Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

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Schteinkuh
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Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by Schteinkuh »

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, click here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_C ... 0151109-15

The current orders for the new engines are:
California (Amtrak California): 6
(Pacific Surfliner): 14
Washington (Amtrak Cascades): 8
Missouri (River Runner): 2
Illinois (Chicago Services): 16
(Chicago-St. Louis): 14 (Michigan is supposedly sharing these with Illinois)
Maryland (MARC Sevices): 8
Total: 68 (not including Florida Brightline)

I can't find anything about Michigan buying any specific amount. They've awarded the contract to Siemens already, but it seems like they might be sharing some with Illinois.

The word on the street is that Amtrak has begun training crews for the new Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotives in Battle Creek. As much as I hate to see my favorite engines disappear, a close up look last night to a couple of them told me all I needed to know. They're rusty and tired, it's time. Just a couple of days ago, Siemens rolled out the first WSDOT (Cascades) Charger. The Siemens demonstrator Chargers have been testing all over the country over the past few months. Does anyone have any info as to when we're supposed to start testing them or if they plan on bringing them to Grand Rapids at some point?
Last edited by Schteinkuh on Sun Mar 26, 2017 3:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by NSSD70ACe »

Michigan is NOT buying the F125. It says in the Siemens Charger was ordered by Illinois in conjunction with Missouri and Michigan. According to the Wikipedia article, Illinois/Michigan/Missouri are getting 33 of the Chargers as of November 2015. The citation for it is the same Railway Gazette article that you got the table information from, although nothing I saw in the article says anything about it.

All I can say for sure is that Michigan and Illinois got their Chargers together.
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by PerRock »

I would note that you should expect to see testing on the Michigan line very soon. There is already at least one Charger in Chicago and many more in their final stages of the burn-in @ Pueblo & should be east soon.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by atrainguy60 »

Hopefully these will be running on the Blue Water route as well. It'll be kinda cool seeing something different on the Amtrak trains.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by cbtrower »

Something a little different on the Michigan line!! Wonder when they will be testing?

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by Ypsi »

Word is some of the Michigan engineers have already started/ been qualifying on the chargers as of a couple weeks ago
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by PerRock »

atrainguy60 wrote:Hopefully these will be running on the Blue Water route as well. It'll be kinda cool seeing something different on the Amtrak trains.
In the end, the Chargers will be the primary power on all three of the Michigan Corridor routes. Testing will probably only happen on the Wolverine route.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by Schteinkuh »

PerRock wrote:
atrainguy60 wrote:Hopefully these will be running on the Blue Water route as well. It'll be kinda cool seeing something different on the Amtrak trains.
In the end, the Chargers will be the primary power on all three of the Michigan Corridor routes. Testing will probably only happen on the Wolverine route.

peter
I don't see why they'd assign them to the PM unless they order more, considering that there's no high speed involved.
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by Doktor No »

Schteinkuh wrote:
PerRock wrote:
atrainguy60 wrote:Hopefully these will be running on the Blue Water route as well. It'll be kinda cool seeing something different on the Amtrak trains.
In the end, the Chargers will be the primary power on all three of the Michigan Corridor routes. Testing will probably only happen on the Wolverine route.

peter
I don't see why they'd assign them to the PM unless they order more, considering that there's no high speed involved.
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by PerRock »

Well if we presume each train in IL trains use 2 engines each & turn around evenly; MO routes use 1 engine here are the numbers:
18 - IL
1 - MO
3 - Wolverine
There's a total 33 engines

That leaves us with 8 engines. If 2 were assigned for the PM & BW there would still be 6 to have as spares around the network. Which I would think is quite feasibly, especially considering that a P42 can also be subbed in when needed.

Michigan also pays less to Amtrak if they use their own equipment, so there is that incentive for MDOT to use the Chargers on all their trains.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by dmitzel »

PerRock wrote: Michigan also pays less to Amtrak if they use their own equipment, so there is that incentive for MDOT to use the Chargers on all their trains.

peter
Now if we could just get new coaches, business class and cafe cars... sigh.

Having the Chargers at the point may improve reliability as far as power is concerned, but it's still the same tired, old Horizon and Amfleet crud trailing. Nothing new from Nippon-Sharyo/Sumitomo in Rochelle, Illinois so I fear the worst on rolling stock, as in not gonna happen. Oh, well... so is Amtrak I guess.
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by JStryker722 »

Maybe the State of Michigan DOT Rail Division should piggyback tge the orders that Siemens got for passenger cars that Brightline and other agencies have put in,just like they did for locomotives?
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by PerRock »

JStryker722 wrote:Maybe the State of Michigan DOT Rail Division should piggyback the the orders that Siemens got for passenger cars that Brightline and other agencies have put in,just like they did for locomotives?
We have an order for new equipment from Nippon Shayro; however NS has had problems building a car to the required specifications & that meets with FRA rules. The grant money used to buy these cars is expiring soon, so we'll have to see what happens.

MDOT & the other DOTs all have pretty specific design requirements for their new cars, which may not actually be possible to build. A lot of RR manufacturers (including Siemens & Alstom) who build train cars didn't even bid on the contract as they didn't think it was possible. So it's very unlikely that MDOT will just switch to getting the Brightline cars (which by the way are the only people buying those cars.) My guess is that we'll end up loosing the money (feds take it back) and will be stuck with Horizons for quite some time still.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by KenB »

No it is not "kinda kool" having locomotives built overseas and shipped to the U.S. in foreign flag ships keeping more Americans from working and paying taxes.
These locomotives are built by Siemens in California with workers paying American taxes and supporting an American economy. The profits are sent to Germany.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by hoborich »

Anyone know what is so difficult about these cars that no one can build them?
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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by MNE Mec »

I think it is called the lowest bidder building to the minimum standard and nothing more.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by KenB »

Cars will not meet the standards for crush test. Just line MNE says, lowest bidder tried to cut corners to make profit. Would YOU like to be in a car that did not meet the crush spec in the event of an accident? PTC will not stop a train if a BIG truck is blocking the tracks.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by NYCMan »

Amen to KenB for pointing out one of the reasons why PTC is an epic waste of billions of dollars. PTC is being shoved down the railroad's throats because it will somehow, magically, make railroads "safe" and end all "fatal events". That is a fallacy. Instead, what PTC is going to do is cause a level of complacency and eventually we will have bigger and worse accidents than before.

PTC cannot detect a gasoline tanker truck stalled on a crossing. PTC cannot detect a rock slide. PTC cannot detect children (or railfans) playing on the tracks. There are multitudes of things that PTC cannot detect, but the PTC system is telling the engineer (and the locomotive) that the TRACKS AHEAD ARE CLEAR... HIGHBALL!!!!!! If the FRA trusts the PTC computer so much, then might as well get rid of the engineer and let the computer run the train. At least the engineer won't be amongst the victims when the accident incident comes along.

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Re: Siemens SC-44 Chargers - Michigan Edition

Unread post by Doktor No »

Watching and wretching after seeing the PBS story a couple weeks ago about railroad accidents and wrecks and then being subjected to the FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg, that touted how wonderful and lifesaving PTC will be...well let me say that I agree with NYCMan wholeheartedly. Another layer of things to watch on the consol for the head end crew. Situational awareness becomes something welded inside the cab instead of outside the window where it belongs.
Oh well. Bring back simple ATS and ATC and you'd have it done already...wait, thats cheaper and old school so its bad...even though it worked for years.
Design after build is how it works today. C'est la vie. I'd rather fly.
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