Amtrak's probably too used to servicing Genesis units and might be trying to operate and service the Chargers like they would a P42. The big reasons locos like the SD90MACs and AC6000CWs didn't do well was more related to indifferent maintenance and operations treating them like SD70s and AC4400CWs. Shops didn't want to learn how to take care of them because they were already used to earlier GEs and EMDs, so they weren't properly maintained or operated and when stuff inevitably broke the railroad shops claimed the design was faulty.
A Quote from Brightline’s Chief Mechanical Officer Tom Rutkowski...First, the trainsets come ‘home’ every night. One is always out of service for maintenance, 7 spend the night at Basecamp in Orlando, and two layover at our West Palm Beach facility. Second, we minimize idling; we run them hard, then shut them down when they are not operating and put trainsets on ground power.” During a Miami layover, for instance, the engines will automatically shut down after 20 minutes unless air pressure or battery voltage drops too low. Periodic maintenance is spread out up to a year in advance, “to make sure we have the necessary maintenance windows,” Rutkowski says, adding “There is no Plan B; we’re just on it every day and have to have the same level of diligence.” Siemens has the maintenance contract but the two companies’ employees work side-by-side. “Our uniforms are identical, the only difference is the name on the back,” he says.
Don't forget climate is a factor too. Since there isn't much of a difference between South and Central Florida climate wise, the engines are pretty much fine, as well as said climates being ideal for not causing breakdowns.
My thought is that because Siemens is relatively new to this specific market, they are having to screw around and find out what works and what doesn't.
I was the first mechanic hired to work on the Chargers in SoFlo. Before that I was a MoE mechanic for IPH. The Charger is NOT our father’s EMDs or GEs. They are not idiot proof. If you add the usual thick engine oil like for a 645 or 7FDL16 into the crankcase of a QSK95 it WILL fail in spectacular fashion. If you add water to the engine cooling system it will degrade and eventually fail. Post-incident chemical analysis of the oil and coolant will show what happened and void the warranty. There has been, and continues to be, a significant learning curve integrating Chargers into the railroad.
That's an issue I think that gets overlooked a lot...wide scale changes that rub the "old ways" the wrong way. I work for New York City Transit and our Staten Island Railway has just gotten it's first new trains in 50 years, the R211S class to replace the mid 1970s vintage R44SI class, and I can just tell at some point, one of these "well.. it worked on the old ones" excuses will come up when an issue arises.
@@metropod True story (on a Charger but NOT in SoFlo): We had a Charger crap out on us due to a failed level sensor. I plugged in and bypassed the sensor…and stayed in the fireman’s seat until the runs were done for the day. An electrician later asked me how to do that and I explained. He was looking for wires to jump out. Doesn’t work that way on the newest stuff.
Thanks for still posting this video despite the setback. I think I remember hearing that the internal components for the Brightline equipment was constructed with better contractors due to Brightline having a larger budget than Amtrak (this moreso applies to the Ventures than the Chargers), as while the Brightline Ventures run perfectly fine, the Caltrans Ventures were testing for 3-4 years before even entering service, and the Midwest Ventures initially saw problems such as lead in the sink water, doors and stairs not working, and the table magnets causing laptops to crash. Also, the Brightline Chargers are not as exposed to cold weather as much as their Amtrak counterparts. Overall, I'd like to see this video as yet another W for Brightline as they are truly the greatest railroading in the history of railroading and they're the answer to literally everything for every reason imaginable, including beating CAHSR at opening high speed rail.
I found this quite an informative (and crazy) video! Now, I know that some of the Chargers work fine (the Brightline versions, and some post-2020 commuter rail ones), some malfunction (ALC-42s, Surfliner Chargers), and some are in between (the Coaster Chargers). All this is strange, since all of these locomotives have the same model of engine. I suppose, as you said, the differing levels of maintenance help. Thanks for making this!
I rode the Surfliner this week and I was surprised to see another Surfliner being pulled by a P42! I thought the "Chipped Cinderblocks" were gone for ever, they must have found a running one in Los Angeles!
Lots of P42s on the surfliner recently. 148, 158, 50, and 39 are the ones I can think of that have ran on it recently. They still have almost the entire P42 fleet for long distance service. All 3 dash 8s, 503, 509, and 510 have all pulled trains solo as well. It’s been a rough few weeks for the Surfliner
Well, the locomotives and wagons are platforms where every customer orders what they want, and at Siemens this also applies to the software. For things with the engines you don't have to go to Siemens, you have to go to Cummins. With the Diesel Vectron, which are essentially the chargers, we have no problem here with the MTU engine. I spoke to an engineer from Siemens Rail USA at Innotrans and he said that they had problems with the quality of the Cummins engines and that they would prefer to install the MTU engine, but due to the Buy Amarican act that is not possible because MTU is not Produced in the USA as I understand it. That makes sense, the Birghtline locomotives run better with only 4000 hp, there is less load on the engines. And if Siemens maintains the rolling stock, you have the advantage if something strange happens, you can call an engineer straight away and ask what the problem is with the vehicle.
@@Huey-UH-1 makes sense, Siemens know how to build trains. Although Cummins isnt exactly known for being unreliable. Possibly it has to be run differently than an mtu in a non obvious way.
@@the_retag Cummins definitely builds good engines, that's no question. But sometimes not every engine that was developed for one thing is also good for a larger area in the same area of application. It makes a difference whether you install the engine in a freight locomotive or a passenger locomotive. Passenger service is a much higher thermal load for the engine, always from 0 to 100% engine load and if the engine is not properly balanced for this, this leads to things like oil fires and less horsepower is good for the engine. I think that's why the ALC42 and the Brihgtline Charger are more reliable. But that is understandable when the majority of Amrekain locomotives are built for freight transport and because the engines are less stressed than in passenger transport.
Surfliner is really under Caltrans, hence the "Amtrak California" brand. So if the ALC-42s are running well on the long-distance network, and all the regional rail SC-44s are o.k., perhaps it's Caltrans that is underfunding engine maintenance?
Rode with those on many lengthy delayed trips on the Blue Water & Wolverine in the wintertime. So many 4+ hour delays on the evening trip eastbound sitting without power…
One thing to keep in mind with the Brightline units is that they don't travel far from their maintenance base. Probably easier to keep track of issues before they become critical at Brightline and the commuter roads when the locos are stabled at the same shop every night vs Amtrak motive power that might only see a shop every few days in completely different states.
thats pretty funny. I really like to learn some thinks about the Siemens problems in the USA. here in Germany, we have the Siemens Vectron, a great locomotive. Its works really good, no problems at all. In that case, I think its a problem with the maintenance. I hope you guys solve the problem ^^
Tbh I think it’s just teething issues. Like these things been in service for 3 years some 4 years. And with alot of brand new tech or designs. Problems will come up down the road that later models will fix. Cars, ships, and planes go through teething issues as well so it’s not special to the charger.
The Charger isn't really new tech though, as its based on the diesel version of the Vectron. The platform has been in service across Europe for over a decade and as far as I'm aware, hasn't experienced any major issues with reliability. My guess is on a combination of parts/manufacturing issues and improper maintenance.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 yes but it’s a diesel version of an electric train that was its base. So it’s not completely brand new just something is different from the original design. So something was bound to come up at some point.
@@xaviersaavedra7442 Thing is the Vectron also exists as a dual mode locomotive and a diesel locomotive, so the basis is still a diesel engine. It's just that european railroads have a lot of electrification while the US lacks in that regard in some regions.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 While Vectron is a proven platform, Siemens literally ran out of possible registration numbers for the electric Vectrons as there's so many of them all over Europe, while there are at most double digits of diesel only Vectrons out there. The platform is proven, but the diesel version not so much.
Nope. The oldest SC44’s are going on 7 years old and they’re still going down at unreasonable rates. Brand new business and cafe class venture cars are going into service and still have leaking roofs, bad door seals, stair issues, etc. The F125’s had bad teething issues that were sorted out after about 3 years. What is still happening with Siemens is unacceptable. Idk why Amtrak hasn’t sued them yet. I don’t know why they bought the equipment in the first place. Anybody with a brain should have started questioning it when they tried to operate the car and discovered they needed three separate keys between the step traps, the doors, and the PA box/electrical cabinet.
I'll say out here in NJ our alp-45s won't work if they think the engine has a problem, even if it doesn't. I think this is more of a new safety thing than something charger specific.
engine issues seem to be a bit of a recurring thing for the chargers cause cascades wdtx 1405 had an engine explosion too. that took her out of service for bout 11 months i think
Alot of the issues with these can be tied to the problems the trucking industry has been dealing with the p42s engines are pretty much tanks if u dont abuse them the chargers like every diesel made after 2017 is required to use DEF to meet Tier 4 this is basically chemically made piss (urea and water) this is sprayed into the exhaust to renew the catalyst to reduce emmisions somehow remember how its made with water and water freezes yes these under winter certain conditions the heaters could not maintain the DEF from freezing or the heaters would crap out and when it froze by law Cummins was forced to design the prime mover to shut down into limp mode ( likely idle speed) the DEF quality sensors are known to fail often or the injectors mess up causing the computer to put it into limp as for it happening on certain years and not others im sure they chose a different supplier or newer part bright line does stuff in house so if a train craps out they likely have alot of spare parts to get it back before anyone notices it missing and thinks its just in for a PM vs amtrak well its amtrak and cummins engines siemens chargers are just ripe for beating it
The thing is that every batch of trains sold to operators are diferent batches that have different things that makes them better or worse, that could explain why the reliability changes so much between models
Knowing MARC a lot ive noticed that their chargers are like 50/50. Like theres days were they are used on all lined then theres days where they are only used on the penn line. And from what I've heard, reliability is okay but not great. Also heard they wheel slip a lot and dont pull like the MP36s. Although i disagree after ridding multiple trains i feel like the Chargers accelerate quicker.
@@IronHorsefan1869 Well you're not wrong, but I prefer the simple Phase V if it were back in time. But 7 is going very well now that even those P32 - Dash 8s could receive that paint as well.
The Brightline chargers are very different under the hood than all amtrak models. Most commuter rails have the brightline version of the chargers, while amtrak has their own unique design. Same with the ventures. The brightline ventures are the exact design that siemens developed when pitching the cars to North American rail companies. The Amtrak ventures were specially customized for amtrak, and are very different mechanically than the original design/brightlines. All amtrak cars were specially designed based upon amtrak's requests. The VIA ventures and chargers are also the original design. Also, the FRA has found issues with all Amtrak California Venture Cabcars, so most if not all are sidelined, again.
Lol, no. Siemens doesn't do custom, at all. All the models are as near identical as Siemens can physically make them. It's like their corporate religion that they never do anything custom. And if the customer doesn't like that then the Siemens rep himself will hand them the Stadler brochure and semi-gently push them out of their office.
Has Cascades been having problems with their Chargers at all? I live in the PNW and know several people who use Cascades regularly and have heard zilch about mechanical issues on our locos
So the conclusion is Amtrak maintenance staff is incompetent or just lazy? I mean from that much of train operator having similar engine but only Amtrak that seems always have a problem😅
Just watched another video on Chargers. Apparently Charger is more of a platform, than a model of locomotive itself. So basically you start with a platform and then you change the specs based on your needs as a train operator, which Siemens provides. So it might have to do with that and can also explain why some Chargers work fine, but that's something that will require a more in-depth review for sure.
I’m gonna be completely honest I don’t like the chargers for one specific reason. And I know Amtrakguy365 did this in a video so I’m gonna use it from him. Now with that out of the way my problem won’t be chargers is the air intake on the bottom. And with that on the bottom it sucks up the leaves, rain, and snow and it gets into the compartment and short circuits itself and starts breaking down. Which leads Amtrak to start using the P42’s more often than usual even though they are supposed to replace them as of this year. And with that problem the engines don’t work nor run as often as Amtrak try to intend on the Midwest services, silver star/meteor, etc. That’s my only reason I dislike the chargers
This is why Amtrak having chargers is a bad idea. not only that they have so many freezing and water issues. And also to have an unreliable service start I would rather choose a p42dc over a charger.
Imagine for the railroad lines that have failing chargers, what if the new EMD (remanufactured by Rolling Stock Solutions) F40PH-4C replaces them, though that probably would not happen.
Listen up. The problem with the Charger is the motor on/off control system. When the system shuts down, and starts up up again, diesel is pumped into the cylinders. Unfortunately, for a moment the lubrication is washed away, allowing the cylinder to scuff the wall. After a while, the scoring starts to get bad, and if the engine is pushed hard (remember this part) destructive blow-by occurs (boom!). The same motor is used on trucks, and has the same problem. Why don't commuter trains have this problem? You have to be in a situation where you stop for a long enough time at stations for the stop/start system to engage. Commuter trains stop and get moving right away, whereas Amtrak trains stop and sit for a while for loading. That's it, your culprit. Fixable? Not so far for trucks.
I could have sworn I learned in my high school auto shop class that hybrid cars with gasoline engines have electric oil pumps that continue running even when the start/stop system stops the car's engine to prevent the cylinder wall scoring you describe. Is that not a feasible thing to do with diesel engines, or are companies just not smart enough to implement it in their truck/train engines despite it being doable?
Seems that they don’t built any or of quality, that’s why you even see Bombardier (Canadian Division) built almost trains of different types for almost every transit agency in North America. US couldn’t build anymore, Canadians stepped in, then Asian and European manufacturers did so too.
Amtrak's probably too used to servicing Genesis units and might be trying to operate and service the Chargers like they would a P42. The big reasons locos like the SD90MACs and AC6000CWs didn't do well was more related to indifferent maintenance and operations treating them like SD70s and AC4400CWs. Shops didn't want to learn how to take care of them because they were already used to earlier GEs and EMDs, so they weren't properly maintained or operated and when stuff inevitably broke the railroad shops claimed the design was faulty.
Another reason railroads didn’t like the larger, higher horsepower locomotives is they cost a lot more in maintenance
The chargers are still more reliable than any crrc train
A Quote from Brightline’s Chief Mechanical Officer Tom Rutkowski...First, the trainsets come ‘home’ every night. One is always out of service for maintenance, 7 spend the night at Basecamp in Orlando, and two layover at our West Palm Beach facility. Second, we minimize idling; we run them hard, then shut them down when they are not operating and put trainsets on ground power.” During a Miami layover, for instance, the engines will automatically shut down after 20 minutes unless air pressure or battery voltage drops too low. Periodic maintenance is spread out up to a year in advance, “to make sure we have the necessary maintenance windows,” Rutkowski says, adding “There is no Plan B; we’re just on it every day and have to have the same level of diligence.” Siemens has the maintenance contract but the two companies’ employees work side-by-side. “Our uniforms are identical, the only difference is the name on the back,” he says.
Don't forget climate is a factor too. Since there isn't much of a difference between South and Central Florida climate wise, the engines are pretty much fine, as well as said climates being ideal for not causing breakdowns.
My thought is that because Siemens is relatively new to this specific market, they are having to screw around and find out what works and what doesn't.
bros gonna crash out
Yeah
Lol
exactly what I was thinking... 😂
"meanwhile freaking bright line and nctd and Ace and everyone else is all just chilling over here just perfectly fine"
*demonic laughing*
3:51
I have a feeling that any Charger problems are more of an Amtrak (corridor) issue than a commuter rail/Brightline/VIA Rail issue at this point.
Huh, I never thought that only Amtrak chargers decide to die for whatever reason.
I really think it's specifically more of a Chicago issue. The ALC 42s on the FL trains seem to do fine
I was the first mechanic hired to work on the Chargers in SoFlo. Before that I was a MoE mechanic for IPH. The Charger is NOT our father’s EMDs or GEs. They are not idiot proof. If you add the usual thick engine oil like for a 645 or 7FDL16 into the crankcase of a QSK95 it WILL fail in spectacular fashion. If you add water to the engine cooling system it will degrade and eventually fail. Post-incident chemical analysis of the oil and coolant will show what happened and void the warranty. There has been, and continues to be, a significant learning curve integrating Chargers into the railroad.
That's an issue I think that gets overlooked a lot...wide scale changes that rub the "old ways" the wrong way. I work for New York City Transit and our Staten Island Railway has just gotten it's first new trains in 50 years, the R211S class to replace the mid 1970s vintage R44SI class, and I can just tell at some point, one of these "well.. it worked on the old ones" excuses will come up when an issue arises.
@@metropod True story (on a Charger but NOT in SoFlo): We had a Charger crap out on us due to a failed level sensor. I plugged in and bypassed the sensor…and stayed in the fireman’s seat until the runs were done for the day. An electrician later asked me how to do that and I explained. He was looking for wires to jump out. Doesn’t work that way on the newest stuff.
Amtrak: chargers not working correctly
Meanwhile Boeing:
Thanks for still posting this video despite the setback. I think I remember hearing that the internal components for the Brightline equipment was constructed with better contractors due to Brightline having a larger budget than Amtrak (this moreso applies to the Ventures than the Chargers), as while the Brightline Ventures run perfectly fine, the Caltrans Ventures were testing for 3-4 years before even entering service, and the Midwest Ventures initially saw problems such as lead in the sink water, doors and stairs not working, and the table magnets causing laptops to crash.
Also, the Brightline Chargers are not as exposed to cold weather as much as their Amtrak counterparts. Overall, I'd like to see this video as yet another W for Brightline as they are truly the greatest railroading in the history of railroading and they're the answer to literally everything for every reason imaginable, including beating CAHSR at opening high speed rail.
True for the cars, false for the engines..
Doesn't track. Caltrans/Amtrak California had their Chargers in operations for many years before Brightline and they worked perfectly fine.
I found this quite an informative (and crazy) video! Now, I know that some of the Chargers work fine (the Brightline versions, and some post-2020 commuter rail ones), some malfunction (ALC-42s, Surfliner Chargers), and some are in between (the Coaster Chargers). All this is strange, since all of these locomotives have the same model of engine. I suppose, as you said, the differing levels of maintenance help.
Thanks for making this!
The maintenance is correct, it's the use model.
@@tonyburzio4107No locomotive is perfect but what else is perfect? They I mean Amtrak needs to bring back their F59PHI locomotives & the Amfletrs.
Siemens: ALL HAIL BRIGHTLINE
Don't forget Marc has SC-44 chargers
@2010train1 shhhhhh he said commuter rail SC44 chargers are fine then not fine, MARC has been running fine and I refuse to accept that statement
I conecte Snow sex time is it? Perfect like weather@@KiIo-27
I rode the Surfliner this week and I was surprised to see another Surfliner being pulled by a P42! I thought the "Chipped Cinderblocks" were gone for ever, they must have found a running one in Los Angeles!
Lots of P42s on the surfliner recently. 148, 158, 50, and 39 are the ones I can think of that have ran on it recently. They still have almost the entire P42 fleet for long distance service. All 3 dash 8s, 503, 509, and 510 have all pulled trains solo as well. It’s been a rough few weeks for the Surfliner
Well, the locomotives and wagons are platforms where every customer orders what they want, and at Siemens this also applies to the software.
For things with the engines you don't have to go to Siemens, you have to go to Cummins.
With the Diesel Vectron, which are essentially the chargers, we have no problem here with the MTU engine. I spoke to an engineer from Siemens Rail USA at Innotrans and he said that they had problems with the quality of the Cummins engines and that they would prefer to install the MTU engine, but due to the Buy Amarican act that is not possible because MTU is not Produced in the USA as I understand it.
That makes sense, the Birghtline locomotives run better with only 4000 hp, there is less load on the engines.
And if Siemens maintains the rolling stock, you have the advantage if something strange happens, you can call an engineer straight away and ask what the problem is with the vehicle.
@@Huey-UH-1 makes sense, Siemens know how to build trains. Although Cummins isnt exactly known for being unreliable. Possibly it has to be run differently than an mtu in a non obvious way.
@@the_retag Cummins definitely builds good engines, that's no question.
But sometimes not every engine that was developed for one thing is also good for a larger area in the same area of application.
It makes a difference whether you install the engine in a freight locomotive or a passenger locomotive.
Passenger service is a much higher thermal load for the engine, always from 0 to 100% engine load and if the engine is not properly balanced for this, this leads to things like oil fires and less horsepower is good for the engine.
I think that's why the ALC42 and the Brihgtline Charger are more reliable.
But that is understandable when the majority of Amrekain locomotives are built for freight transport and because the engines are less stressed than in passenger transport.
Surfliner is really under Caltrans, hence the "Amtrak California" brand. So if the ALC-42s are running well on the long-distance network, and all the regional rail SC-44s are o.k., perhaps it's Caltrans that is underfunding engine maintenance?
Midwest chargers trying not to fail during the winter (Impossible)
Literally impossible. Seen a few P42 substitutes in the summer too.
@@trailingrails9953 I rode behind a P42 on the Pere Marquette this summer
Rode with those on many lengthy delayed trips on the Blue Water & Wolverine in the wintertime. So many 4+ hour delays on the evening trip eastbound sitting without power…
Its maintenance and the Brightline Chargers carry a much lighter load.
Plus they have an engine on each end.
@@WestPac-ny9vi That's exactly what I was getting at.
One thing to keep in mind with the Brightline units is that they don't travel far from their maintenance base. Probably easier to keep track of issues before they become critical at Brightline and the commuter roads when the locos are stabled at the same shop every night vs Amtrak motive power that might only see a shop every few days in completely different states.
thats pretty funny. I really like to learn some thinks about the Siemens problems in the USA. here in Germany, we have the Siemens Vectron, a great locomotive. Its works really good, no problems at all. In that case, I think its a problem with the maintenance. I hope you guys solve the problem ^^
Chargers are the GEVO’s of the passenger world.
I love your comment
Which from a railfans standpoint, I do not like lol
They're both aesthetically boring, can be found literally everywhere, and have replaced a lot of older, more interesting locos.
@@InventorZahran modern technology can be boring sometimes.
@@InventorZahran Chargers are Not Boring, they're much cooler looking than the piss 42s which are the REAL Bore.
this was highly entertaining
Tbh I think it’s just teething issues. Like these things been in service for 3 years some 4 years. And with alot of brand new tech or designs. Problems will come up down the road that later models will fix.
Cars, ships, and planes go through teething issues as well so it’s not special to the charger.
The Charger isn't really new tech though, as its based on the diesel version of the Vectron. The platform has been in service across Europe for over a decade and as far as I'm aware, hasn't experienced any major issues with reliability. My guess is on a combination of parts/manufacturing issues and improper maintenance.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 yes but it’s a diesel version of an electric train that was its base. So it’s not completely brand new just something is different from the original design. So something was bound to come up at some point.
@@xaviersaavedra7442 Thing is the Vectron also exists as a dual mode locomotive and a diesel locomotive, so the basis is still a diesel engine. It's just that european railroads have a lot of electrification while the US lacks in that regard in some regions.
@@mikeblatzheim2797 While Vectron is a proven platform, Siemens literally ran out of possible registration numbers for the electric Vectrons as there's so many of them all over Europe, while there are at most double digits of diesel only Vectrons out there. The platform is proven, but the diesel version not so much.
Nope. The oldest SC44’s are going on 7 years old and they’re still going down at unreasonable rates. Brand new business and cafe class venture cars are going into service and still have leaking roofs, bad door seals, stair issues, etc.
The F125’s had bad teething issues that were sorted out after about 3 years. What is still happening with Siemens is unacceptable. Idk why Amtrak hasn’t sued them yet. I don’t know why they bought the equipment in the first place. Anybody with a brain should have started questioning it when they tried to operate the car and discovered they needed three separate keys between the step traps, the doors, and the PA box/electrical cabinet.
They’re German machinery. You gotta maintain them like German machinery!
I'll say out here in NJ our alp-45s won't work if they think the engine has a problem, even if it doesn't. I think this is more of a new safety thing than something charger specific.
Buy more rebuilt GP40P engines is the answer. These Chargers have "trucking" engines in them, not locomotive engines.
engine issues seem to be a bit of a recurring thing for the chargers cause cascades wdtx 1405 had an engine explosion too. that took her out of service for bout 11 months i think
Alot of the issues with these can be tied to the problems the trucking industry has been dealing with
the p42s engines are pretty much tanks if u dont abuse them the chargers like every diesel made after 2017 is required to use DEF to meet Tier 4 this is basically chemically made piss (urea and water) this is sprayed into the exhaust to renew the catalyst to reduce emmisions somehow
remember how its made with water and water freezes yes these under winter certain conditions the heaters could not maintain the DEF from freezing or the heaters would crap out and when it froze by law Cummins was forced to design the prime mover to shut down into limp mode ( likely idle speed) the DEF quality sensors are known to fail often or the injectors mess up causing the computer to put it into limp
as for it happening on certain years and not others im sure they chose a different supplier or newer part bright line does stuff in house so if a train craps out they likely have alot of spare parts to get it back before anyone notices it missing and thinks its just in for a PM vs amtrak well its amtrak
and cummins engines siemens chargers are just ripe for beating it
You’ve been working on this video longer than I’ve been working in the factory making the engines for the chargers you poor poor soul, I am so sorry.
I'm in Canada and the via chargers are like brightline chargers, don't seem to work very well at all
The thing is that every batch of trains sold to operators are diferent batches that have different things that makes them better or worse, that could explain why the reliability changes so much between models
I work as an Amtrak machinist and just to say ive heard nothing good about the chargers im not looking forward to transitioning from the p42s to them
Knowing MARC a lot ive noticed that their chargers are like 50/50. Like theres days were they are used on all lined then theres days where they are only used on the penn line. And from what I've heard, reliability is okay but not great. Also heard they wheel slip a lot and dont pull like the MP36s. Although i disagree after ridding multiple trains i feel like the Chargers accelerate quicker.
you can hear the insanity in his voice lol
Amtrak being broke moment
4:23 very slightly unrelated random question: is that a Cybertruck going past in the background?
Yes, that was a Cybertruck
My guess is actually the weather. The Brightline sets just never had to deal with winter weather.
As a Brightline fan, I can recommend this.
So wait, the locomotive straight up refused service at the drop of a hat? 😂
The Cascades Chargers are another batch of chargers built pre 2020 but work fine
Yep, heard some of the problems for a while, but never heard of the other problems.
Via also owns Chargers. They had one that completely went down.
when and which one?
It happened on Labour Day weekend. The train broke down between Drummondville and Quebec city.
One of ACE's chargers has a long term PTC issuse, so it is sidelined.
Brokey McBroke Face is the best description of Amtrak I've heard.
The Brightline Chargers are the best. But I'm biased. #gobrightline
Could've gotten some P42s in the Surf Line by now.
I myself saw a P42, Amtrak 39, lead a Surfliner on October 9!
There’s been 4 P42s on surfline total since the beginning of September. 148, 158, 50, and 39
@@DesertHighIron 148, 50, & 39: Decent.
158: Its fouled Raised Letter K5L? 👍 Nice.
Nah, only if they're pase 7 would be interested in seeing that f**k phase V!!
@@IronHorsefan1869 Well you're not wrong, but I prefer the simple Phase V if it were back in time. But 7 is going very well now that even those P32 - Dash 8s could receive that paint as well.
what is the best ? siemens charger, alstom alp 45a dp, emd f125, hsp 46, mp54ac ?
3:41 lol
he crashed out 😭
He started hating a lil bit💀💀💀💀
bro mad and speak fax over “Chargers” 💀💯🔥
Chargers have some issues, but they are still are my top favorite locomotive.
So do you think Metrolink was smart to order the F125s? Should others do the same?
"Why do the Brightline ones work?"
Because Florida doesn't have -20 degree temperatures.
why does Via Rail ones work fine? Mostly running along the frozen lakes and rivers too on the Corridor
@TheRandCrews different software and they were released after the ALC-42s were tweaked.
Honey wake up 5008 just posted
Where does Canada's fall in all of this. They seem perfect as well
9:48 damn 500 you don’t have to crash out like this
We can't let this VIA slander stand.
and at 3:48
6:02 2114’s screen says “Destination 24”
All i can complain about some wonky electrical eqipment
Broky Mcbroke face = Amtrak.
The Brightline chargers are very different under the hood than all amtrak models. Most commuter rails have the brightline version of the chargers, while amtrak has their own unique design.
Same with the ventures. The brightline ventures are the exact design that siemens developed when pitching the cars to North American rail companies. The Amtrak ventures were specially customized for amtrak, and are very different mechanically than the original design/brightlines. All amtrak cars were specially designed based upon amtrak's requests.
The VIA ventures and chargers are also the original design.
Also, the FRA has found issues with all Amtrak California Venture Cabcars, so most if not all are sidelined, again.
Lol, no. Siemens doesn't do custom, at all. All the models are as near identical as Siemens can physically make them. It's like their corporate religion that they never do anything custom. And if the customer doesn't like that then the Siemens rep himself will hand them the Stadler brochure and semi-gently push them out of their office.
The Midwest/Caltrans ones aren't owned by Amtrak. They're state owned.
Has Cascades been having problems with their Chargers at all? I live in the PNW and know several people who use Cascades regularly and have heard zilch about mechanical issues on our locos
I Never heard of the Cascades Chargers having issues
So the conclusion is Amtrak maintenance staff is incompetent or just lazy? I mean from that much of train operator having similar engine but only Amtrak that seems always have a problem😅
the whole video is bro crashing out 💀💀💀💀💀
Oh hail the siemenns chargers!
Just watched another video on Chargers. Apparently Charger is more of a platform, than a model of locomotive itself. So basically you start with a platform and then you change the specs based on your needs as a train operator, which Siemens provides. So it might have to do with that and can also explain why some Chargers work fine, but that's something that will require a more in-depth review for sure.
Nope, the motors are the same, it's the way you use them. The start/stop air pollution control system is bad juju.
Bro geekin and tweekin because of the chargers😭🙏
@@Alawo- These chargers are nice
At cbv i had to wait for a 1hr and 10min just to catch P42DC 33
Bruh that’s not a long time
@@GRFP6903 ik but i was raining a bit
Have tou heard abt via, their chargers are working good aswell.
I’m gonna be completely honest I don’t like the chargers for one specific reason. And I know Amtrakguy365 did this in a video so I’m gonna use it from him. Now with that out of the way my problem won’t be chargers is the air intake on the bottom. And with that on the bottom it sucks up the leaves, rain, and snow and it gets into the compartment and short circuits itself and starts breaking down. Which leads Amtrak to start using the P42’s more often than usual even though they are supposed to replace them as of this year. And with that problem the engines don’t work nor run as often as Amtrak try to intend on the Midwest services, silver star/meteor, etc. That’s my only reason I dislike the chargers
This is why Amtrak having chargers is a bad idea. not only that they have so many freezing and water issues. And also to have an unreliable service start I would rather choose a p42dc over a charger.
3:52 bros had it
he crashed out 😭
I think the problem ones are Friday specials
damn amtrak is not repairing their engines until every roblox game with them is copyrighted
More 5008 videos to watch :)
This gonna go on channel SMNN (SEMEN☠️)
9:16 Correct**
Imagine for the railroad lines that have failing chargers, what if the new EMD (remanufactured by Rolling Stock Solutions) F40PH-4C replaces them, though that probably would not happen.
Listen up. The problem with the Charger is the motor on/off control system. When the system shuts down, and starts up up again, diesel is pumped into the cylinders. Unfortunately, for a moment the lubrication is washed away, allowing the cylinder to scuff the wall. After a while, the scoring starts to get bad, and if the engine is pushed hard (remember this part) destructive blow-by occurs (boom!). The same motor is used on trucks, and has the same problem. Why don't commuter trains have this problem? You have to be in a situation where you stop for a long enough time at stations for the stop/start system to engage. Commuter trains stop and get moving right away, whereas Amtrak trains stop and sit for a while for loading. That's it, your culprit. Fixable? Not so far for trucks.
I could have sworn I learned in my high school auto shop class that hybrid cars with gasoline engines have electric oil pumps that continue running even when the start/stop system stops the car's engine to prevent the cylinder wall scoring you describe. Is that not a feasible thing to do with diesel engines, or are companies just not smart enough to implement it in their truck/train engines despite it being doable?
@@YaBoiScrumpolarge marine engines, and i thought the ones used in locos as well, have pre lubrication pumps
Software faults coupled with hardware defects and huge maintenance costs?
Yep sounds like regular old Siemens stuff.
Cool
moral of the story: brightline is better
Wow, Chargers sure get a bad rap!
Could we have a less hysterical sounding voice doing the narration? It really isn't cool. Gave up after a couple of minutes.
They're just ugly Krautwagens. Whatever happened to American-based locomotive manufacturing, not reliant on imported companies?
they died because this country hates Passenger trains and trains in general
Seems that they don’t built any or of quality, that’s why you even see Bombardier (Canadian Division) built almost trains of different types for almost every transit agency in North America. US couldn’t build anymore, Canadians stepped in, then Asian and European manufacturers did so too.
Imagine liking a junk locomotive lol. Good video anyway.
Bro the p42dc literally looks like a badly peeled potato