ACS-64 Heads Up

[MrFSS]

AMTK 643 has left the museum and is now going east on Amtrak #6(09). There's also private varnish The Patrón Tequila Express on the end of the train. This Zephyr was three and half hours late out of Ottumwa, Iowa.

What's the approximate speed as it passes that location, if you know?

 

[Agent]

What's the approximate speed as it passes that location, if you know?

Speed limit is 79 mph for passenger trains here. I think they usually go about that speed.

 

[MrFSS]

What's the approximate speed as it passes that location, if you know?

Speed limit is 79 mph for passenger trains here. I think they usually go about that speed.

Thanks - that's what I would have thought, it looks like it is going slower in the video (nice catch, by the way). You can tell it is moving along, Just not as fast as I thought it would be.

 

[George K]

Sorry if it's off-topic, but a question about pulling stuff. I've seen several vids of various trains with the ACS-64 in the consist. Obviously, not powered. Does that amount of dead weight contribute a lot to the workload of the motive power pulling it?

Oh, nice vid too!

 

[Acela150]

George, today I was on the Head End of 625 on Keystone Train 648. Keystone trains are 5 cars. To me these new units have no issues with a consist of 5 cars. The unit got the train up to speed quickly.

 

[Ryan]

I think he's talking about the weight of one of these dead in tow on the CZ/Cap/Card. Should't make that much of a difference.

 

[Acela150]

Even then. Like you said Ryan, not much of a difference at all. It's just like adding an extra car or two.

 

[cirdan]

An ACS-64 weighs about 98 tons

A Superliner weighs about 68 tons, so a dead locomotive weighs more than one Superliner but less than two.

The drag of pulling a dead locomotive may be slightly more than that though as the traction gearbox causes additional drag. But probably less than a ton, so negligible in the bigger picture.

 

[CCC1007]

Any updates on 642?

 

[Ryan]

No.

 

[Agent]

Any updates on 642?

There's a report that Beech Grove finished it on Sunday, but I haven't seen any pictures or videos to confirm that.

 

[Amtrak172]

I can't wait to see it on the rails!

 

[Thirdrail7]

642 is almost done and 644 is ready to be picked up.

At what point do they have enough ACS-64s cleared for revenue service before the AEM-7 ACs locomotives start getting retired? With 28 AEM-7 ACs on the active roster, I think the start of retirement of the AC units is not that far off.

They started retiring some of the problem remans already.

 

[Ryan]

As always, you are a fountain of useful information. Thanks again.

 

[BrianPR3]

i don't mean to sound wrong regarding 601 can they claim warranty due to it's accident if it's able to be repaired etc

 

[keelhauled]

If it can be proven the accident was due to a manufacturing fault on the part of Siemens I suppose. Otherwise no. And if it was the locomotives' fault then I think Siemens will have considerably more liability on its hands than a single warranty repair.

 

[offroad437]

Do you think 601 will be fixed or retired.

 

[keelhauled]

Beats me. I've only seen the same pictures everyone else has. Probably depends on the internal damage. The shell can be fixed/replaced relatively easily, but the components are the expensive part. I doubt even Amtrak knows this early, I expect the NTSB is still examining it.

 

[Ryan]

Any updates on 642?

There's a report that Beech Grove finished it on Sunday, but I haven't seen any pictures or videos to confirm that.

As posted in the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Railfans Facebook group:

HAWT:

 

[Agent]

Apparently, the last report I posted on 642 being done was false, but now 642 is supposedly to leave Indianapolis on the Hoosier State to Chicago today. Don't know why it would be going to Chicago first.

 

[Acela150]

Easier to be put on the Cardinal or Cap.

 

[cirdan]

Do you think 601 will be fixed or retired.

My hunch is that its going to be fixed.

But then I guess there is a grey area between fixing a loco by replacing the broken bits, and building a new loco using some bits salvaged from the wreck.

 

[Agent]

This report says AMTK 644 and 645 are both heading east on Amtrak #6(23).

 

[afigg]

This report says AMTK 644 and 645 are both heading east on Amtrak #6(23).

#645 would be the 46th unit delivered. Which puts the production delivery just under the 2/3rds point out of 70 units total. With 7 months left in 2015, Siemens appears to be on track to complete the production run by the end of the calendar year or by very early 2016.

 

[jis]

They have a strong incentive to get this out of the way ASAP. They have a whole lot of Chargers to deliver to ASF and the Midwest states and California, not to mention passenger cars to AAF, in short order.