Amtrak Compatible?

[The Butler]

    In the News Wire article, "Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Milwaukee Road 261 steams, restoration of Skytop complete," it talks about former Milwaukee Road business car Milwaukee.  From the article, "While the Milwaukee is fully operational, it is not yet Amtrak compatible and will not be making the trip to Duluth." 

    What compatibility requirements for Amtrak are needed on an operational passenger car?

[blue streak 1]

The Butler

    What compatibility requirements for Amtrak are needed on an operational passenger car?

 

This is only a guess  -----

1.  What is the rated speed requirement for a car ?

2.  Are only certain trucks allowed ?

4.  A requirement that braking system be compatible ? As well both freight & passenger schedules ?   COTS.

4.  Is the second air line using loco reservoir pressure required ?  

5.  HEP cabling at least thru the car and if HEP used then capable to be cut in or out if standby generator is installed ?

6.  Thru cabling of both 27 point connectors for loco control and train control  ( PA for example ) ?

7. Truck periodic ultra sound up to date.

8.   access to car by crew ?

9.  operable marker lights ?

10. Maybe head lights for backing ?

11. Other items ?

6.   

[Phoebe Vet]

I believe the couplers are different, too.  I believe they couple tighter to reduce run out during acceleration  & deceleration.

[oltmannd]

It has to be mechanically and electrically compatible with Amtrak equipment and Amtrak has to come inspect it and okay it.

From memory (I can't seem to find the spec on line...)

It has to be structurally sound and have wheels, axles, trucks, etc in condition to run at speed.  It has to have 480 VAC HEP pass-thru and 27 pin comm trainline.  Amtrak has to have someone from their Mech Dept come and inspect it, and then you pay fee to register the car.

[oltmannd]

Phoebe Vet

I believe the couplers are different, too.  I believe they couple tighter to reduce run out during acceleration  & deceleration.

Yeah.  Tightlock type H.  They have machined faces to minimize free slack (they still have draft gear slack - springiness).  Tightlocks also have interlocking "ears" that eliminate any pivoting at the knuckle - acts like a solid drawbar more or less.

[blue streak 1]

"oltmannd"]

Yeah.  Tightlock type H.  They have machined faces to minimize free slack (they still have draft gear slack - springiness).  Tightlocks also have interlocking "ears" that eliminate any pivoting at the knuckle - acts like a solid drawbar more or less.

 

To expand.  Old Heavyweight cars had type "E" for the most part and the walkways between cars could move down as much as 6 " especially over uneven track.   The Tightlocks essentially reduced that to mostly less than 1 "  Often coupling tight lock couplers could take 3 - 4 tries as well.

Maybe tree could give examples ?   

[Overmod]

oltmannd

I can't seem to find the spec on line...

(incidentally, by way of the auction site for Ross Rowland's 'surplus' Greenbrier Express cars...)

here are some of the Amtrak requirements;

here is the AAPRCO page on operating a private car;

and here is a useful page from the 'Movie Trains' company about private car ownership.

I can provide the various Amtrak PC-# forms themselves if anyone needs them (here is a .doc file of the PC-1 form, courtesy of RPCA) but it's easy enough to find them once you know what they're called.

[The Butler]

Thanks, folks, since the car is "fully operational" according to the article, I was confused as to what else needed to be done. 

I am guessing that "fully operational" means it can be used in the 261's train, just not Amtrak's