Wheres those PL42AC's?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know where the PL42AC's are that NJT ordered? Are they still in the shops?

[Overmod]

I assume they're still in Wellsville:

http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=WNYP&action=display&num=1100669331

[M636C]

Guys,

The covered units on the railfan.net link are convincingly like GEs (PL42ACs) but the other Alstom(?) units are clearly EMD powered. They also have "Floating" isolated cabs enclosed below window level, an EMD feature not seen on US locos before! With three radiator fans, they must be at least 3000 HP.

Peter

[Overmod]

Peter, they look a bit like Genesis units because they were styled by the same guy (Cesar Vergara). There's an interesting discussion of their isolated cabs here:

http://www.ble272.org/Suspendedcab.htm
http://www.ble272.org/Cabinteriordrawing.htm

(of course, it should be "turnover" and "aperture"...)

Power was supposed to be an EMD 16-cylinder 710G3B-T1 prime-mover driving a TA-17 traction alternator , with AC drive via an IGBT traction inverter. Horsepower is (as usual with HEP-from-the-prime-mover locomotives) a double rating: engine horsepower 4,200 (hence the 42 in the unit designation), but power at the traction motors is 3,620. (The HEP is 800 kW max) Apparently the thing is rated to be upgradeable to Tier II emissions (!) -- surprising, to me, for a 2-stroke engine...

Traction motors are frame-mounted. Trucks have 44-inch wheels and "combination disc/tread/dynamic brakes" (according to Railway Age) -- I cannot tell from the available material whether the cheek plates on the wheels are for friction or eddy-current brakes, or whether eddy-current here is separate from 'dynamic braking' achieved by varying the phase and timing of the synthesized rotating fields in the traction motors.

TE: starting, 69,975 lb; continuous 27,000 lb.

[M636C]

Overmod,

Thanks: I've had spelling problems with digital art in the past - spelling isn't part of the curriculum in that field of training.

We have used this type of cab in Australia on EMD units since 1994, although I'm not sure whether the location of supports is the same as in the Alstom unit. We don't use it for narrow gauge units because the narrower profile results in too great a loss of space.

The cheek plates on Australian MU trains are for disc brakes, and they regenerate for dynamic braking much as DC units do, so since the ones I'm thinking of use Alstom "ONIX" equipment, I suspect the PL42s do too. That looks like the usual EMD dynamic brake fan just behind the cab!

Peter