operated according to the guy I talked to at the Brightline maintenance facility in West Palm Beach year before last during the FECRS annual convention. I have no idea what Brightline might do when they start up again post-COVID, or for that matter any other outfit will do. Maybe they will scramble up/down the difference in floor height. It is not rocket science anyway. Of course when a train is double headed all bets are off anyway, which might be the case often on LD trains.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Brightline is not Amtrak and railroad I worked for did have exclusions for moving trough engine compartment

 

[OBS]

On trains I worked, the Conductor routinely went to the engine to assist the engineer when they were issued special instructions. Also, when we had two engineers, one would routinely come back to get coffee and use a "real" restroom....

 

[Dutchrailnut]

 

[rickycourtney]

Pretty cool photos posted to Twitter of the equipment in production at the Siemens plant in Sacramento.


The general consensus is that the locomotive on the top right in several shades of grey is a Charger SCB-40 for VIA. IMHO, it's definitely the coolest looking of the bunch.

 

[LookingGlassTie]

I'm gonna miss the P42s also, because I began traveling on Amtrak during the time of their use.

 

[Cal]

I'm gonna miss the P42s also, because I began traveling on Amtrak during the time of their use.

Me too. The chargers look too European for my taste, oh well.

 

[Pipp]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think the Chargers need any Urea treatment(one of their major selling points). I gonna miss the Genesis too, but they couldn't last foerver. Their ages are showing.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

running Genesis test trains now I feel frigginn old ... just sayinnn.

 

[frequentflyer]

Funny, I remember the rail fans gnashing of teeth when the Genesis showed up, stating they would not last as long as the great EMD F40. They were wrong, the Genesis lasted much longer.

 

[PVD]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think the Chargers need any Urea treatment(one of their major selling points). I gonna miss the Genesis too, but they couldn't last foerver. Their ages are showing.

they show a DEF tank in the specs, so I would say they likely do......in the list of differences between the corridor models and the Amtrak LD versions larger fuel and DEF tanks and a bigger sand box are main items...

 

[Cal]

Funny, I remember the rail fans gnashing of teeth when the Genesis showed up, stating they would not last as long as the great EMD F40. They were wrong, the Genesis lasted much longer.

I wonder how they feel now..

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Pretty cool photos posted to Twitter of the equipment in production at the Siemens plant in Sacramento.


The general consensus is that the locomotive on the top right in several shades of grey is a Charger SCB-40 for VIA. IMHO, it's definitely the coolest looking of the bunch.

I just noticed that it looks like the ALC-42's will not be fitted with strobes.

 

[Cal]

Is the one in the top right an ALC-42 with a different nose cone?

 

[TheMalahat]

Is the one in the top right an ALC-42 with a different nose cone?

SC44, but basically yes. The 42 is an Amtrak specific long distance model.

 

[Cal]

SC44, but basically yes. The 42 is an Amtrak specific long distance model.

Yea, I know about that. I just didn't know they were getting a different nose cone for some SC44s... Thanks!

 

[PVD]

bolt on noses on Amtrak make mild crossing accident repairs much easier amongst other things

 

[TheMalahat]

bolt on noses on Amtrak make mild crossing accident repairs much easier amongst other things

Well, at least it's supposed to

Amtrak had been reporting back to States that they haven't actually been able to repair Chargers in a timely manner after collisions because of a lack of parts supply from Siemens. Perhaps time to buy a few extra noses like a celebrity and store them awaiting the inevitable use. Source: AASHTO - High Speed Rail - Section 305 Committee

Luckily for Via the statistical risk of an at grade collision is a lot lower.

 

[MARC Rider]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think the Chargers need any Urea treatment(one of their major selling points). I gonna miss the Genesis too, but they couldn't last foerver. Their ages are showing.

I think that nearly all heavy-duty diesel engines on the market today use SCR to meet tier IV, which means they'll be using urea, or "DEF". (SGR is "Selective Catalytic Reduction," and exhaust aftertreatment process.) It's possible to design an engine without SCR that meets tier IV standards, it's trickier, requiring tweaking the timing and using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). If you remember the lousy performance of cars during the early 1970s before they started using catalytic converters, that was because EGR was the primary emission control system.

Both SCR and EGR mainly reduce NOx, but use of EGR to meet the NOx standards increases particulate emissions, and reduces fuel economy. All of the engines now have particulate filters to deal with that, but if the engine generates more soot, the particulate filter will have to be "regenerated" (i.e., the soot burned off) more often, which, of course, messes up the fuel economy. Thus, most long-haul trucks being built use engines with SCR. I'm not sure which manufacturers use it and which don't, and google isn't being very helpful at finding out. I have no idea whether any locomotive manufacturers are using Tier IV EGR engines or not.

I do know with the trucks, at least, these new emission systems can be tricky and require careful maintenance. Once, a bunch of us from work went out to a truck repair place in Maryland to talk up "clean diesel", and the owner was complaining about how the emissions systems are so complicated and hard to work on. We were sympathetic, but our group wasn't the one who made the rules, so we couldn't help him out. On the other hand, why should he complain, it was bringing more business to his shop. Another time, I was testing a couple of trucks out in Pecos, Texas, and one of them started having problems with the emissions system. We ended up having to drive the bum truck to a dealer 2 1/2 hours away in Midland, Texas, and basically, that particular truck was out of commission for the entire two weeks I was stuck out in the desert. Fortunately, we had two trucks remaining, so were were able to get some work done. This was back in 2015, it's possible that with experience, the systems are more reliable now. It might be interesting, though, to find out what percentage of "mechanical issues" with the Chargers have to do with the emissions system.

 

[railiner]

I think that nearly all heavy-duty diesel engines on the market today use SCR to meet tier IV, which means they'll be using urea, or "DEF". (SGR is "Selective Catalytic Reduction," and exhaust aftertreatment process.) It's possible to design an engine without SCR that meets tier IV standards, it's trickier, requiring tweaking the timing and using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). If you remember the lousy performance of cars during the early 1970s before they started using catalytic converters, that was because EGR was the primary emission control system.

Both SCR and EGR mainly reduce NOx, but use of EGR to meet the NOx standards increases particulate emissions, and reduces fuel economy. All of the engines now have particulate filters to deal with that, but if the engine generates more soot, the particulate filter will have to be "regenerated" (i.e., the soot burned off) more often, which, of course, messes up the fuel economy. Thus, most long-haul trucks being built use engines with SCR. I'm not sure which manufacturers use it and which don't, and google isn't being very helpful at finding out. I have no idea whether any locomotive manufacturers are using Tier IV EGR engines or not.

I do know with the trucks, at least, these new emission systems can be tricky and require careful maintenance. Once, a bunch of us from work went out to a truck repair place in Maryland to talk up "clean diesel", and the owner was complaining about how the emissions systems are so complicated and hard to work on. We were sympathetic, but our group wasn't the one who made the rules, so we couldn't help him out. On the other hand, why should he complain, it was bringing more business to his shop. Another time, I was testing a couple of trucks out in Pecos, Texas, and one of them started having problems with the emissions system. We ended up having to drive the bum truck to a dealer 2 1/2 hours away in Midland, Texas, and basically, that particular truck was out of commission for the entire two weeks I was stuck out in the desert. Fortunately, we had two trucks remaining, so were were able to get some work done. This was back in 2015, it's possible that with experience, the systems are more reliable now. It might be interesting, though, to find out what percentage of "mechanical issues" with the Chargers have to do with the emissions system.

Excellent explanation. Thanks for posting. I had to deal with these issues with buses over the last decade before I retired. I can't begin to tell you (you already know), about the grief these complicated exhaust systems caused...at first, with "forced regeneration" (always at the worst times!), and later with issues of running low on DEF. Both maladies would cause the engines to "derate" into "limp home mode"....or worse...

 

[railiner]

A side issue for at least one bus model, the Prevost H3-45, was that the additional equipment required for the complicated exhaust system, which was not there when the model was first engineered, took away some cabin space. Whereas the last row of seats originally were alongside the restroom, they now had to be moved forward about 20" or so, to leave room for additional components between the rear cabin wall and the rear outside panel.

 

[jis]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think the Chargers need any Urea treatment(one of their major selling points). I gonna miss the Genesis too, but they couldn't last foerver. Their ages are showing.

The Chargers do need Urea.