What motive power was used for Amtrak's Atlantic City Express in the 1990s?

[aegrotatio]

I understand it used the EMD F40PH for the non-electrified section, but what was used for the electrified one?

 

[Overmod]

I've seen Genesis P40s used for the diesel.

Never saw anything but ALP44s for the electrics.

[aegrotatio]

Sorry, I'm asking about Amtrak's Atlantic City Express in the 1990s, not the casino-owned Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) of 2009-2011 which used P40s and ALP-44s.

 

 

[Overmod]

Surprising there's so little description of the part of the Gambler's Expresses that ran on the Corridor!  You'd think there would be more pictures of the engine change.  Seems to me I've read a description of a change on the New York service taking place in a peculiar location on the Pennsylvania side... IIRC it was a 'toaster' (one of the AEM-7 family) which could easily handle any train at Corridor speed that an F40PH could take over to Atlantic City.

I have seen pictures of the F40PH on these consists as far south as Ivy City and I suspect these were diesel the whole way -- IIRC they had ex-Metroliner cab cars at the other end to be bidirectional through the switching required to cross the Delaware and head east.

[aegrotatio]

Yeah, they kept changing the route even extending it to Richmond, Virginia(!), Harrisburg, PA, and Springfield and New Haven(!!), CT.

They could not have made this train succeed, just like ACES could not do over a decade later.

 

[Jones1945]

"Amtrak service on the Atlantic City Line operated from 1989 to 1995. The trains ran in push-pull mode with rebuilt Metroliner cab-control cars."

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4899487

[daveklepper]

Pretty sure they were FP-40s, at least the early 1990s, standard diesel power for nearly all non-electric Amtrak trains at the time.  Push-pull. with an ex-Metroliner cab-car on the west end, the diesel on the east end, remaining outside the shed at 30rh street.

[daveklepper]

Pretty sure they were FP-40s, at least the early 1990s, standard diesel power for nearly all non-electric Amtrak trains at the time.  Push-pull. with an ex-Metroliner cab-car on the west end, the diesel on the east end, remaining outside the shed at 30rh street.

[daveklepper]

The 30th Street - Atlantic City service never used electric power and did not stop at Frankfort Junction wiere such power would have been changed.

Somewhat off-topic, but some time before Amtrak, I saw a Reading Pacific on the head end of a PRSL Atlantic City train at 30th Street, (Pacific also outside the shed) after PRR had stopped using steam.

Also note that by 1990, the original and rebuilt Metroliner mus were no longer in Metroliner service.  Metroliners at the time were AEM-7s and upgraded Amfleet coaches.

[P-RSL2005]

daveklepper

The 30th Street - Atlantic City service never used electric power and did not stop at Frankfort Junction wiere such power would have been changed.

Somewhat off-topic, but some time before Amtrak, I saw a Reading Pacific on the head end of a PRSL Atlantic City train at 30th Street, (Pacific also outside the shed) after PRR had stopped using steam.

Also note that by 1990, the original and rebuilt Metroliner mus were no longer in Metroliner service.  Metroliners at the time were AEM-7s and upgraded Amfleet coaches.

 

I don't know where you were but back then I used to goto Frankfort Junction were power did change out from the AEM-7's to Amtrak F40PH's and other power, one time a Virginia Railway Express EMD RP39-2C . if you look at Frankfort Junction on Google Maps you cen see where they did the change just west of the jct on the north side. 

[daveklepper]

The power changes you saw were for the trains between Atlantic City and Washington and between Atlantic City and New York City.  The trains between Philadelphia 30th Street and Atlantic City did not change power.

 

[Overmod]

P-RSL2005

I don't know where you were but back then I used to goto Frankfort Junction were power did change out from the AEM-7's to Amtrak F40PH's and other power, one time a Virginia Railway Express EMD RP39-2C .

This would have been for the trains from the east.  Anything transiting the Penn Station complex, whether from Springfield or other 'diesel' origins, would have had electric power, probably put on at New Haven, that would run through to the change point near Philadelphia.

As I noted, I don't think any of the Washington trains used electrics.  It would be logical for a New York consist that would subsequently go to Washington to receive that VRE locomotive as only one engine change would be required to make the 'round trip' to Atlantic City and then the trip south.

I never saw any of the Philadelphia-to-Atlantic City trains use anything but diesels the whole way, with the diesel projecting beyond the building line facing out at 30th St.  

[daveklepper]

Overmod, I think you are correct for normal operation, but there may have been times for one reason or another that power was changed for Washington trains.  But certainly not for 30th Street only.  These were all push-pull with diesel power all the way.  Thanks for the confirmation of my memory on this.

[oltmannd]

Overmod

Anything transiting the Penn Station complex, whether from Springfield or other 'diesel' origins, would have had electric power, probably put on at New Haven, that would run through to the change point near Philadelphia.

+1

Overmod

As I noted, I don't think any of the Washington trains used electrics.

+1 

Overmod

I never saw any of the Philadelphia-to-Atlantic City trains use anything but diesels the whole way, with the diesel projecting beyond the building line facing out at 30th St.

+1

[daveklepper]

Thanks!

[alphas]

 

"Somewhat off-topic, but some time before Amtrak, I saw a Reading Pacific on the head end of a PRSL Atlantic City train at 30th Street, (Pacific also outside the shed) after PRR had stopped using steam."

 

I also saw a Reading steam engine in 1958 at the North Philadelphia station heading a 2 coach PRSL train towards 30th St.    I was on the opposite platform and I got to watch it for about 5 minutes before it left.   What amazed me the most was the fireman took his coal scoop and threw at least a half dozen scoops of coal into the firebox while I watched.    It steamed into the distance as my NYC bound train appeared.  

It was the next to last USA steam passenger train I ever saw.   The last was a Pennsy K4 on the north New Jersey seashore line heading south at speed later that year.