P-42 power

[trainfan]

I just wondered if amtrak had any plans of what they where going to replace the P-42 with in

afew years

trainfan

 

[Dutchrailnut]

I just wondered if amtrak had any plans of what they where going to replace the P-42 with in afew years

trainfan

The P42's are only about 10 years old what makes you think they need replacements ??? Even if they were short on power Amtrak still has nearly all P40's in storage in Bear Deleware.

If anything Amtrak needs cars, and lots of them not power.

 

[AlanB]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.

I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

 

[trainfan]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.
I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

Alan

I just no that Amtrak was looking at how they might replace there the F-40ph after 10 or 12 years!!

trainfan

 

[Guest]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.
I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

I thought the HHP 8 was supposed to replace the AEM7, this is not the case?

 

[Swede]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.
I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

The AEM-7 are based on the Swedish RC4 engine, which is still in common use here. The swedish cargo operator Green Cargo has recently announced that they will modernize their fleet of RC engines (mostly RC4), and thereby extend their lifespan with at least 20 years. Electric engines can go a long time.. they require much less maintenance than diesel engines, or so it seems.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.

I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

I thought the HHP 8 was supposed to replace the AEM7, this is not the case?

no the HHP-8 was bought to increase fleet due to electrification extentsion and replace the troublesome E60's.

 

[AlanB]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.

I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

I thought the HHP 8 was supposed to replace the AEM7, this is not the case?

no the HHP-8 was bought to increase fleet due to electrification extentsion and replace the troublesome E60's.

Yup, there's no way that 15 HHP's are going to be able to replace 49 AEM7's. Amtrak would need to order a lot more HHP's to even consider replacing the AEM7's.

 

[AlanB]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.

I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

Alan

I just no that Amtrak was looking at how they might replace there the F-40ph after 10 or 12 years!!

trainfan

The F40PH or the F40PHR?

If it's the later, then they were looking to replace them because of the tracking problems that the units were having. Some RR's actually banned Amtrak from using the units on their rails. Therefore Amtrak had no choice but to look for new units to rid itself of the F40PHR's. Many were actually traded back to EMD for other considerations.

Now the F40PH I think was quite a work horse for Amtrak, and even though Amtrak's not operating any today, there are quite a few former Amtrak owned F40PH's still in operation for other companies and Amtrak has about a dozen still available for leasing. Whereas almost all of the F40PHR's have been scrapped or rebuilt into something else.

 

[wkaemena]

I'd be far more interested in what Amtrak is going to get to replace the AEM-7's which are almost 20 years older than the oldest P42. The AEM-7's were brought in the 70's and 80's making them 20 to 30 years old, where as the oldest P42 is barely 10 years old.

I sure hope that Amtrak isn't planning to replace the P42's for a few more years. Otherwise, they wasted a heck of a lot of money buying them if they can only get 10 years out of them.

I'd also like see what they're planning to do about the 30, 40, and 50+ year old equipment that the P42's are hauling around.

The AEM-7 are based on the Swedish RC4 engine, which is still in common use here. The swedish cargo operator Green Cargo has recently announced that they will modernize their fleet of RC engines (mostly RC4), and thereby extend their lifespan with at least 20 years. Electric engines can go a long time.. they require much less maintenance than diesel engines, or so it seems.

In Germany we have many electric locos which where built in the 50th and early 60th hauling trains still every day

 

[Guest_Yerry_*]

Alan, wasn't it the SDP40F that had the tracking problems, which were then rebuilt into F40PHR's?

Several hours on the computer and all those letters look the same.

 

[AlanB]

Alan, wasn't it the SDP40F that had the tracking problems, which were then rebuilt into F40PHR's?
Several hours on the computer and all those letters look the same.

Yes, you are right. I misread the page that I was looking at. It was the SDP40F's that were the problem engines and were rebuilt into F40PHR's.

It must have been this :blink: phenomenon that you mentioned that was plaguing me.

 

[gswager]

In Amtrak's younger days, locomotives were used to create steam for the cars, mainly heating. Unfortunately, riding on rails frequently upsetting the locomotive's center of gravity due to water tank sloshing around. Which is the type of locomotives?

 

[gswager]

Another question.

I've heard that the freights are buying locomotives to meet the Tier II's emission requirement, and pretty soon Tier III. Will the requirements affect the P-42 fleet which Amtrak may force to upgrade the engine or new locomotives?

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Another question.
I've heard that the freights are buying locomotives to meet the Tier II's emission requirement, and pretty soon Tier III. Will the requirements affect the P-42 fleet which Amtrak may force to upgrade the engine or new locomotives?

Passenger engines are covered under different rules, and Amtrak and GE are upgrading the engines to Tier 0 standards, Metro North has GE do it during rebuilts. New passenger engines are gone be under tighter rules but not current once.

 

[battalion51]

Going back to the electric issue, the reason why the electrics last so much longer are because there are a lot fewer parts to break than in a diesel. Diesels have to create their own power whereas electrics are simply converting the electricity to the type that they need. Although the shells of the AEM-7's are about 30 years old many of the original parts have been replaced and upgraded through the rebuild program they went through at Wilmington in the early part of this decade. I'd expect these engines have another 10-15 years of useable life left before they're going to need to be replaced (hopefully with something more reliable than the HHP-8).