Diesels On the Shoreline

[Amfleet]

This also coming from my January 2003 issue of Railpace: #67 the Twilight Shoreliner has been running with diesels (P-40 or P-42) out of Boston. Apparently they come from inbound train #142. Norhtbound #66 is still running with an electric locomotive all the way from WAS to BOS.

 

[Viewliner]

This also coming from my January 2003 issue of Railpace: #67 the Twilight Shoreliner has been running with diesels (P-40 or P-42) out of Boston. Apparently they come from inbound train #142. Norhtbound #66 is still running with an electric locomotive all the way from WAS to BOS.

Interesting, I wonder why specifically they're doing that, are we short on electrics at that time of day? :unsure:

 

[Amfleet]

I don't know why there would be a shortage of electrics because there are Acela Regionals that arrive NB before the SB departure of #67. This might be done for the number of avalible diesels in New Haven. When they come off #67 they probably just go to #142 the next day repeating the loop.

 

[Viewliner]

I don't know why there would be a shortage of electrics because there are Acela Regionals that arrive NB before the SB departure of #67. This might be done for the number of avalible diesels in New Haven. When they come off #67 they probably just go to #142 the next day repeating the loop.

It would be nice to see the NEC Electrification done further south, at least to Richmond, so this is less of an issue. But I guess it makes sense.

 

[AlanB]

It would be nice to see the NEC Electrification done further south, at least to Richmond, so this is less of an issue. But I guess it makes sense.

While it would be nice to see electrification continue down to Richmond, that has nothing to do with why 67 is running with a diesel engine.

This is simply as Amfleet aluded to, a matter of cycling the engines back to New Haven, not a lack of electric motors. When they changed the Lake Shore's departure time, Amtrak eliminated the southbound 145/147 train that ran from Boston via the inland route through SPG.

Yet they left it's northbound conterpart 142, still running the inland route. Without the changes to 67, Amtrak would eventually end up with all the New Haven based diesels sitting in Boston as they would have no way of returning them.

So rather than dead heading a bunch of diesels back to NHV every other day or so, it makes far more sense to toss a diesel onto 67 and then switch it off in New Haven like they used to.

I do wonder though if this helps to slow the train down a bit, so that it gets to DC at a slightly more reasonable hour.

 

[Viewliner]

What you said makes sense Alan, and I understood that. I didn't realize it was a Springfield Train. I'm just making a point of electrification since it has to do with the NEC.

 

[Amfleet]

Both #66 and #67 are given about 20 minutes in New Haven. That gives time for the engine change plus the handling of mail. However, it takes the Shoreliner about 40 more minutes to get from NHV to BOS than a regional.

 

[AlanB]

However, it takes the Shoreliner about 40 more minutes to get from NHV to BOS than a regional.

That might have something to do with MHC's being on the Shoreliner, or it could just be a delaying tactic to not arrive at major stations even earlier in the morning.

 

[Amfleet]

I know for #66 that it is actually held in Providence for 10-20 minutes (depending when it arrives) so it does not arrive into Boston to early. Then the rest of the extra time is probably the slow down because of the MHC's. However, I thought MHC's could run at 90-100 mph and that's why they were built, for fast mail shipments via passenger train?

 

[Superliner Diner]

AlanB wrote:

This is simply as Amfleet aluded to, a matter of cycling the engines back to New Haven, not a lack of electric motors. When they changed the Lake Shore's departure time, Amtrak eliminated the southbound 145/147 train that ran from Boston via the inland route through SPG.

147 still exists, the weekend version of the Inland Route train. Only 145 (weekdays) was cancelled. So it's my guess that 67 gets an electric engine on weekends, since the diesel would come off 140 (the weekend version of 142) and would be needed for 147 southbound.

 

[Amfleet]

Maybe #66 on the Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday run operate with diesels from NHV to BOS then going to the weekend #147. The the diesels of #140 go down on #67 as they would on a week day.