New Talgos moving westward for testing

[Trogdor]

Has anyone seen this Talgo trainset in Oregon (or Washington)?

I would assume no, since it hasn't made it there yet.

 

[CHamilton]

At the All Aboard Washington meeting today, we were told that the first trainset (the one that had been undergoing testing in Pueblo) is currently in Salt Lake City, and that it will arrive in the NW on Monday evening shortly before or after the CS. The second set is still in Milwaukee, and will begin its move upon FRA approval for the move, which hasn't happened yet.

 

[DET63]

I dream of the Packer's demise on 12/16 when they will get there Azz's beat by the Bears. This will be more payback for messing up my Talgos.

The Packers beat the Bears that day 21-13.

 

[DET63]

Wow. Someone else has heard of Stan Freeburg! I have that song on my Android and will listen to it now.

It's funny - My first concern had nothing to do with functionality, but purely aesthetics. Others are concerned about functionalily. The thing is, when you board the train, you don't care what it looks like on the outside.

But again, I speak in the company of railfans. Many of the travelling public DO care about the external aesthetics of a train. What they see on the outside will set their perception of what is on the inside and determine their choice on whether or not they want to pay to find out. Most won't do a google image search of the inside of a talgo set prior to buying a ticket. If they see a hodgepodge of mixmatched equipment pulling into the station with varying equipment and perhaps an "incomplete" train with the cabbage missing, they may think twice.

The concept of "Uniform" is very important in business. A uniform delivers the promise of consistency. Whether the clothing that the employees wear are uniform, or whether the look of a product is uniform, the idea reflects consistency. Professionalism. Care to details. PRIDE IN THEIR PRODUCT.

I'm sure the comfort of the Talgos are very good. I hope that these new trainsets that we are paying lots of money for will convey that uniformity to the public. It IS our money, after all. Let's demand Amtrak does its BEST to get the most return for it.

If anything, I would think that the Talgos are the lease hodge-podge mixed up consists on Amtrak's system. Them and the Acela. Normally speaking the Talgos run with a Cascades-painted F59PHI, followed by a fixed consists (in cascades colors), then an Cascades painted F40 NPCU. Amtrak even went to the trouble to designing and attaching fins to the end cars to make the transition between the tall engines and the short cars more pleasing to the eye.

If you want to go off about mixed up consists you should see the long distance trains out east, those are not consistant.

peter

I have long shared my disdain for the aesthetic properties of ALL Amtrak trains - the only one that is decent is the non-reconfigurable, non-changable, non-lengthenable, Acela. The Autotrain looks the best, but honestly if they had the power and reliability, I'd rather see F59PHIs drive that train as they are a wee bit taller to match the Superliners. Once the Viewliner baggage and dining cars replace the heritage, then those trains will look better with the P42s, but still with that darn Cafe car in the middle with no end in sight for it. But it breaks up the Viewliners from the Amcans. Speaking of which, the Metroliner sets are (were?) really the 2nd most consistent looking set, followed by Pacific Surfliner (They got that thing RIGHT), AT, Superliners, corridor heritage trains. Talgo sets would be in 3rd if they could keep the same colors and the right locos together. But still, mixing F40 and a P42 is just, well, ick. I feel that way about the Hearland Flyer, too. Sorry.

The only thing that I think looks a bit odd is seeing a conventional level baggage car in a train otherwise comprising Superliners.

 

[tomfuller]

I'll plan on being in Chemult Oregon by 8AM Monday with my camera. When will ODOT start naming them?

 

[Blackwolf]

Stepped off of Capitol Corridor #736 this afternoon in Sacramento after having lunch with my father in Emeryville, and saw this sitting on track 5:

New Oregon Talgo #7910, awaiting transit north tonight to the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Trogdor]

Stepped off of Capitol Corridor #736 this afternoon in Sacramento after having lunch with my father in Emeryville, and saw this sitting on track 5:

New Oregon Talgo #7910, awaiting transit north tonight to the Pacific Northwest.

Nice.

 

[Acela150]

Any ideas on the new sets have MU and Comm's ports? I would extremely doubt that these will be MU'd together at any point.

I will add that these sets have a bizarre look to them, but I welcome it. I hope to someday get out to the NW and check out these new sets and the older sets.

 

[Trogdor]

Nice.

I should clarify that, by nice, I mean nice photograph. The cab car itself still looks ugly as sin.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Nice.

I should clarify that, by nice, I mean nice photograph. The cab car itself still looks ugly as sin.

Ah, I'm not the only one who thought that.

 

[Ryan]

Nice.

I should clarify that, by nice, I mean nice photograph. The cab car itself still looks ugly as sin.

i was beginning to worry...
That is one fugly train.

 

[tomfuller]

Nice.

I should clarify that, by nice, I mean nice photograph. The cab car itself still looks ugly as sin.

i was beginning to worry...
That is one fugly train.

The cab car is not very pretty but the interior of the cars is rather nice.I'm heading out to try to get some pictures of this train in the snowy Oregon countryside this morning. Yes, it has snowed an inch overnight and it's still coming down lightly.

14 left Dunsmuir on time this morning.

 

[VentureForth]

So are they going to turn this train? Why only one cab car? Is it a loco, or DMU? Why not add an unpowered cab car to the other end?

Yes, I agree that the insides are nice, but these trains are UGLY!

 

[PerRock]

The other end will have an engine on it, most likely a p42.

Peter

 

[MattW]

Any ideas on the new sets have MU and Comm's ports? I would extremely doubt that these will be MU'd together at any point.
I will add that these sets have a bizarre look to them, but I welcome it. I hope to someday get out to the NW and check out these new sets and the older sets.

Probably a requirement, or if they ever have to tow it from the cab car end.

 

[CHamilton]

When asked about the design last year, a Talgo rep said "blame the FRA," but wouldn't elaborate. I assume he meant that the strange-looking design is there for safety purposes.

 

[DET63]

Nice.

I should clarify that, by nice, I mean nice photograph. The cab car itself still looks ugly as sin.

i was beginning to worry...
That is one fugly train.

Yes.

 

[VentureForth]

When asked about the design last year, a Talgo rep said "blame the FRA," but wouldn't elaborate. I assume he meant that the strange-looking design is there for safety purposes.

There are locomotives/cabs that meet FRA requirements that don't look like Tow Mater.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Tow_Mater_-_Disney_Stars_and_Motor_Cars_Parade.jpg

 

[tomfuller]

So suppose 2 trains leave Sacramento northbound at midnight. One train has passengers in it and has to make several stops during the night. The other doesn't have to make a stop until fueling at K-Falls. Train 14 arrived in K-Falls 39 minutes early and left at the scheduled time of 8:17.

I was at a spot 3 miles south of Chemult ready to take a picture at 8:25. There was a freight waiting on the siding for 14 to go through. I'm guessing that the Talgo train may already be in Eugene by now.

If I had known it was that far ahead, I would have headed for my photo spot near Salt Creek Falls off Highway 58.

 

[Ziv]

Wow! I had no idea they were that ugly. That looks like something the Brits might have built in the early 70's. Nah, not even the Brits would have built something that bad. But it sounds like it looks ugly but has great performance and ugly is only skindeep.

Stepped off of Capitol Corridor #736 this afternoon in Sacramento after having lunch with my father in Emeryville, and saw this sitting on track 5:

New Oregon Talgo #7910, awaiting transit north tonight to the Pacific Northwest.

Nice.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Ugly!!! 70s Look for sure! The Rolling Stones named their Greatest Hits Album "Sucking in the 70s", it fits the times!

 

[CHamilton]

All Aboard Washington says on Facebook: "Our homely little cab car doesn't look so bad in the near darkness." Taken at Centralia, WA (I think).

 

[Agent]

What a Cascades train looks like in Nevada. This just an example of several videos this user alone has uploaded to YouTube.

 

[CHamilton]

The discussion on Facebook includes something I hadn't heard before: that the design is "to meet FRA crashworthiness standards, ...Amtrak's insistence the cab design allow for two seats and, apparently, not have a sloped windshield."

 

[jmx53]

What a Cascades train looks like in Nevada. This just an example of several videos this user alone has uploaded to YouTube.

Thanks for posting the link to this video Agent! I watched all of his other Talgo videos and my favorite is the Patrick, NV because its at speed and I can hear that very distinct sound these trainsets make going over rail joints...actually makes me miss the place I used to live that was near the tracks.