Does anyone else miss the HHP-8 "hippos"?
I know they had issues and we're retired as a result of those issues, but I miss seeing them in the NE sector. I thought they looked real sleek and very modern. I believe, and someone can correct me if I am in error here, that the HHP-8 had 8000hp. That's incredible for such a small electric locomotive.
I use to watch them in the Trenton NJ area back in the early 2000's. They would fly by like an airplane.
Anyway, I was wondering if any are still in use or are any in a museum somewhere. I think, MD's MTA had several and they were the last of the last.
I think that they all got turned into razor blades. The HHP-8's had reliability issues and not too many people were sorry to seem them go.
My understanding is that Amtrak had them sitting in Bear until their leases are up, and it's up to Bombardier to decide what to do with, or about, them. Didn't we have a thread at one point about potential rebuild for resale to Europe, or was that just for ALPs?
I don't think MARC has gotten rid of all of theirs unless something has changed recently, but of course there's 'no chance of no chance' of them staying on that system (even if the conversion-to-diesel plan with Spirit locomotives is changed).
There has been on-and-off discussion about saving one, but that would be between museums and Bombardier, not Amtrak management or Maryland.
I don't think that we have discussed possible European use of the HHP-8s. While the larger climate range they could be used in would help reliability, their lack of commonality with anything (even the Astrides they are based off of) and their weight would preclude any operation even if they were reliable.
MARC has not retired them yet, but Amtrak AEM-7s have been subbing in more and more for MARC's electrics. MARC's Amtrak maintenence contract expires in I think June or July 2016, while the Chargers don't arrive until 2017. There may be interesting things happening this summer.
It's hard to belive it has been more than a year since the last Amtrak HHP-8 was retired. How quickly things go from being around forever to gone...
they are FLAT OUT JUNK ! 5 computers to run them, has to operate on 3 voltages and 2 frequncey's
From the day they were set up at PENN COACH YARD, they were a pain in the butt. the Bomber Folks said they could operate even with 3 of the computers down. but they couldn't do that even with 1 down. When I got to check them out as part of my job, I ask them if the computers crashed was there a default mode to get them to the nearest station. They said it wasn't needed cause that would never happen. Those guys were so full of BS it was a joke. the Local RF of engines, Ray Huntsburger ask them if that was true. all of sudden they were talking in french and german and swedish. They wouldn't answer him . the op manuel was on a cd-rom. When I got a copy, I had a paper version printed. Over 200+ pages came out!! MARC's sat for over a year after thiers were delivered until Bomber made the 120+ updates to them that had to be made to Amtrak's. And they always had at least 2 tech's on the road everyday with Laptops to reset them if 1 broke down due to computer problems. they should have parked the AEM-7's for parts rather scrapping them as the each new POS ACS-64 is/was delivered.
RRLINEMAN. 17 months to pension from this nuthouse.
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