Bojaxs
Senior Member
Or more passenger rail systems will simply go the Metra route and purchase used, freight locos.
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- Thread starter drum118
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SaugeenJunction
Senior Member
Metra has rightly been ridiculed for buying a six-axle freight locomotive for passenger service. Good luck accelerating!
smallspy
Senior Member
The MP54s were specifically designed with the possibility of operating shorter consists with only one of their two prime movers online. This saves a humongous amount of fuel for service versus using both prime movers or the MP40's single 16V-710.
They did have a rather protracted development term, and did have a bunch of peculiar failures early on that had to be remedied by Wabtec, but are now operating quite reliably. Their biggest issue is that they are quite loud inside with both of the engines on, and that has resulted in several crew complaints.
Dan
Bojaxs
Senior Member
Well that's good to hear that the rumours of MP54's failing might have been exaggerated. I guess my next question is, Why is GO transit the only commuter rail system in North America operating MP54s? Why is every other system taking a liking to the Siemens Chargers?
Also how does Tri-Rail's Brookville BL36PHs compare to other diesel-electric locomotives?
RU479
Active Member
Apparently the BL36s have had several issues with Tri Rail, mostly due to HEP issues.
drum118
Superstar
Why is GO is the only system in NA running 12 car trains with power that is supposed to be able to handle 14 cars???
When was Siemens Changers introduced to the NA market and who for??
Who else has bought Tri-Rail's BL36PH and how many cars can they push/pull??
WB62
Senior Member
I remember being on a 6 car train being pulled by a MP54 with both prime movers on, ended up reaching Malton just under 5 minutes early as the crew was pushing it to the max
dowlingm
Senior Member
Brightline were their first customers, but Siemens already had a presence in the locomotive market via their Amtrak electrics. Seems like good timing on their part to land a premium product in a visible market just as Amtrak were both expanding via state-supported service but also having to make tough decisions on their P42s.
smallspy
Senior Member
It's pretty obvious why if you look at the timelines of when the different loco types were ordered.
They too had some teething issues, but seem to be running pretty reliably. Their biggest issue had more to do with questions about the tendering process rather than their performance.
Dan
Metroscapes
Active Member
I think the tone was unnecessary, but the first point was going to be what I pointed out. GO runs long trains and has successful ridership.
Bojaxs
Senior Member
The acceleration of the MP54's is impressive. Found this railfan video of two MP54's hooked up hauling 12 coaches. Look how fast it takes off from the station. Dare I say, almost on par with an electric locomotive.
cplchanb
Senior Member
Honestly speaking why instead of getting electric locos they develop power cars for the bi levels and bookend the consists with cab cars. Not to mention they can kill 2 birds by making some diesel power pack cars for the non electric lines. Quick way to getting multiple units without the hassle of selling off their beloved bilevels
WB62
Senior Member
I actually took a video from my experience with the train I was talking about, annoyingly UrbanToronto doesn’t have a video imbed feature: so I posted it to Twitter: https://x.com/wbmetro62/status/1741492648379085270?s=46&t=ZrrkEu2Kej0AAfP6ppJCqg
smallspy
Senior Member
Tractive effort. Because of its weight, a loco can put out way more force on the rail than any power car (or pair of power cars) could. This would negatively affect the acceleration of the train as it gets away from a stop, or up a grade.
That said, I don't think it's an entirely crazy idea - look at NJT who is supposed to be getting 54 of them, although the progress on the development of their cars has been somewhat glacial. There also becomes an issue of cost - we're now getting into bespoke equipment with packaging issues, and thus prolonged development times and high costs. And the fact that they'd need several of them per train.
Dan
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Two MP54s put out 10800 hp, which is more than the 8500 hp an electric locomotive puts out. They also have twice as many powered axles, with both scenarios having about the same weight per axle.
So yeah two MP54s should be able to outperform an electric locomotive. But it's hardly an economical way of accomplishing that. And even then I doubt they would outperform an EMU off the line, since an EMU can have far more powered axles (more than enough to outweigh the lower tractive effort per axle).
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