Amtrak Autumn Express Thread

Beautiful--afternoon sun and everything.

Maybe a dumb question, but when the ACS-64 is powering te train and HEP needs and the diesels of the 2 p42 are shutoff, does the ACS 64 also power the electronics and charge the batteries of the diesels?

Did the train (Autumn Express 10/15) turn to Overhead under NYC on the return to Penn. Is there overhead Catenary on the Amtrak NYC West Shore portion - portal? Train stopped for a number of minutes to switch from diesel to electric?

There is overhead wire on both tracks of the empire connector, and it extends much farther than the 3rd rail. I noticed it at around 42st (might have even started at 43rd). I think we stopped at 41st for the switchover.

Just noticed that there is a Metroliner cab car (not the 9800 which was on the other end of the train) on the end of the train behind the Phase 1 Unit. Anyone know why they did that instead of just another Amfleet car, which i assume has more seating anyway?

[Anyone know why they did that instead of just another Amfleet car, which i assume has more seating anyway?]

My understanding is they grabbed a Keystone consist or two that was available.

I described where the train came from earlier in the thread. Yes, that's the reason.

SRich wrote:Maybe a dumb question, but when the ACS-64 is powering te train and HEP needs and the diesels of the 2 p42 are shutoff, does the ACS 64 also power the electronics and charge the batteries of the diesels?

72VDC is trainlined throughout the consist, so yes.....but the P42's battery chargers run from the 480V trainline (as they would if they were hooked up to ground power, they don't know the difference), which would be live (from the ACS64) passing through them. In addition the ACS's air compressor would be charging the main air reservoirs for the diesels as well.

runningwithscalpels wrote:Sadly there really isn't much rare mileage one can do out of New York though really. Womp womp.

The half-fare NYP to PHL is a really good idea though.

I've got to call you out on this LOL, even though it's the original thread from 2013! 2017 WEST SHORE!

The only other thread I found on "rare mileage": "THE ERIE LIMITED" AMTRAK Excursion Hoboken-Bingo

It took place during the fall, so I'm assuming it's the precursor to the "Autumn Express", but it doesn't seem to have been billed that way. It also appears to have been privately organized. So I'm going to leave the thread separate.

I combined the other threads; it's interesting to see the "flow". In particular, some members one year were talking about a Hoosac excursion, and lo and behold, that was the next year's excursion! It's an interesting read if you have some time.

Don't know how much weight this has, but on this year's Autumn Express train I overhead a fellow passenger talking to someone from Amtrak about a routing and heard: Boston to Fitchburg to Greenfield to Springfield, then the B&A back to Boston, most likely including the Grand Junction at one point or the other. Now whether or not this is what they're working on for next year or not will remain to be seen. It would be a good circle trip and encompassing some rare mileage, including the Grand Junction and the old B&M mainline west of Fitchburg/Wachusett.

That was such a fun trip that I would love to do again

So... this train hasn't run since 2017?

It's run 4 times now, I just shot it on the WACR two weeks ago.