Union Pacific Leader for Amtrak #6(04)

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Agent

Agent

Conductor
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
1,655
Location
Iowa
The eastbound California Zephyr was photographed yesterday in Provo, Utah with a Union Pacific freight locomotive leading. This Amtrak #6 is currently running over six hours late in Iowa.
 
Here's UP 2533 leading Amtrak #6(04) at Agency, Iowa. The train was over six and a half hours late at this point.

 
UP has gotten a lot of additional revenue from AMTK this summer, just on the California Zephyr alone. When I was riding #6 to CHI in June, the train was equally late arriving into Colorado and other pax said that they had to call for a spare engine just past Winnemucca, also provided by UP.
 
Amtrak might as well just lease a bunch of UP and BNSF engines and run with them and use the Genesis for HEP. This freight loco rescue seems to be happening way too frequently.
 
seat38a said:
Amtrak might as well just lease a bunch of UP and BNSF engines and run with them and use the Genesis for HEP. This freight loco rescue seems to be happening way too frequently.
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Or, purchase used freight locomotives and equip them with HEP pass through cables to allow more flexibility in their operations. They would likely need to be regeared for higher speed operations, but it is doable.
 
CCC1007 said:
seat38a said:
Amtrak might as well just lease a bunch of UP and BNSF engines and run with them and use the Genesis for HEP. This freight loco rescue seems to be happening way too frequently.
Click to expand...
Or, purchase used freight locomotives and equip them with HEP pass through cables to allow more flexibility in their operations. They would likely need to be regeared for higher speed operations, but it is doable.
Click to expand...
That sounds like way too much work and money for an organization that is disfunctional and broke already. :)
 
UP and other hosts don't mind the revenue, but they are using certified engineers that could be running freights. For Dispatch they are having to move the engine into position, plus now a very late Amtrak to deal with, then getting the engine back into use. Sounds like more hassle than the revenue is worth. If I were UP, with so many rescues, and the likelihood that they will increase, I would up my rate substantially. This isn't the rare occurrence or accident, this is worn out equipment failing left and right.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
This makes me curious....just what kind of payment arrangement does Amtrak have with the various hosts regarding rescue power?
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File a FOIA and find that the details and the contracts are not public data.

Any deal that clears my main is a good deal for the UP or any RR -- like "get that broke down POS off of our main, we'll donate a loco, whatever, just get off the main and clear your slot however"

Also works other way when the "host" blocks AMTK with a -- hehe -- "freight on the ground" --

Shared ROW, like every highway in the USA.

So, what payment arrangement does my state have when my car breaks down -- none. When the bridge falls into the river? none.

Yeah, how the RRs share the costs -- who knows.
 
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I see written "This freight loco rescue seems to be happening way too frequently." Exactly how frequently does it really happen? Does anybody really know?
 
There was a rumor thread about Amtrak getting some GEs freight locos for a test run. Would be a smart idea to some GE or EMD locos for long distance trains. Mercifully the Genesis could be retired after herculean like career carrying Amtrak's power needs on a shoe string budget.
 
Generally the class 1s have a horsepower hour sharing program for run through freights etc. Where any imbalances​ can be repaid by loaning locomotives for the HP rating for the required number of operating hours or by paying the cash value of those horsepower hours quarterly or annually. I would assume it's the same for Amtrak except that they don't have freight locomotives to repay those HP hours with. Although in the past Amtrak has loaned p-42s to NS and CSX to lead freights on the NEC to meet PTC requirements....
 
Lonestar648 said:
UP and other hosts don't mind the revenue, but they are using certified engineers that could be running freights.
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To be clear, this train was using an Amtrak engineer, not a UP engineer (nor a BNSF one for that matter).
 
Right, if a freight engine is leading on a run across tracks where Amtrak engineers are qualified to run, then there is an Amtrak engineer in the cab. No need for a freight engineer.
 
I thought if Amtrak is using UP or another hosts equipment, then the Amtrak engineers are not certified on the equipment. I have seen rescue units with both UP and Amtrak engineers in the cab.
 
If depends if the engineer is qualified on the equipment. If so, they operate. If not, the host engineer may operate or pilot the Amtrak engineer.
 
KnightRail said:
Purchasing FREIGHT locomotives for PASSENGER service is laughable.
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When your broke and you can't even buy new passenger engines or even maintain the ones you have, and all you can afford is used FREIGHT locomotives, HOW IS THAT LAUGHABLE??? Considering the freight locomotives comes to the rescue anyways, WHY NOT???

Amtrak can barely afford buying a used Pinto let alone a brand spanking new BMW at the moment.
 
I bet a GE Tier 4 ET44AC modified with HEP is cheaper than GE restarting the Genesis line up. Isn't the Tier 4 engine too big for the Genesis body? Which one do you think GE will be willing to do a deal? The same for ProgressiveRail, CAT, EMD or whatever they are calling themselves now.

And before someone mention Siemens, lets see how they do in short corridor service before dropping them on thousand mile LD trains.

When you don't have alot of money (Amtrak) you have to improvise.
 
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Lonestar648 said:
If Amtrak buys these used freight engines how would they handle HEP? Run an HEP capable engine behind one of the used engines? Major reworking costs money.
Click to expand...
That is why I said in my earlier post to use the Genesis for HEP and use the freight for pulling. No different than when the Genesis needs rescuing. At least this way its consistent and scheduled accordingly and maybe more reliable than counting on 2 Genesis. Been on one train that needed a Freight Rescue and another that had to ditch the lead engine and progress at speeds that would have been faster had I walked on the Southwest Chief.
 
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