Siemens Works to Address Charger Failures

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/

Next Charger Era Begins Today on Amtrak

The Charger era on Amtrak’s long-distance network begins today.

Railfan & Railroad magazine reported on its website that two Siemens-built ALC-42 locomotives are slated to lead the westbound Empire Builder out of Chicago Union Station, making this the first revenue run for new passenger units.

Amtrak plans to replace P42DC locomotives with the ALC-42 Chargers, which are similar in design to the SC-44 Chargers that have been in service on Amtrak’s Midwest corridor routes for more than three years.

The Railfan & Railroad report said the lead unit on Train 7 will be “Day 1” heritage locomotive 301. The training unit will be No. 302.

One of the units will lead the Seattle section while the other will lead the Portland section west of Spokane, Washington.

The article can be read at https://railfan.com/amtraks-new-alc-42s-to-enter-service-today/

Weather Still Disrupting Amtrak Trains

Adverse weather conditions have led to a spate of Amtrak train cancellations.

Heavy snowfall in West Virginia was cited by Amtrak for multiple cancellations of the Chicago-New York Cardinal this week.

Trains magazine reported on its website that on Tuesday night Train 50 was terminated after reaching Rennselaer, Indiana, with passengers returned to Chicago by bus.

The westbound Cardinal was cancelled on Wednesday and Friday. The eastbound Cardinal was canceled on Thursday.

On Saturday morning the Amtrak website was showing Train 50 as still set to depart Chicago later that evening for New York.

Amtrak could have operated the Cardinal Thursday night to Indianapolis and then had that equipment turn Saturday morning to return to Chicago. But it elected not to pursue that option.

The Trains report said about 8 inches of snow fell in the region around Charleston, West Virginia, on Thursday and four more inches was expected in Northern Virginia on Friday morning.

Heavy snow that downed tree limbs across tracks led to operational issues that led to passengers being marooned for hours aboard trains in Virginia earlier this week.

Elsewhere, Amtrak cancelled the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder trains that were to have departed Thursday from Portland and Seattle.

Stalled BNSF freight trains were blocking the route and also prevented the westbound Empire Builder on that day from getting through.

Saturday morning Amtrak posted on Twitter that today’s westbound Empire Builder from Chicago has been canceled due to severe weather.

The Empire Builder that was to have originated in Seattle on Friday instead originated in Spokane, Washington.

Mudslides near Kelso, Washington, prompted Amtrak to cancel all service between Seattle and Portland on Thursday through Saturday. The cancellations did not affect trains operating between Portland and Eugene, Oregon.

In the east, Northeast Regional 171 to Roanoke, Virginia; No. 93 to Norfolk, Virginia; and train 85 to Richmond, Virginia; were canceled on Friday along with their counterparts from the same destinations, trains 176, 84, and 86.

The Silver Meteor from Miami to New York was canceled on Friday along with the southbound Meteor that was to have departed New York on Friday.

Eight additional Northeast Regional trains were cancelled Friday. Trains that did operate were subject to hours-long delays between Washington and Richmond.

Minnesota Museum Wants ex-GN Car in Columbus

A Minnesota museum is seeking to raise money to move a former Great Northern passenger car from its current location in Columbus.

The Minnesota Transportation Museum wants to move Empire Builder “Ranch” lounge White Pines Lake, which is now sitting at The Depot Event Center in Columbus.

The owners of the car have agreed to donate it to the Minnesota museum when the latter is able to pay to move it.

The museum is trying to raise $50,000 through a Go Fund Me page and grants.

Once funding is secured the car will be moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, by truck and rail.

The museum owns three other ex-GM passengers cars that were built in 1951 for the Empire Builder.

Dome to Operate on 2 Amtrak Routes This Fall

Amtrak will assign a dome car to two eastern routes this fall.

The car, Great Dome No. 10031, is a former Great Northern dome that was built by Budd in 1955 for use on the Empire Builder.

It is now the last dome car on the Amtrak roster.

The car will operate on the Downeaster between Brunswick, Maine, and Boston between Aug. 11 and Sept. 23, and on the Adirondack between Montreal and Albany, New York, between Sept. 27 and Nov. 2.

Seats are unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Amtrak is encouraging passengers to rotate in and out of the dome to allow more people to experience the view.

More information is available at https://www.amtrak.com/fall-travel-on-the-great-dome-car