Is it possible that 603 could run again if there was a good amount of money available to restore it?
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/e60.shtml
Does anyone by the way know when was the exact date the E60s were retired. I know it was in 2003, but when in 2003?
THEKINGOFDISTRUCTION Is it possible that 603 could run again if there was a good amount of money available to restore it? http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/e60.shtml Does anyone by the way know when was the exact date the E60s were retired. I know it was in 2003, but when in 2003?
The link is "hot".
Mike
The story of the E-60 Electrics is pretty sad.
This link may give you some more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_E60
[Since it is Wikipedia, usual disclaimers apply] At least one is apparently been saved out of the Black Mesa & Lake Powell group, and the AMTRAK 603 as well.]
Of course given enough money an E60 could be made to run again. Motors and trucks are similar to lots of GE diesels of the same era. The rest could be simply reuse of rectifiers, transformers, and much else from the retired Amtrak AEM-7's that still have dc motors. Probably two sets of AE-7 equipment could be fitted into a single E60 car body.
Even a GG-1 could be made to run again, at about 5 times the cost of an E60.
What I would really like to see is a Virginian-N&W-NYNH&H-PC EF-4-E-33, either in Virginian or NH colors. One is preserved cosmentically, in NH colors, at the Danbury, CT museum.
With enough time, money, and welding rods anything is possible. But it is kind of a dumb question since E60s run every day. So why couldn't that one?
From the sounds of it, the 603 was fresh out of an overhaul when it was retired. It even had ACES cab signal installed, so it probably wouldn't take much to get it going again.
But E60s never had much of a fan base - they really weren't very successful and they were supposed to replace the beloved GG1 , so I'm not sure you'd get many takers for fan trips.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Yeah that's going to be a challenge when it comes to fantrips. Well only time will tell in that case.
Oh I am all to familiar with the history of the E60. Did they ever hit 100+ mph in service before they were restricted to 85mph and then bumped up to 90mph?
THEKINGOFDISTRUCTION Oh I am all to familiar with the history of the E60. Did they ever hit 100+ mph in service before they were restricted to 85mph and then bumped up to 90mph?
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
Once standing on the platform at New Carrolton, watched an E-60 coming south, come into sight around the curve, at speed. It first swayed wwwaaaayyy to the left, in the curve, then leaned wwaaayy to the right coming out of the curve. It was bounding back to the left as it approached the platform. All that time, it had an impressive up and down motion as well. I was torn between running for my life (to where?) and watching that massive engine wiggle like a toy lionel engine that was going too fast.
Bob
Just wish more could of been done to iron out all the problems they had. They had potential, but too many problems. Of course knowing that an E60 could be restored is a good thing. The problem is getting a fan base for them. That's going to be one big challenge.
I've ridden on Amtrak trains hauled by E60s years back. On one of my trips aboard the Silver Meteor (1983), in spite of the 90mph restriction we were running late and, according to the conductor, were clocking 100mph speeds on stretches. Looking out the window, I could tell that we were zipping at a good speed. It was an enjoyable ride as portions of the NEC were being rebuilt at that time.
Inspite of their problems, the E60 class had plenty of muscle and single units regularly hauled 14 to 17 car length consists of the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and Crescent with double heading occurring only in the later years.
Imho, the body styling and the unique Nathan P-01235 horn make the E60s a memorable locomotive in a positive way. I enjoyed seeing them in action and hope that one will eventually be restored to operating condition.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
td: Your quote is from the great Protestant Theologin Rheinhold Neibure, (Sp?), a great teacher to all mankind. But you left out "First they came for the Jews." before the Communists. Please be accurate in the future. Neibure may be deceased, but I am sure his spirit is alive.
Actually, the quote as given may be more accurate than you suspect, and it's from a different Christian divine, Martin Niemoeller. (Interestingly enough, the form as the original poster gave it is very common in textbooks and other references, ominous as that may appear...) Here is what a typical form of the quote reads (in translation):
First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists, but I was not a Socialist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Catholics, but I was not a Catholic, so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
Original, as far as I can reconstruct it from very varied German texts (note that the emphasis of the repeated 'came for's and 'did not speak out's is not present in the original German):
Als sie die ersten Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen; denn ich war kein Kommunist. Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. Als sie kamen, die Gewerkschafter zu holen, schwieg ich, weil ich kein Gewerkschafter war. . Als sie die ersten Juden holten, habe ich geschwiegen; denn ich war kein Jude. Als sie die ersten Katholiken holten, habe ich geschwiegen; denn ich war kein Katholik. Als sie mich holten, war niemand mehr da, der seine Stimme hätte erheben können.
(I should note that there is some scholarship that indicates Niemoller never said it this precisely, or this pithily. I do not think this detracts from the force of the statement as an admonition.)
It doesn't cheapen perception of the Holocaust to quote Niemoeller's historical order of the organized persecution; they are in the political order in which the Nazis acted (starting with the blame for the Reichstag fire).
Since the only possible discussion of the role of the railroads in the Holocaust is distressing even to contemplate, I will not comment further; I only thought it was desirable to get the record straight with respect to that one quote and its context.
David K, thanks for inspiring Overmod's elaboration.
Overmod, thanks for one perfect, or awesomely close to, response/correction: civilly done, concise and inclusive; including the German text made me winsomely wish that Mom's Alsatian family "got off the boat" more recently than 1850, so I could translate more.
Humanly; the horror of the words quoted in English or German leaves us_____....fill in the blank.
Closer to the subject of this, isn't the Black Mesa and Lake Powell using E60's? Some domestic, some exported to the NdeM and now legal immigrants.?
Oltmannd; A Santa Fe RFE said that beyond the characteristic derailing at speeds over 50MPH on 2-degree curves, Amtrak's 500's and 600's (SDP40F's) would have been better liked had their seats had armrests to hold you during 90 MPH violent yawing (side to side) motion at that speed. (around 1980 on the Chief.) Where'd you hear that comment, or did you make it?
I never experienced that; but I dealt with violent staccato bouncing, yes, and a few scary rock-and-roll, moments worth enshrining in the Hall of Fame
Oh yeah,, I didn't realize what I had when I worked the PA's and E's, FM TM's, FP7's and GP9s and rarely SD7s and SD9s in passenger service. The F40s were sweet, though,.....if noisy.
Desert (Western) Power RR also has E-60's, in addition to the Navajo Mine RR.
Also, in Reihnhold's version, it was not Socialiists, but Social-Democrats, which was the particular German party that got the next largest votes in the 1932 election. Historically, if the Communists and the Social-Denicrats had got together and backed one candidate for Chancellor, they would have defeated Hitler.
If anyone with bucks is interested in restoring an E-60 or having a GG-1 run again, make the offer to Amtrak for all the electical and electronic equipment from dc AEM-7's NOW!!!!!
Guys,
any updates on the E60?
Also, I vaguely remember reading that two E60s were going to be preserved. If I remember correctly, one was an Amtrak unit (603), while the other was in New Jersey Transit's paint scheme.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.