Railroad Trains for the Soul: Amtrak Long-Distance Chargers
It's exciting to see a brand new fleet of locomotives being built and delivered to their customers. This is a video tour of the Siemens Mobility train factory in Sacramento, California, which is where the first Amtrak Long-Distance Charger ALC-42 diesel-electric locomotive (numbered 300) has been assembled. The 4,200-horsepower ALC-42 represents the latest technology to improve safety, maximize fuel efficiency, lower operating/maintenance costs and exhaust emissions, and increase reliability.
So far, Siemens has offered three different types of Charger diesels, including the 4,400-hp SC-44 and the 4,000-hp SCB-40. With its high-speed bullet nose, the latter was designed initially for Florida’s Brightline, known to be America's first private passenger railroad company since the creation of Amtrak, and is configured as a trainset that involves Siemens-built passenger cars. The SC-44’s have been built for three state-sponsored Amtrak corridor regions as well as three commuter rail systems in the United States. As of this blog post, VIA Rail Canada will also receive the first of its own Charger trainsets that will look similar to the Brightline SCB-40 units. Regardless of their external differences, all the Siemens diesel locomotives are powered by the Tier 4 emissions-compliant, 16-cylinder QSK95 engines, manufactured by Cummins.
Since the SC-44’s have effectively replaced the Electro-Motive (EMD) F59PHI diesels in California and Washington State, the new ALC-42 will result in the retirement of the General Electric P42DC. These high-tech Long-Distance Chargers do have a few major features similar to GE’s venerable GENESIS locomotives. The V16 engine, the 4,200-hp rating, the 2,200-gallon fuel tank, and the cab’s desktop control console are some similarities that come to mind. However, the primary differences include crash energy management (CEM), alternating current traction motors, regenerative/dynamic braking, and inverter-driven head-end power (HEP). The ALC-42 is also painted for the first time in a locomotive adaptation of the Phase VI scheme that was only found on many of Amtrak’s passenger cars for a long time. This makes a significant contrast to the blue and silver Phase V livery used on most of the locomotives, especially the GENESIS fleet. It is announced that Phase VI will become a transition to a new standard paint scheme called Phase VII within the next few years.
Considering cross-country passenger trains, the transition from GE to Siemens is sort of like the change from EMD to GE because the P42 was built to replace the well-known Electro-Motive F40PH fleet by the early 2000’s. As a side note, the P32AC-DM (another GENESIS model) is used primarily in New York State but it does have AC traction, which will eventually become standard for long-distances services. Therefore, the ALC-42 will be the first AC-motored, Tier 4-compliant diesel locomotive intended for such passenger duties.
Thanks to Mike Armstrong's CoasterFan2105 YouTube channel, you'll learn the fundamental benefits of passenger rail in terms of environmental conservation, see the locomotives under construction with lots of their elaborate features, and follow Amtrak’s California Zephyr through the Sierra Nevada mountain range as it carries the fresh ALC-42 No. 300. Also special thanks to Siemens for offering the tour of the Sacramento factory that we are otherwise not so likely to visit as railroad fans. We look forward to seeing more Chargers being delivered as well as more special paint schemes on other locomotives while continuing to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary.