rbrome Posted September 16, 2016 Share #1 Posted September 16, 2016 Amtrak has announced the next generation of Acela trains, to be built be Alstom: http://blog.amtrak.com/2016/08/amtraks-next-generation-high-speed-trains/ Interestingly, they're finally going to use truly articulated trains, with one truck between each car, instead of two per car. (See video link below) I assume they're taking advantage of new FRA rules to allow this? https://youtu.be/WH-3FsmU6KQ?t=2m18s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted September 16, 2016 Share #2 Posted September 16, 2016 Alstom is a French company. Where will Alstom be manufacturing the cars? It should be here in the U.S., using MADE IN USA parts and American workers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Around the Horn Posted September 16, 2016 Share #3 Posted September 16, 2016 Alstom is a French company. Where will Alstom be manufacturing the cars? It should be here in the U.S., using MADE IN USA parts and American workers. Don't worry. 95% is made in America with the other 5% at the factory in Europe that built the TGV and the Pendelino. Alstom is making them in Hornell I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted September 16, 2016 Share #4 Posted September 16, 2016 Don't worry. 95% is made in America with the other 5% at the factory in Europe that built the TGV and the Pendelino. Alstom is making them in Hornell I think. Well at least the parts from Europe will be made of quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRunRob Posted September 17, 2016 Share #5 Posted September 17, 2016 Don't worry. 95% is made in America with the other 5% at the factory in Europe that built the TGV and the Pendelino. Alstom is making them in Hornell I think. While where on Amtrak what do you think of the new Chargers locomotives nice piece of hardware huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Around the Horn Posted September 17, 2016 Share #6 Posted September 17, 2016 While where on Amtrak what do you think of the new Chargers locomotives nice piece of hardware huh? They look nice. While we are discussing the Avelia Liberty, I hope this order is successful enough that Alstom comes out with a Diesel power car, so we can spread high speed rail across the country. Someone one railroad.net was speculating that Alstom may be working on that because while the passenger cars are articulated, the power cars are connected only by couplers. Create a diesel power car and voila! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRunRob Posted September 17, 2016 Share #7 Posted September 17, 2016 They look nice. While we are discussing the Avelia Liberty, I hope this order is successful enough that Alstom comes out with a Diesel power car, so we can spread high speed rail across the country. Someone one railroad.net was speculating that Alstom may be working on that because while the passenger cars are articulated, the power cars are connected only by couplers. Create a diesel power car and voila! What's interesting about the Charger and it's platform is even tho there diesels they use AC traction motors kinda like the R156's for the MTA. Amtrak had them MUed for testing they seemed to keep pace with ACS 64's just fine almost if not pound for pound. Could be great for applications like DMU's maybe. Very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46Dover Posted September 18, 2016 Share #8 Posted September 18, 2016 I'm just not into trains resembling jets. I can consider myself an old timer now, for all my E60s and AEM7s are history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRunRob Posted September 18, 2016 Share #9 Posted September 18, 2016 I'm just not into trains resembling jets. I can consider myself an old timer now, for all my E60s and AEM7s are history. Trust I'm sure some of the designers don't want to go the Jet route either not by choice when you want to go fast and be efficient. Tho a great train I can only imagine how inefficient the E60's were. Even the GG1 might have had them beat there . Everything going to look super aerodynamic moving forward. The future is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46Dover Posted September 18, 2016 Share #10 Posted September 18, 2016 Trust I'm sure some of the designers don't want to go the Jet route either not by choice when you want to go fast and be efficient. Tho a great train I can only imagine how inefficient the E60's were. Even the GG1 might have had them beat there . Everything going to look super aerodynamic moving forward. The future is here. Another thing. What gets me is for all the hoopla surrounding these new trains, the infrastructure leaves much to be desired. Take the Metroliners for instance. For the greater part of their lives, they were around for the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP) which then a great deal of the NEC was in the process of rebuilding. And I suspect the tracks were in horrific shape at that time. Fast forward to now. Look at the infrastructure That these trains are going to run on. Metro-North speed restrictions, for one. The Gateway Tunnel is going to take a while to complete. Don't get me started with Baltimore. Don Phillips said in an article for TRAINS magazine that the Baltimore tunnels are so bad that it would be 20 years the tunnels would be no longer useable. That was like close to 10 years ago. Maybe I'm wrong and things will change for the better, for Amtrak's sake hopefully it does. But for now, this new train is the nail in the coffin for me as far as HSR goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRunRob Posted September 18, 2016 Share #11 Posted September 18, 2016 Another thing. What gets me is for all the hoopla surrounding these new trains, the infrastructure leaves much to be desired. Take the Metroliners for instance. For the greater part of their lives, they were around for the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP) which then a great deal of the NEC was in the process of rebuilding. And I suspect the tracks were in horrific shape at that time. Fast forward to now. Look at the infrastructure That these trains are going to run on. Metro-North speed restrictions, for one. The Gateway Tunnel is going to take a while to complete. Don't get me started with Baltimore. Don Phillips said in an article for TRAINS magazine that the Baltimore tunnels are so bad that it would be 20 years the tunnels would be no longer useable. That was like close to 10 years ago. Maybe I'm wrong and things will change for the better, for Amtrak's sake hopefully it does. But for now, this new train is the nail in the coffin for me as far as HSR goes You make some excellent points. You can build a Ferrari but if the road isn't up to par what is a Ferrari?. The infrastructure over everything from that angle your 100% correct. The trains, in this case, are to cover the lack of progress that should be happening. To be honestly from someone with a background in engineering and at one point jaded and hoping to help build. I've almost fully lost faith in the American infrastructure and our abilities. God help us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Around the Horn Posted September 18, 2016 Share #12 Posted September 18, 2016 I will say, the fact that the federal government of all people, forced the states to the bargaining table on Gateway and gave Amtrak $2.5 billion no questions asked, gives me hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRunRob Posted September 18, 2016 Share #13 Posted September 18, 2016 I will say, the fact that the federal government of all people, forced the states to the bargaining table on Gateway and gave Amtrak $2.5 billion no questions asked, gives me hope. They didn't really have a choice just as Dover stated with Baltimore and the tunnel infrastructure there. The Penn Tubes had a good 20 years left if for any reason this regional link was broken ripple effect would be catastrophic financially and economically which is still financially. The questioning went out the window when both sides realized their pockets would be hit. No reason for Men to go to war if the world itself were coming to an end so to speak. This isn't logic it's a telltale sign of fear which is sometimes more powerful. Only cool until the Tunnels built . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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