Clarification and Elaboration Requested (re power outage on train)

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I had an interesting experience on the westbound California Zephyr in February or March of, I think, 2010. I wonder if any railfans with much more operational and technical knowledge than I have can provide more detail on what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how it was fixed. I can only describe my personal experience and what I remember I learned from my SCA. My memory has faded in the past twelve years, so if anything I have described sounds unrealistic, please correct me or provide your opinions on what probably was going on.

So, here goes:

We were somewhere east of Omaha. It was dark, or at least it was getting dark, when the lights in my sleeping car went out. I can't remember if the train stopped immediately, but if not, it did eventually come to a halt. If I remember correctly, my roomette was in the trans dorm, but I can't be sure of that. In any event, the conductor and several staff headed forward through my car, and I could hear muffled discussion amongst them.

My SCA came through and told me that power in all the passenger cars was out and that the conductor was reporting the condition to dispatch. He said that the power failure affected the passenger cars only and that the engines could still function properly. He said that the power generator was located in a car right behind the engines. The crew went through the train notifying passengers and leaving at least one fairly strong portable lantern in each car. I don't remember hearing anything over the PA system, so I think it must have been affected by the power failure.

A short time later, the train started backing up slowly. My SCA told me that we had passed a siding several miles back and would be returning there to fix the problem. I can’t remember how long we were in reverse, but it was quite a length of time before we came to a stop. I didn’t know if we were still on the main line or on the siding. A number of service crew, including my SCA, came through wearing parkas, gloves, and snow boots. I can't remember if it was snowing outside, but it was certainly cold there in the middle of the dark Nebraska nowhere. They were carrying lanterns, sledgehammers, peevee-type bars, and some other tools.

After a while, the train backed up a little further and came to a stop again. My SCA later told me that the crew had thrown the switch so that we could back up onto the siding.

After a while during which I could hear muffled voices and the sound of tools against metal coming from outside, there was a slight jerk, a toot of the horn, and the engine headed off down the siding, leaving the passenger cars sitting. Some of the SCAs returned to our cars, while the others stayed aboard the locomotives and utility car. After quite a long wait, we heard the engine horn again and felt the jolt of it recoupling to our cars. We then proceeded down the siding and came to a stop, which I presumed meant we were back on the main line. After a brief pause while, presumably, the crew threw the switch again, we backed up and felt another coupling jolt.

The outside crew came back on board and we then resumed our journey. Shortly thereafter, some low energy power came back to certain parts of our cars.

My SCA explained that a new generator car might be waiting for us in Omaha and that we would drop off the out-of-service one which was now attached to the back of the train.

I asked him why they didn't just leave the disabled power car where it was until we got to Omaha, and he explained that they wanted to provide as much power as possible to the passenger cars in the meantime, especially because of the cold weather. That could only be done with a direct connection to the locomotive.

I don't know much about what they did when we got to Omaha because I had been sleeping soundly and was only vaguely aware of lights and voices coming from outside and a couple of shunting jolts. I became aware that things had been fixed when the overhead light in my roomette came on, and I had to reach to shut it off.

The rest of the trip went without a hitch. We pulled into EMY about five hours late.

I don't know if onboard customer service staff are trained to handle the kinds of situations like what happened that night, but to me, they certainly went above and beyond the call of duty to get the train running and keep passengers comfortable in very adverse conditions.

I would welcome any clarifications and corrections of my account as well as operational and technical explanations of equipment and procedures. I apologize for the length of this post.

And wouldn’t it be great if someone reading this post was also on that train that night?
 
Puzzling to me is you saying: "He said that the power generator was located in a car right behind the engines."
Currently, and I believe even 12 years ago, electrical power for the train comes from the engines, referred to as HEP (head-end-power). There is a generator that runs off of the prime mover (the engine that moves the train) that does performs this function.
I'm thinking the power problem originated in the locomotive, not a seperate "power car".
 
Two locomotives engine on the CZ. Sounds like the 2nd unit was the problem car. Something like a cable issue where they could not use the lead locomotive for the hotel power/HEP (Head End Power).

Not sure why you had limited power unless they were trying to conserve it by popping out the fuses. This part of your story is unknown to me.
 
I'm thinking the power problem originated in the locomotive, not a seperate "power car".
Thanks. I did some further research today only because of my memory of what the SCA said. A couple of articles referred to some baggage cars being converted to HEP generator cars, and Amtrak sometimes using a "dedicated power car." (Sorry, I didn't capture the URLs.) I wonder if that could have been the case in my consist?

Two locomotives engine on the CZ. Sounds like the 2nd unit was the problem car. Something like a cable issue where they could not use the lead locomotive for the hotel power/HEP (Head End Power).
Ah, then it might have been the lead locomotive that was put at the end of the train? Would it still have been able to provide push horsepower to the train?

Not sure why you had limited power unless they were trying to conserve it by popping out the fuses. This part of your story is unknown to me.
'Tis a puzzlement. Could it have something to do with the fact that the locos can switch between propulsion only, HEP only, or a combination? If the rear loco wasn't able to provide propulsion, maybe the lead loco needed all the horsepower it could muster? I guess I'm asking, can you have a little bit of HEP when you switch, or is it an all-or-nothing situation?
 
Ah, then it might have been the lead locomotive that was put at the end of the train? Would it still have been able to provide push horsepower to the train?

'Tis a puzzlement. Could it have something to do with the fact that the locos can switch between propulsion only, HEP only, or a combination? If the rear loco wasn't able to provide propulsion, maybe the lead loco needed all the horsepower it could muster? I guess I'm asking, can you have a little bit of HEP when you switch, or is it an all-or-nothing situation?
Keep in mind that the HEP generator uses some of the HP of the prime mover thus reducing what is available for moving the train.
 
Thanks. I did some further research today only because of my memory of what the SCA said. A couple of articles referred to some baggage cars being converted to HEP generator cars, and Amtrak sometimes using a "dedicated power car." (Sorry, I didn't capture the URLs.) I wonder if that could have been the case in my consist?

Not in 2010.

Ah, then it might have been the lead locomotive that was put at the end of the train?

You stated two couplings so I am taking as a sign it was the second locomotives that had to be removed so the train could get the Hotel power. Otherwise you would just switch the rear locomotives HEP on, and start rolling again. Something happened that prevent a pass thur of the HEP to the train from the lead locomotive. That why you had a shuffle of equipment.

Would it still have been able to provide push horsepower to the train?

No it could not provide traction power for the train unless it was staffed (unlikely).
It could provide HEP to the train, but also unlikely.

’Tis a puzzlement. Could it have something to do with the fact that the locos can switch between propulsion only, HEP only, or a combination?

Yes. However I am not sure if there a HEP only setting like the old F40 had. The F40 had the unit running full throttle at all times, unless you switch it to HEP only and the engine would drop RPM to match the need of the HEP. The F40 also had a idle setting too.

If the rear loco wasn't able to provide propulsion, maybe the lead loco needed all the horsepower it could muster? I guess I'm asking, can you have a little bit of HEP when you switch, or is it an all-or-nothing situation?

All or nothing for the HEP situation. On or off. The HEP downgrade the amount of electricity available to the traction motors. So let’s say 4000 hp with out the HEP, turn on the HEP lose 350 hp. Or 3650 hp available for traction. So you have a fix capacity of electricity production and by cutting off some nonessential power demands you save more for the traction motors. That the only thing I can think of.
 
It's possible that the "tools against metal" sound was them setting the handbrake. The handbrakes have to be set before disconnecting the locomotives, and make quite a metallic racket. It wouldn't have been done "outside" though, but by the end doors of the cars, above the wheels themselves. If there were actual tools against metal from outside before the engines were uncoupled from the consist, then I suppose it could have been to break off some ice that may have formed (your description implies it was quite cold out, so snow/ice build up would be plausible).

As others have noted, HEP is only provided from locomotives, no "power cars" (except for the Talgo sets, which would not have been relevant to this story) have been in service for decades. The fact that the switched one of the locomotives to the rear of the train suggests that the problem was with the HEP connector cables rather than the engine itself. If the engine wasn't working, they could have passed HEP through from the other locomotive, but if the HEP cables were fried, then you switch it to the rear or else you get no electrical power to the train. They possibly added a freight locomotive in Omaha. Or, maybe you were late enough that the eastbound Zephyr actually passed through Omaha before you did and was able to drop off one of its locomotives. A freight locomotive wouldn't provide HEP, but with the other "good" Amtrak engine behind it, you would still get power.
 
Thank you all for this information. It once again proves to me, in my 80s, that it’s never too late to learn new things. Riding trains is much more fun when you know more about what’s making your trip happen. Now I’ll be more aware of things during my upcoming circle trip in April.

Trogdor, thanks for describing how the hand brakes had to be set. I do now recall that being done just as you described. Your point about chipping ice off the couplings might also apply, I suppose, to the track switch if it was frozen.

Your comment about the eastbound Zephyr is also enlightening. It reminded me that maybe the second locomotive is not necessary on the entire Zephyr route, but only in the mountains. Something obvious, but I had not thought of that. (I should have, because I remember, during my first transcontinental train trip in 1952 on CN, my dad telling me we had to pick up a second steam locomotive in Edmonton before heading through the Rockies.)

Another interesting revelation – two locomotives don’t necessarily require two crew. My understanding is that one locomotive crew consists of two persons. How many additional “hotel” crew would have been required to switch these locos? Several of them went outside. Are they trained in advance to perform in such situations?
 
Thank you all for this information. It once again proves to me, in my 80s, that it’s never too late to learn new things. Riding trains is much more fun when you know more about what’s making your trip happen. Now I’ll be more aware of things during my upcoming circle trip in April.

Trogdor, thanks for describing how the hand brakes had to be set. I do now recall that being done just as you described. Your point about chipping ice off the couplings might also apply, I suppose, to the track switch if it was frozen.

Your comment about the eastbound Zephyr is also enlightening. It reminded me that maybe the second locomotive is not necessary on the entire Zephyr route, but only in the mountains. Something obvious, but I had not thought of that. (I should have, because I remember, during my first transcontinental train trip in 1952 on CN, my dad telling me we had to pick up a second steam locomotive in Edmonton before heading through the Rockies.)

Another interesting revelation – two locomotives don’t necessarily require two crew. My understanding is that one locomotive crew consists of two persons. How many additional “hotel” crew would have been required to switch these locos? Several of them went outside. Are they trained in advance to perform in such situations?
"Hotel" crew, more generally known as OBS, for Onboard Service, crew have nothing to do with the movement of the train. They cannot by both Amtrak rule and federal regulation.

T&E, for Train and Engine, service, are responsible for the movement of the train. The T&E crew are the engineers and conductors. I imagine a conductor could move the engine in an emergency, but not usually. Engineers move the train. The people you saw outside were almost certainly the conductor and assistant conductors.

There can be either one or two engineers in the lead cab of an Amtrak train. That is by agreement with the union, not federal regulation. Runs scheduled over 6 hours have 2 engineers, Engineer districts with a run time of less than 6 hours have one. It appears the engineer district "east of Omaha" is Ottumwa, IA to Lincoln, NE, and is less than 6 hours so there would only be a single engineer.

The California Zephyr runs with 2 engines. All engines are controlled by the engineer in the lead locomotive, they are connected by "MU" (Multiple Unit) control cables. It has been that way since the wide adoption of diesel engines in the 1940s. It was the subject of some issues with the unions when they were first introduced, as steam engines did require a separate crew for each engine. That is why some of the early diesels were often operated as fixed sets with one number and "A, B, C, D" suffixes, so the railroads could claim the 4 units made up one "engine". The resolution of that is long in the past.

Freight railroads run with one engineer and one conductor, both in the lead cab, no matter how long the train is, how many engines there are, or, these days, whether or not there are mid-train or end-train remote-controlled helper sets cut into the consisit.
 
One possibility . suppose there was a problem with HEP lines in one of the leading cars. Maybe only one side or even only one cable could transfer power? The problem might have taken out ability of one loco to provide HEP? Too many possibilities.
 
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