Amtrak's Experiements and Trials

ExNYC63 wrote:The Turboliners were notorious fuel hogs. That's why their gone. This per Mr. David Gunn.

ExNYC63 and Everyone: I remember being told that an average Turboliner fuel use was two gallons to the mile which is a lot of fuel that needed
to be carried on runs like New York-Niagara Falls and New York-Montreal in their somewhat limited Turbopower fuel tanks...

MACTRAXX

Ridgefielder wrote:What qualifies as an "experiment"? Do you mean one-offs that ran in regular service briefly but weren't duplicated, or actual demonstrators?

Thinking in particular of the SPV-2000s in New Haven-Hartford-Springfield service.

I'm thinking of equipment, services, etc that were tried but ended up going nowhere.

Turboliners and what not don't apply since they were bought outright.

To expand on Mr. rohr turbo's earlier message, (oops there's that "T" word again!!) I wanted to add that the Swedish X-2000 trainset made a promo tour sometime around 1993-ish. I remember seeing and walking through the consist while it was on display at CUS. Still have my commemorative X-2000 t-shirt!

Amtk30

Does anyone know what train Amtrak took up to Maine in 1990 for an exhibit? I once saw a photo of it sitting on the abandoned Union Branch in Portland, but can't find it anywhere.

Amtk30 wrote:To expand on Mr. rohr turbo's earlier message, (oops there's that "T" word again!!) I wanted to add that the Swedish X-2000 trainset made a promo tour sometime around 1993-ish. I remember seeing and walking through the consist while it was on display at CUS. Still have my commemorative X-2000 t-shirt!
Amtk30

THe X-2000 made a limited number of "Metroliner" runs on the NEC. I rode the X-2000 PHL-WAS in what I remember as late 1992 or early 1993 (there'd been snow in Indiana and Chicago on my WAS-CHI-PHL-WAS circular trip). The German ICE also had a turn either just before or just after the X-2000.

Arlington wrote:

Amtk30 wrote:To expand on Mr. rohr turbo's earlier message, (oops there's that "T" word again!!) I wanted to add that the Swedish X-2000 trainset made a promo tour sometime around 1993-ish. I remember seeing and walking through the consist while it was on display at CUS. Still have my commemorative X-2000 t-shirt!
Amtk30

THe X-2000 made a limited number of "Metroliner" runs on the NEC. I rode the X-2000 PHL-WAS in what I remember as late 1992 or early 1993 (there'd been snow in Indiana and Chicago on my WAS-CHI-PHL-WAS circular trip). The German ICE also had a turn either just before or just after the X-2000.

Yes, I seem to remember both the ICE and X-2000 were tested around that 1992-93 time frame. However, I was not aware that the X-2000 made some limited revenue runs. Must of been a unique ride!

Amtk30

Amtk30 wrote: I was not aware that the X-2000 made some limited revenue runs. Must of been a unique ride!

I knew from Usenet (rec.railroad? alt.railroad?) that the X-2000 was running NYP-WAS that week, and routed myself Broadway Ltd - Metroliner for a chance that I'd catch it, but I'm pretty sure I just lucked into it as my connecting train. I was most impressed by the airline-style pressurized toilets and the very smooth ride (which I attributed to tilt, but it could have been I was overcome with new train smell). I couldn't stop smiling. And bought 2 commemorative t-shirts in the Cafe.

rohr turbo wrote:

Tadman wrote:Mod Note: ... There is a ban on discussing their return to service. This is because some folks just do not let go of the fact that we will never see the turbo fleet returned to service despite some remaining somewhere.

...but feel free to discuss returning a GG-1 to service! .

This is actually a very good question. The difference between GG1 return to service and turbo return to service is this: The GG1 has one thread. It's a bit out-in-space but it's confined to one thread and stays on-topic. The Turbo somehow found it's way into every and any thread. It could be a thread about the history of San Diego station baggage carts and before you know it, we're talking Turbos back to service. A thread about David Gunn's shoe size? Somehow we get to talking about Turboliner back to service. It was amazing how topics got perverted into turboliner discussions. So prior site ownership and mods - this was perhaps 2008 - put a total stop to discussion of turbos returning to service. HIstoric discussion is ok because history can't really change.

Tadman wrote:

rohr turbo wrote:

Tadman wrote:Mod Note: ... There is a ban on discussing their return to service. This is because some folks just do not let go of the fact that we will never see the turbo fleet returned to service despite some remaining somewhere.

...but feel free to discuss returning a GG-1 to service! .

This is actually a very good question. The difference between GG1 return to service and turbo return to service is this: The GG1 has one thread. It's a bit out-in-space but it's confined to one thread and stays on-topic. The Turbo somehow found it's way into every and any thread. It could be a thread about the history of San Diego station baggage carts and before you know it, we're talking Turbos back to service. A thread about David Gunn's shoe size? Somehow we get to talking about Turboliner back to service. It was amazing how topics got perverted into turboliner discussions. So prior site ownership and mods - this was perhaps 2008 - put a total stop to discussion of turbos returning to service. HIstoric discussion is ok because history can't really change.

There's also the difference that the suggestion for the GG-1 was along the lines of a steam engine restoration. Purely for railfanning and marketing. No one I don't think was suggesting returning one to revenue service.

Greg Moore wrote:There's also the difference that the suggestion for the GG-1 was along the lines of a steam engine restoration. Purely for railfanning and marketing. No one I don't think was suggesting returning one to revenue service.

Well, we ARE looking for the new Acela replacement...

Back on track. This equipment eventually found a home elsewhere on Amtrak, but I think we could count the Las Vegas Talgo.

BTW, since we're talking historically, I would call NYS's attempt to refurbish the Turbos and bring them back as an experiment and trial; that failed.

The french tubros retained their european style "screw link and buffers" between the cars and power cars,
power cars had couplers for switching/towing. Believe that was the reason they were not allowed in GCT
after that test run.

Amtrak did run a borrowed European Talgo train to Boston, and for propulsion, used 2 of the power cars from the French edition of equipment that we aren't supposed to mention, since they had the proper European couplings.

IIRC, that borrowed Talgo later went into service in the Northwest before the sets were built for Cascades services.

NorthWest wrote:IIRC, that borrowed Talgo later went into service in the Northwest before the sets were built for Cascades services.

And it also was after the NEC trial, supposed to be for a Las Vegas route...