Amtrak HHP-8 Discussion: Use, Reliability, Disposition

Bombardier must be doing the HHP work at Martins Airport. They have been doing some work over there to increase track capacity. Id imagine this is to store and possibly test the HHPs if they need a backshop.

ApproachMedium wrote:Bombardier must be doing the HHP work at Martins Airport. They have been doing some work over there to increase track capacity. Id imagine this is to store and possibly test the HHPs if they need a backshop.

Well, there are 15 ex-HHP8 locomotives they will probably wish to lease in the future once they get possession of them.
GO and Caltrains are looking a electrifying miles of tracks where these might find a home. Caltrains is buying EMUs, but who knows what GO might buy? If Bombardier can refurbish and modernize the 6 MARC HHP8 locomotives satisfactory, it’ll make the remaining 15 Amtrak locomotives more attractive.
MARC could eventually lease 4 or so more HHP8s to replace the 4 AEM7s they retired recently.
A few more could be used for spare parts sources. But I don't see MARC needing all 15 of them.

CalTran is looking for something that will MU with a diesel loco with zero issues, something the amtrak HHP-8s do not do. Something an AEM7 AC does perfectly.

Also something an ACS-64 can do - and CalTrans can take delivery at the factory if they want.

It’s MARC or bust for the Hippos... probably bust.

Unless MARC decides that they want to really expand service, and takes on the Amtrak units after the lease is up. With BBD being "on the property" doing the MARC service an easy interchange of Martin airport facility or DC union could happen, keep the transport costs super low and make the incentive for MARC to pick them up even better. Now, how well the rebuilds work with cab cars and diesels IDK, but I guess we will find out. I have yet to get an internal review from one of the guys down there other than that "the cab looks exactly the same inside".

So we shall see.

It does seem like MARC could assume the lease of some Amtrak units if they wanted, but apparently they don’t want. I don’t blame them for not wanting to bring in more unicorns.

A chance for BBD to restore its reputation in the USA, I guess. Will be interesting to watch this one.

David Benton wrote:A chance for BBD to restore its reputation in the USA, I guess. Will be interesting to watch this one.

BBD's bad reputation was earned the easy way, treating it's main American customer with disdain. Winning legal disputes in a court of law doesn't make lasting partnerships with your legal opponents. It usually makes life-time enemies of them.

electricron wrote:

David Benton wrote:A chance for BBD to restore its reputation in the USA, I guess. Will be interesting to watch this one.

BBD's bad reputation was earned the easy way, treating it's main American customer with disdain. Winning legal disputes in a court of law doesn't make lasting partnerships with your legal opponents. It usually makes life-time enemies of them.

Hopefully someone told BBD what happened with Budd and Maryland...

mtuandrew wrote:Also something an ACS-64 can do.

On a good day... I’ve had several problems running them together on 67/66.

STrRedWolf wrote:

Tadman wrote:That might be public info, try the google machine.

*googles*

Negative.

*bings*

Negative. There's a ton of results towards the mothballing and "a few years after the Sprinters come" mentions. But no actual purchase order or lease order.

That said, I think I can hash it out a bit. From just googling around, it looks like a standard lease term for locomotives is roughly 20 years. The HHP-8's entered service in 2000, so I'll assume the lease started there. That would mean those hippos would be around Bear for another three years or so, which jives with the "few years" mention since the Sprinters (ACS-64) started in 2014.

I'd suggest looking for recordations on the STB site; most leases are there. All the late 1990s documents refer to High Horsepower Locomotives (HHL); the HHP-8 designation comes around later.

8th Notch wrote:

mtuandrew wrote:Also something an ACS-64 can do.

On a good day... I’ve had several problems running them together on 67/66.

The latest updates should have no problems. I have run a double header with the new software and its much better. I have used them with the work diesels multiple times and not had issues there either, though the work diesels are very simple.

electricron,

You mentioned "MARC retiring 4 AEM7s recently." MARC was such a minority player with the AEM7s and they operated so sporadically I missed any news of them being retired. Is this official?

The Wiki page on AEM7s is a little wrong as the HHPs are still running:

While Amtrak was replacing its AEM-7s, MARC decided in 2015 to phase out its electric operations on the Penn Line altogether and retire both its AEM-7 and Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives in favor of the Siemens Charger diesel locomotive.[41] The last of the MARC AEM-7s were retired by April 2017, with the Chargers expected to enter service by January 2018.[42] SEPTA will continue to use electric traction, replacing its seven AEM-7s and lone ABB ALP-44, an improved AEM-7, with the ACS-64 in 2018.[43][44] One unit has been preserved: ex-Amtrak No. 915, which was moved to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in June 2015.[45]

train2 wrote:electricron,

You mentioned "MARC retiring 4 AEM7s recently." MARC was such a minority player with the AEM7s and they operated so sporadically I missed any news of them being retired. Is this official?

The Wiki page on AEM7s is a little wrong as the HHPs are still running:

While Amtrak was replacing its AEM-7s, MARC decided in 2015 to phase out its electric operations on the Penn Line altogether and retire both its AEM-7 and Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives in favor of the Siemens Charger diesel locomotive.[41] The last of the MARC AEM-7s were retired by April 2017, with the Chargers expected to enter service by January 2018.[42] SEPTA will continue to use electric traction, replacing its seven AEM-7s and lone ABB ALP-44, an improved AEM-7, with the ACS-64 in 2018.[43][44] One unit has been preserved: ex-Amtrak No. 915, which was moved to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in June 2015.[45]

It's not official. They're technically on "probation" while BBD works on them and gets them out of "shop queen" status. MARC wants 'em working better than their diesels or they get the ax for more Chargers.

The MARC AEM-7s have been out of service for quite a while now. Amtrak AEM-7 ACs were taking their place for a bit.