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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Amtrak to purchase 75 Tier 4 locomotives from Siemens Mobility in effort to replace aging fleet

January 14, 2019 / Updated June 26, 2023

Class 1 Railroads

Amtrak will acquire new mainline passenger diesel locomotives from Siemens Mobility to replace its aging National Network locomotive fleet.

Seventy-five Charger locomotives are being built for Amtrak’s Long Distance train service as part of an $850 million order that includes options to purchase more to accommodate use on some state-supported routes and future growth.

An artist’s rendering of the Siemens Mobility Charger locomotive that Amtrak has ordered to replace its aging fleet of P40 and P42 diesels. – Courtesy Siemens Mobility

“These new locomotives will offer increased reliability, more hauling power, improved safety features and lower emissions,” said Amtrak President & CEO Richard Anderson in December.

The locomotives will offer the latest safety systems including Crash Energy Management and Positive Train Control. Capable of speeds up to 125 mph, the locomotives will be powered by a 16-cylinder Cummins QSK95 diesel engine capable of 4,000 horse power with modern control systems and Alternating Current (AC) propulsion. The diesel engine will come equipped with the latest Tier 4 emissions technology, reducing nitrogen oxide by over 89 percent and particulate matter by 95 percent, and provide an average of 10 percent savings in diesel fuel consumption.

Delivery will begin in summer 2021, with passenger service beginning in fall 2021. The locomotives will power trains used on the Auto Train, California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle. All locomotives are expected to be in service by 2024. Maintenance activities across the network will be supported by a supplemental multiyear Technical Support Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA).

The locomotives will be built at Siemens Mobility’s rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, CA, a facility which uses solar power and employs more than 1,300 people. Available funding will pay for the new additions.

Siemens Mobility’s Charger locomotives are currently operating on several state-supported Amtrak routes in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, and Washington.

Amtrak’s aging Amtrak P40 and P42 locomotives, some of which have been in service for more than 25 years, will be phased out.

The new locomotives are part of Amtrak’s long-term plans for improving fleet, infrastructure and stations. New Acela trainsets arrive in 2021 and ongoing improvements continue at New York Penn Station and new construction at Moynihan Train Hall, in addition to expanded development of the major stations at Chicago, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.

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Coal Stragglers

North American railroads have hauled coal in quantity ever since the anthracite roads were built on the East Coast. Decades later and despite many changes that have diminished production, coal remains a top (but declining) commodity. While it has weathered shifts in power generation and other factors leading to its decline, coal still accounts for 28 percent of total rail tonnage and 12 percent of revenue. Watch a coal trains roll by and you’ll notice that most cars are painted a stripe or block of color on one end. The color doesn’t matter, but the painted end has a rotary coupler, the non-painted end a solid drawbar. Learn how this combination of couplers enable railroads to move coal efficiently.

Record Turnout

Manufacturers roll out the red carpet at January's Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. The show set an attendance record of 27,535 at what has become the big daddy of train shows. Several manufacturers came out in full dress to tout their latest products and announce new runs. At times it appeared to be a battle of the booths, something show chairman John Sacerdote anticipated leading up to the show. Lionel and Walthers did not disappoint.

Spirit of St. Louis

After almost 20 years of top-line service, the Pennsylvania Railroad's St. Louisan and New Yorker were rechristened Spirit of St. Louis after the custom-built Ryan monoplane in which Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic flight. PRR’s advertising and publicity forces wasted no time capitalizing on transatlantic frenzy. The Spirit’s christening was celebrated June 15, 1927, less than a month after Lindbergh’s May 21 landing in Paris. Take a ride on the train in the Cowcatcher's ongoing series, "The Golden Age of Passenger Travel."

Plus

CN rolls out a medium horsepower hybrid locomotive that will be deployed this year across several of the railroads's yards and branch lines. Watching trains circle a layout adds a warm touch to modeling and relieves stress, say modelers. And more!