For two weeks, at least, Nos 21 and 22 have passed by my favorite train watching spot - Temple, TX - with two P42 locomotives. They are pulling four cars.
The Eagle appears to have suffered several locomotive failures in the late spring and early summer. The failures are usually attributed to mechanical issues in the Service Alerts & Notices. Presumably, Amtrak has added another locomotive to the train because the probability of both breaking down is low.
Both locomotives usually have been facing forward, but on several occasions the second locomotive has been facing rearward. I have no idea what impact facing the second locomotive rearward has on train operation.
Would the standard operating procedure use the first locomotive to power the train and pull the second locomotive along just in case?
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
My guess is that both engines will be operating, but in a lower notch for comparable track speed.
It's an old and not fully equivalent comparison, but Perlman on WP determined that three contemporary EMD units, even net of the additional mass, got better fuel economy than two of the same model operated in higher notch...
A person on my FB page has been posting videos of the Capitol Limited over recent weeks. Train has been running with two units and four cars - baggage car and 3 passenger cars, I expect a coach, a sleeper and a lounge. One of the units has been one of the 'old timers' and one of the new dark blue Sprinter style diesels. In the past the Capitol has traditionally run with seven or eight cars.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
When SOU RR was operating the Crescent it most often put 4 E-9s on it north of ATL. Total 9600 HP for a max 14 - 16 car train. Now present Amtrak Crescent has two P-42s one which provides HEP. That is somewhere around 5000HP+ tractive effort for 8 cars. It has making schedule for the many hogbacks in certain areas.
EDIT: SOU RR E-9s believe had a lower max speed gearing than the P-42s have.. That actually has the effect that P-42s provide less tractive effort for any given HP.
blue streak 1 When SOU RR was operating the Crescent it most often put 4 E-9s on it north of ATL. Total 9600 HP for a max 14 - 16 car train. Now present Amtrak Crescent has two P-42s one which provides HEP. That is somewhere around 5000HP+ tractive effort for 8 cars. It has making schedule for the many hogbacks in certain areas. EDIT: SOU RR E-9s believe had a lower max speed gearing than the P-42s have.. That actually has the effect that P-42s provide less tractive effort for any given HP.
Actually they were E-8,s
I seem to remember a story in Trains in the early '70s, about the Southern's Crescent operation in the early Amtrak years, that mentioned high hp/ton in a couple of places. (I also remember it involving an 18-year-old passenger engineer, which seemed more than a little unlikely... but someone who still has access to the Complete Collectioh or trains.com might want to check the actual text.
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