Amtrak’s new ALC-42 Charger locomotives have experienced a spate of winter-related operating failures that the passenger carrier is working with builder Siemens Mobility to address.
A report on the website of Trains magazine, said the repair work is focused on software and hardware modifications.
ALC-42 locomotives, which began revenue service last year, have only been regularly assigned to three long-distance routes but are expected to become the primary motive power in the long-distance network as P42DC locomotives are retired.
The weather related issues have been particularly acute on the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder, which was the first train to receive ACL-42 Chargers.
A Siemens spokeswoman told Trains that the problems causing en route failures of the Charger locomotives have been identified and are being addressed.
The spokeswoman said those problems have caused some instances of ALC-42s losing power “under very specific and unusually extreme circumstances prompted by drastic temperature changes.”
Amtrak has ordered 125 ALC-42s, which are similar in design to SC44 Chargers used on corridor trains in the Midwest and California.
In the first months of operation, Amtrak has typically paired an ACL-42 with a P42DC.
The Trains story indicated that the Chicago-Washington Capitol Limited will be the next long-distance train to receive ALC-42 units
Nos. 29 and 30 usually operate with one P42DC over the length of their route.
The Trains story can be read at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/siemens-working-with-amtrak-to-resolve-alc42-locomotive-issues/
Tags: ALC-42, Amtrak, Amtrak ALC-42, Amtrak Charger locomotives, Amtrak locomotives, Amtrak motive power, Amtrak's Empire Builder, Empire Builder, Siemens Charger locomotives
akronrrclub.wordpress.com 
Leave a Reply