PLEASE GO WATCH THE REMADE VERSION OF THIS EPISODE! ruclips.net/video/kl_zerDgLuY/видео.html I am aware that all the Turboliner sets haven't all been apparently scrapped. At the time I wrote out this video, I hadn't researched or found any plans for the movement of the RTL-III set which has gone on recently. Thank you for the notifications regarding the recent move.
On the 10th I saw the turbo liner train-set in a yard in North Brunswick New Jersey from a northeast regional. So It has not been scrapped. Maybe they have other plans for it.
@@DistanceNsVeterans I think every railfan in America knows about the J class Hudson. One of the Legendary beasts of the American railroads that were never saved. I wish one was. It would be a sight to behold
I had the pleasure of running these in the mid-90's. Very quiet, rode very smooth, and had great visibility (for the passengers and the Engineer) but the operating controls were quite different from a conventional diesel locomotive. The heat of the exhaust was much higher for the turbos so we had orders not to stop at Hudson Station with the power car underneath the wooden bridge just north of the station(!). I was one of the last people to have run the RTG set in September of 1994--probably 2 or 3 days before the APU caught fire in NYP (New York Penn Station) and the intense heat caused the center of one power car to weaken and sag downward toward the rail. What surprised me was the fact that those old dogs lasted that long--the remaining RTG set was in very poor condition (breakdowns were quite common) and the "hogger" needed special "finesse" with the brakes to make smooth station stops (cast iron brake shoes). Note that, although the RTG sets had the "flat nose" when they were in service in the Chicago region in the 70's (as you see in the video), they later put the streamlined nose on it similar to the RTL sets (but a good "foamer" could tell the difference between the two). With the first rebuilt RTL set, since I was still qualified on the Northeast Corridor I made overnight test runs in New Jersey in January of 1995 at speeds of up to 125 MPH. Very smooth ride but I remember it would take 13 miles to go from 0-125 (a "meatball"--AEM-7--with five cars could get up to that speed in less than half that distance), and there was only one 17 mile stretch of railroad in New York State (between Stuyvesant and Rensselaer) where the train would be able to go that fast (too many curves on the Hudson line south of that point, and no cab signals west of Schnectady). So although they never saw 125MPH revenue service, this rebuilt trainset was very popular with the riding public. Not to defend "The Pointless Arrow", but one of the reasons Amtrak did not like operating the turbos was the operating cost--it consumed about 20% more fuel than a conventional diesel and they needed to have mechanical department technicians ride the trainsets due to the many bugs that would occur (even with the rebuilt set). Moreover, they required many specialized parts that you just cannot buy "off the shelf", thereby increasing maintenance costs exponentially. I was quite saddened when I learned that they were withdrawn from service permanently in the early 2000's; I think that the air conditioning issue was only an excuse for Amtrak to stop using them (I refer to the previous paragraph). It is a shame that none of the power cars were sent to any museums, as these trains did represent an integral part of american railroading history.
Sean, I had the (dis)pleasure of having to deal with those ungreatful "flame throwers" when they operated into Penn Satation............they were pieces of crap as a number of times the RTL's couldn't make transition to get working on thuird rail, so they had to stink the Empire Tunnel and part of the station out to get the train in. They were a reservation agent's nightmare as they were damned fixed car consists, and despite what it said, they seldome if ever "added the extra car"....holidays they were wretched being over-stuffed with people and no way to adjust train size for that like the conventional consist trains could be. The worst event ever was the damned original UA Turbotrains...,.they were 99 & 44/100's percent PURE GARBAGE......they never were able to run on 3rd rail,. many times had to be deadheaded back to the Fields Point shop because something on them quit cancelling the eastbound trip after the train sat all day in Penn Station doing nothing. One night the station got bolexed up and it was impossible to get the set into track 5 or 6 which had electrical stand-by facilities and exaust vents/fans to handle the train. The equipment wound up on 11 track, and naturally since the 3rd rail didn't work as usual, came in on a turbine running....well by the time the train unloaded and could be moved over to track 5, the turbine MELTED A HOLE IN SEVERAL PANELS OF THE MARBLE FLOOR on the lower (LIRR) station level above where it had stopped. That mis-matched floor, evidenced by the concrete slabs used to patch it still exists today from that time. Amtrak bought 2 UA sets of extra reconfigured CN cars, and one of them never made it being gutted in a fire when being tested in Montreal, as well as a couple of the original Amtrak power cars meeting the same BBQ end in fuel leaks and bad maintenance. Yup....they did everyone a great service by getting rid of the turbine junk, they just wasted the 8 million trying to revive them again the 3rd time.........they were white elephants the year after they got the French RTG ones when the jet fuel costs skyrocketed in the 1976" energy crisis"....THIS is why the French went ahead and converted the TGV to an electric design as the original test train and concept was to have been turbine.....stringing catenary became far cheaper than the cost of rocket fuel.
99 and 44/100s should be 99 and 11/25ths or 99.44%. Fractions are made for reducing. Also, they run on kerosene, not rocket fuel. I'm sure they were a headache for the techs, and they were quite dirty...but the passengers absolutely LOVED their super smooth ride and gigantic tinted windows, plus you could get to the cab from the coach in transit. Little kids get to go in the cab while it's hauling ass...try that in an F40. I got nothing but love for these old girls. The RTLs are sexy like an aircraft. They definitely should have made them with actual couplings though. I used to see em all the time on The Empire Corridor and even got to be that kid one time....at 100mph with a digital speed display. I felt like I was in a spaceship.
When I was a wee tot back in the 80s, I had the pleasure of coming into the cab on a American Turbo outside Rochester. The engineer pushed it right to 100 mph on a long straightaway section of track. The public transportation system was a lot cooler pre 9/11
Enjoyed this video as much as I did riding the Turboliners between Chicago and Ann Arbor in the mid-'70's. I always liked hearing its horn and engine as it arrived in and departed A2 from my perch at Fuller Pool.
As a young sailor from 1975 to 1984. I enjoy the different trains I rode from Newport New, Virginia to Schenectady New York. Then lived in Rotterdam, New York and go to Schenectady Train Station from 1984 to 1990, Then In 1991 I moved into the town Glenville, New York next to the train track near Scotia yard. I took a few pictures of the turbo in action. Work over at the Scotia Navy Supply Base from 1998 to 2005 and watched Super Steel build the the new turbo's and other locomotive there. Yes I did see the end of the turbo as stated in the film. Great memories of those locomotives and the some of the picture I had take for my memories into the future. Thank for this film.
I rode the Turbo liner in the late 70's in New York state. I also worked for Super Steel and was the electrical lead on the RTL project. We also built 48 locos for the Long Island railroad. It was sad to see the RTL project shut down. The project was plagued by many problems, not just an AC problem. Great Video!
Maybe you can answer a question - what exactly was Super Steel? I understand that they built the DE's and DM's constantly breaking down on Long Island, and that those trains were designed more by politicians than experts. Of course, whatever I think of those locos, I remind myself that their biggest problem, beyond being one of a kind that NO ONE else has, are 'maintained' (not) by LIRR, which doesn't actually believe in maintenance. I'm told that Super Steel is now history.
I had the pleasure many years ago of a round trip from Grand Central Terminal to Boston, with a side trip by Budd RDC to Springfield. The TL was probably Rohr. Smooth, quiet, comfortable. Operator told me that the turbine itself (at each end) was about the size of a suitcase), that they were hoping for fuel efficiency upgrades but were otherwise a pleasure.
The Rames à Turbine à Gaz were finally withdrawn in France in 2004. You can find videos of them, just type "rtg sncf" or "les derniers rtg" or something. They were replaced by diesel locomotive-pulled trains, which are obviously slower. Turbine trains are ideal for long-distance travel over unelectrified lines, and with cheap fuel prices. But electric high-speed trains, powered by France nuclear power stations, will always win out in the end. If they find the budget to electrify those lines, that is. While I heard about the American version, I was never aware of their longevity, and I learnt a thing or two about the French version as well. Thanks for this well-researched video, and thank you also for providing metric measurements.
I remember sitting at the Super Steel site looking at the refurbished engines and cars sitting outside wasting away back into garbage. There was a tremendous amounts of wiring problems that had to be fixed at Amtraks repair center in Rennsalaer, NY. That did cause much of the delays.
Rode one out of Grand Central Terminal in Summer, 1984. It followed the Hudson River on the old New York Central line to Albany/Rennsalear. It did not run exceptionally fast, but the scenery was super.
I went to school right by the Rensselaer (NY) train station and saw these trains all the time growing up. I also saw them just sitting for ages when they were repainted and rehabbed, before being sent off as scrap. They were very unique trains
I remember being out train watching along the near Harrisburg and having a police officer move me when the first model was being run westbound to Chicago. He finally permitted my friend and I to remain near the tracks to watch. It was certainly a strange site at that time.
I thought these would be my favorite Amtrak locomotive fleet of the present, if it was still active today; this train set would a real-life ally and competitor along with the Acela Express and Florida Brightline highspeed trains.
I remember fishing with my dad at Spuyten Dyvil as a kid in the early 80's, and watching these fly across the bridge into Manhattan. Also go to see New Haven and Metro North FL-9's. Great memories
Two out of the three completed RTL-III sets saw revenue service. I rode aboard both of them, one in June of 2003 and the second set in October 2003. I saw the third completed set at the Albany maintenance shop in October of '03 but it never ran in revenue service. All three completed sets still sit in Amtrak's Bear, DE facility, waiting for Amtrak to do the right thing and find a way to utilize 'em. Allowing $70 million to go to waste after completely rebuilding the trains was downright criminal.
Hopefully they find use in them. Boston-Montreal might seem interesting... but it's too costly for the State of New Hampshire to even bother unfortunately.
alb12345672 Only the four trainsets at Super Steel, which were in various states of completion, were scrapped. Sadly, the entire supply of spare parts was auctioned off when the trains were scrapped. But the three completed sets which were already in Amtrak's possession remain in storage at the Bear, DE maintenance facility.
Matthew Johnson- Are you aware that the last three of the RTL-III turboliner trainsets were moved from Delaware to New York along the NEC? If so, why were they being moved? is Amtrak returning the trains to service or no?
I rode the RTG version from flint Michigan to Chicago and back as a kid.. my dad took my 2 brothers up into the main engine and talked to the engineer. Plus my one brother had the honor of pushing the throttle with the help of the engineer... damn I’m jealous....
I remember in the mid 90's what an oddity it was to see them crossing the bridge over the Lachine Canal in Montreal, not hearing a chest-pounding rumble of a diesel engine until catching a whif of the exhaust...just like jet fuel!! The next day I placed myself at the north end of the Victoria bridge where literally I was just 10 feet as it passed by so I could hear the turbine's whir. By the time I would start commuting by train between NYC and Montreal, these trains had been pulled from service.
I have a couple of slides of Amtrak RTL taken in Montreal. No mention that they were used on international service. I believe they were used between Montreal and New York City
I understand that the Turbos ran a lot longer in the USA than France, because of fuel and maintenance costs. When the ETG and RTG were being designed, SNCF was considering saving money by using gas turbines on the Paris-Lyon high speed line under development. However, the sharp jump in fuel prices after 1973 guaranteed that the TGV would be and remain straight electric.
French RTGs / Turbotrains are still in use in Egypt and maybe in Iran too. In France, RTGs have been in use until 2004 and some units have been preserved.
I have seen 2 RTL III sets in storage at Adams yard, just west (south) of New Brunswick, and I understand there are two more sets stored just east of New Haven.
The first bunch were 'strange looking' because they were French! The second set were built by Rohr in Chula Vista (San Diego)--their last foray into rapid transit. Rohr got into the business with San Francisco's BART cars, then tried to market a bus which never sold. Rohr's main business was commercial aircraft propulsion equipment, (cowling, struts), now part of Goodrich Aerospace.
...used to ride the RTGs regularly on the Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago. We did have the more airliner inspired United Aircraft train show up in Milwaukee on it's US tour but they never saw service on this route.
It was very fun and I really enjoyed your video. It is regrettable that there are few explanation and introduction videos of the history of American railway services in this style or form. As in this video, there are practically very few things that introduce numerical values such as detailed dimensions in concrete terms with audio and video. I am participating from Japan, but I feel that this is a national character, and that various values are often present in the railway video made by Japanese people. Thanks for your video.
That's messed up! Over an air conditioning issue brought an end to the turboliners that use to run on my hometown line and I never got to see. I wish they were still running today but what's up with Amtrak these days? Hopefully the turboliner comes back in some way so I can experience them on my hometown line or be able to travel back in time.
Wow very good little documentary about the turboliner I liked it very much I hope u make soon plus I could have seen a turboliner but the last were being scraped when I was younger
Please make the next installment Soon as possible. I have been wondering if you would ever make this after seeing the videos you made in between this and the one about the SDP-40F. Keep up the great work with whatever you do.
2:50 nice to see a picture of one in Amtrak Phase I and SNCF yellow! 6:38 coincidence, I THINK NOT! If any remaining power cars or coaches are found, they should be preserved in the St. Louis museum of transportation!
4:14😄True, but they were also equipped with Leslie Horns as well including the Leslie RS5T. But I do love your videos so far. Keep up the good work!😄lol
Yeah. I would think it would be more fitting for a museum in New York State to buy one however... The 2 left are of the RTL variant. All RTGs are essentially scrapped, however theres one rusting a way in the back of a junk yard in Ellis, Indiana along route 54. RTGs would be better for IRM... they handled the corridors around chicago more.
I remember seeing what looked like a bullet train cab at the state fair in Syracuse I remember it looking more like the cab of an X2000. I could be wrong as I was very young
I liked your video. I liked the old Amtrak commercials. I want to know when you're going to make a video about the new Siemens Charger locomotive or the new ACS-64s. I really enjoyed your video. Thank you.
I saw the turboliners in Montreal in the early 90's when they were used briefly on the Adirondack. They actually didn't look strange next to VIA's LRC trainsets.
I never seen an Amtrak turbotrain, French built turboliner, American built turboliner RTL1, RTL2 & RTL 3 Acela paint scheme, SDP40F, F40PH, P30CH, E60, SC44, Amtrak Ice Train, Amtrak X2000, & Amtrak New trains that are coming up. But one day I will see them one day
Um sorry to burst your bubble but Amtrak no longer had the RTL's, SDP40F's, F40's, P30's, or E60's. And the Amtrak ICE train is long gone with the Amtrak X2000.
NCSTLsteamtrain 150 and I'm so exited about it and also it will see it on 9/9/2017 when it go to Pennsylvania on my very very very very early birthday before my birthday in 10/12/2014 and I'm going with Monika, Natalia, Michele, Thomak, machik, Alexandra trofort, my mom and my day and also I'm brining kiyear and also he's from my bus and my bus is 427 and i always take it to school every day and also I have a contract for my behavior on my bus and also I misbehave and behave and I had a meeting and also if I misbehave on the bus, I loose my computer privladge, if I behave on the bus, then if I behave on the bus I earn my privladge and I lost it for 6 days and it lost it for the first time last year and I lost it this year for 5 years and also it makes my computer not work and it gets very angry and don't worry, will not witnise it as fortantuly or maby unfortunately
iight i got a question. Doesn't conrail and the mta own most of the empire corridor? And if so. Y was amtrak being sued for track maintenance that doesn't belong to them?
No, Conrail originally own most of the tracks until 1999. In 1997 two rival freight companies CSX and Norfolk Southern wanted to expand track ownership when Conrail was losing money. After 2 years of heated arguments, they compromised and the assets were split between them with Norfolk Southern taking the most. Now CSX Transportation owns most of the Empire Corridor. As for the second question, you might want to retract the "if so" cause that STILL won't save Amtrak from being sued as part of the lawsuit involved the train sets.
Hopefully we can see Turboliners making a comeback soon, because those sideman chargers will have to replace those P40 sierras trains at some point and something needs to take their place.
Thanks for doing this video. I rode the RTGs in France from Paris to St Malo. They were nice and smooth. Good points made throughout the video. I never knew how far and long their career was here i the US. Are you going to make a video of the SNCF CC2103 that made it here when tested against the Sweedish locomotive in the 70s? I've never seen footage and only pictures.
Great video! I never had heard about the turboliner before but it seems a really nice train! So sad that there are no more turbofans for at least exhibition or something. :(
Turbotrain was SNCF response to Aérotrain. Aérotrain is a French invention It's a tracked hovercraft developed in 60-70's that quickly reach high speeds, faster than any train. SNCF see a threat and start to develop high speed trains, the Turbotrains. Ultimate turbotrain was TGV001 the first TGV prototype powered by 6 gas turbines and the only petrol powered TGV. After 1974 oil crisis Aérotrain was abandoned and TGV was chosen but with full electric power. I have some videos of Aérotrain on my channel and for more information search "Aérotrain Jean Bertin" in a search engine.
The closest i got to a Turboliner was the X4300 DMUs operated by RegioTrans in Romania (brought second-hand from the SNCF). Jokes aside, seems like a waste to scrap those turboliners. Wouldnt it have been easier to just sell them to someone else and operate them, if costs allowed that?
That VIA Rail Turbotrain @1:29 looks like it filled in for a piñata, the way it's dented up like that. It may have been built by United Aircraft, but that looks like one bodged fuselage, unfit for flight on land or in sky.
![Engines of Amtrak - Budd Metroliner [REMAKE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lXs8uaeQNRM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Engines of Amtrak - Budd Metroliner [REMAKE]](/img/tr.png)
![Engines of Amtrak - Turboliner [REMAKE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kl_zerDgLuY/mqdefault.jpg)
PLEASE GO WATCH THE REMADE VERSION OF THIS EPISODE! ruclips.net/video/kl_zerDgLuY/видео.html
I am aware that all the Turboliner sets haven't all been apparently scrapped. At the time I wrote out this video, I hadn't researched or found any plans for the movement of the RTL-III set which has gone on recently. Thank you for the notifications regarding the recent move.
AmtrakGuy365 that isn't true
What do you mean?
AmtrakGuy365 🐯🐯
On the 10th I saw the turbo liner train-set in a yard in North Brunswick New Jersey from a northeast regional. So It has not been scrapped. Maybe they have other plans for it.
Hope you keep going with this series. Amtrak had a lot of strange locos love hearing the different stories of each of them.
I remember going along the Hudson River with my dad to watch the trains when I was a kid, saw a couple of these!
Did u know that there use to be a steam loco called the NYC Hudson
@@DistanceNsVeterans Which Hudson? The J3A?
@@literaldirt ya
@@DistanceNsVeterans I think every railfan in America knows about the J class Hudson. One of the Legendary beasts of the American railroads that were never saved. I wish one was. It would be a sight to behold
@@Mnrr6131 yep
I had the pleasure of running these in the mid-90's. Very quiet, rode very smooth, and had great visibility (for the passengers and the Engineer) but the operating controls were quite different from a conventional diesel locomotive. The heat of the exhaust was much higher for the turbos so we had orders not to stop at Hudson Station with the power car underneath the wooden bridge just north of the station(!).
I was one of the last people to have run the RTG set in September of 1994--probably 2 or 3 days before the APU caught fire in NYP (New York Penn Station) and the intense heat caused the center of one power car to weaken and sag downward toward the rail. What surprised me was the fact that those old dogs lasted that long--the remaining RTG set was in very poor condition (breakdowns were quite common) and the "hogger" needed special "finesse" with the brakes to make smooth station stops (cast iron brake shoes). Note that, although the RTG sets had the "flat nose" when they were in service in the Chicago region in the 70's (as you see in the video), they later put the streamlined nose on it similar to the RTL sets (but a good "foamer" could tell the difference between the two).
With the first rebuilt RTL set, since I was still qualified on the Northeast Corridor I made overnight test runs in New Jersey in January of 1995 at speeds of up to 125 MPH. Very smooth ride but I remember it would take 13 miles to go from 0-125 (a "meatball"--AEM-7--with five cars could get up to that speed in less than half that distance), and there was only one 17 mile stretch of railroad in New York State (between Stuyvesant and Rensselaer) where the train would be able to go that fast (too many curves on the Hudson line south of that point, and no cab signals west of Schnectady). So although they never saw 125MPH revenue service, this rebuilt trainset was very popular with the riding public.
Not to defend "The Pointless Arrow", but one of the reasons Amtrak did not like operating the turbos was the operating cost--it consumed about 20% more fuel than a conventional diesel and they needed to have mechanical department technicians ride the trainsets due to the many bugs that would occur (even with the rebuilt set). Moreover, they required many specialized parts that you just cannot buy "off the shelf", thereby increasing maintenance costs exponentially.
I was quite saddened when I learned that they were withdrawn from service permanently in the early 2000's; I think that the air conditioning issue was only an excuse for Amtrak to stop using them (I refer to the previous paragraph). It is a shame that none of the power cars were sent to any museums, as these trains did represent an integral part of american railroading history.
Sean, I had the (dis)pleasure of having to deal with those ungreatful "flame throwers" when they operated into Penn Satation............they were pieces of crap as a number of times the RTL's couldn't make transition to get working on thuird rail, so they had to stink the Empire Tunnel and part of the station out to get the train in. They were a reservation agent's nightmare as they were damned fixed car consists, and despite what it said, they seldome if ever "added the extra car"....holidays they were wretched being over-stuffed with people and no way to adjust train size for that like the conventional consist trains could be.
The worst event ever was the damned original UA Turbotrains...,.they were 99 & 44/100's percent PURE GARBAGE......they never were able to run on 3rd rail,. many times had to be deadheaded back to the Fields Point shop because something on them quit cancelling the eastbound trip after the train sat all day in Penn Station doing nothing. One night the station got bolexed up and it was impossible to get the set into track 5 or 6 which had electrical stand-by facilities and exaust vents/fans to handle the train. The equipment wound up on 11 track, and naturally since the 3rd rail didn't work as usual, came in on a turbine running....well by the time the train unloaded and could be moved over to track 5, the turbine MELTED A HOLE IN SEVERAL PANELS OF THE MARBLE FLOOR on the lower (LIRR) station level above where it had stopped. That mis-matched floor, evidenced by the concrete slabs used to patch it still exists today from that time. Amtrak bought 2 UA sets of extra reconfigured CN cars, and one of them never made it being gutted in a fire when being tested in Montreal, as well as a couple of the original Amtrak power cars meeting the same BBQ end in fuel leaks and bad maintenance.
Yup....they did everyone a great service by getting rid of the turbine junk, they just wasted the 8 million trying to revive them again the 3rd time.........they were white elephants the year after they got the French RTG ones when the jet fuel costs skyrocketed in the 1976" energy crisis"....THIS is why the French went ahead and converted the TGV to an electric design as the original test train and concept was to have been turbine.....stringing catenary became far cheaper than the cost of rocket fuel.
At least one Turbo Train survives.
ruclips.net/video/ElJjeW0ncuk/видео.html
fascinating, thanks for sharing.
Seán Thomas Bickerton Wonderful seeing a crewman’s take on the old Frenchies and the other American ones.
99 and 44/100s should be 99 and 11/25ths or 99.44%. Fractions are made for reducing. Also, they run on kerosene, not rocket fuel. I'm sure they were a headache for the techs, and they were quite dirty...but the passengers absolutely LOVED their super smooth ride and gigantic tinted windows, plus you could get to the cab from the coach in transit. Little kids get to go in the cab while it's hauling ass...try that in an F40.
I got nothing but love for these old girls. The RTLs are sexy like an aircraft. They definitely should have made them with actual couplings though. I used to see em all the time on The Empire Corridor and even got to be that kid one time....at 100mph with a digital speed display. I felt like I was in a spaceship.
Ironic that a guy that sued Amtrak later became president of Amtrak
Nwp mp15 1501 he probably wanted to address the issues he was dissatisfied with, and improve the company from there.
No, Boardman wanted the issues addressed. Pruitt just doesn't believe in climate change, and so he thinks the EPA is a waste of money.
When I was a wee tot back in the 80s, I had the pleasure of coming into the cab on a American Turbo outside Rochester. The engineer pushed it right to 100 mph on a long straightaway section of track. The public transportation system was a lot cooler pre 9/11
Enjoyed this video as much as I did riding the Turboliners between Chicago and Ann Arbor in the mid-'70's. I always liked hearing its horn and engine as it arrived in and departed A2 from my perch at Fuller Pool.
As a young sailor from 1975 to 1984. I enjoy the different trains I rode from Newport New, Virginia to Schenectady New York. Then lived in Rotterdam, New York and go to Schenectady Train Station from 1984 to 1990, Then In 1991 I moved into the town Glenville, New York next to the train track near Scotia yard. I took a few pictures of the turbo in action. Work over at the Scotia Navy Supply Base from 1998 to 2005 and watched Super Steel build the the new turbo's and other locomotive there. Yes I did see the end of the turbo as stated in the film. Great memories of those locomotives and the some of the picture I had take for my memories into the future. Thank for this film.
I rode the Turbo liner in the late 70's in New York state. I also worked for Super Steel and was the electrical lead on the RTL project. We also built 48 locos for the Long Island railroad. It was sad to see the RTL project shut down. The project was plagued by many problems, not just an AC problem. Great Video!
Maybe you can answer a question - what exactly was Super Steel? I understand that they built the DE's and DM's constantly breaking down on Long Island, and that those trains were designed more by politicians than experts. Of course, whatever I think of those locos, I remind myself that their biggest problem, beyond being one of a kind that NO ONE else has, are 'maintained' (not) by LIRR, which doesn't actually believe in maintenance. I'm told that Super Steel is now history.
I remember seeing these all the time when I used to live on the Hudson River. These were all over the Empire Corridor!
I had the pleasure many years ago of a round trip from Grand Central Terminal to Boston, with a side trip by Budd RDC to Springfield. The TL was probably Rohr. Smooth, quiet, comfortable. Operator told me that the turbine itself (at each end) was about the size of a suitcase), that they were hoping for fuel efficiency upgrades but were otherwise a pleasure.
The Rames à Turbine à Gaz were finally withdrawn in France in 2004. You can find videos of them, just type "rtg sncf" or "les derniers rtg" or something. They were replaced by diesel locomotive-pulled trains, which are obviously slower. Turbine trains are ideal for long-distance travel over unelectrified lines, and with cheap fuel prices. But electric high-speed trains, powered by France nuclear power stations, will always win out in the end. If they find the budget to electrify those lines, that is.
While I heard about the American version, I was never aware of their longevity, and I learnt a thing or two about the French version as well. Thanks for this well-researched video, and thank you also for providing metric measurements.
Interestingly enough, RTGs are still in use in Egypt. Maybe in Iran too.
I remember sitting at the Super Steel site looking at the refurbished engines and cars sitting outside wasting away back into garbage. There was a tremendous amounts of wiring problems that had to be fixed at Amtraks repair center in Rennsalaer, NY. That did cause much of the delays.
Rode one out of Grand Central Terminal in Summer, 1984. It followed the Hudson River on the old New York Central line to Albany/Rennsalear. It did not run exceptionally fast, but the scenery was super.
The Acela paint looks sick on that train
I went to school right by the Rensselaer (NY) train station and saw these trains all the time growing up. I also saw them just sitting for ages when they were repainted and rehabbed, before being sent off as scrap. They were very unique trains
I remember being out train watching along the near Harrisburg and having a police officer move me when the first model was being run westbound to Chicago. He finally permitted my friend and I to remain near the tracks to watch. It was certainly a strange site at that time.
I thought these would be my favorite Amtrak locomotive fleet of the present, if it was still active today; this train set would a real-life ally and competitor along with the Acela Express and Florida Brightline highspeed trains.
I remember fishing with my dad at Spuyten Dyvil as a kid in the early 80's, and watching these fly across the bridge into Manhattan. Also go to see New Haven and Metro North FL-9's. Great memories
Knuckle couplers on the front, buffers in-between cars. A toddler’s model train layout dream haha
These are my favourite type of videos on your channel keep up the good work Amtrak
Two out of the three completed RTL-III sets saw revenue service. I rode aboard both of them, one in June of 2003 and the second set in October 2003. I saw the third completed set at the Albany maintenance shop in October of '03 but it never ran in revenue service. All three completed sets still sit in Amtrak's Bear, DE facility, waiting for Amtrak to do the right thing and find a way to utilize 'em. Allowing $70 million to go to waste after completely rebuilding the trains was downright criminal.
Hopefully they find use in them. Boston-Montreal might seem interesting... but it's too costly for the State of New Hampshire to even bother unfortunately.
Weren't the turboliners sold for scrap when they sold the Erie Blvd Schenectady Train yard?
alb12345672 Only the four trainsets at Super Steel, which were in various states of completion, were scrapped. Sadly, the entire supply of spare parts was auctioned off when the trains were scrapped. But the three completed sets which were already in Amtrak's possession remain in storage at the Bear, DE maintenance facility.
Matthew Johnson at least some still exist mabey one day one of them will get donated to a museum to show that the class isn't dead
Matthew Johnson- Are you aware that the last three of the RTL-III turboliner trainsets were moved from Delaware to New York along the NEC? If so, why were they being moved? is Amtrak returning the trains to service or no?
Turbo-tastic!
Noisy Mountainwagon wreck it ralph
Lol
XD
They were smooth riding. Once toot 125 MPH around Rochester, NY.
HEY GUYS!! The last RTL-III turboliner left in existance rolled up the NEC, and it could be the very last Turboliner that moves on Rails
Mitchell DeVillers You must be talking about *this* train.
ruclips.net/video/ElJjeW0ncuk/видео.html
I rode the RTG version from flint Michigan to Chicago and back as a kid.. my dad took my 2 brothers up into the main engine and talked to the engineer. Plus my one brother had the honor of pushing the throttle with the help of the engineer... damn I’m jealous....
Jared, you won't believe it. I have found 2 Amtrak Turboliner sets in a siding on the Northeast corridor in Midwest New Jersey, near Princeton.
Really?
I remember in the mid 90's what an oddity it was to see them crossing the bridge over the Lachine Canal in Montreal, not hearing a chest-pounding rumble of a diesel engine until catching a whif of the exhaust...just like jet fuel!! The next day I placed myself at the north end of the Victoria bridge where literally I was just 10 feet as it passed by so I could hear the turbine's whir. By the time I would start commuting by train between NYC and Montreal, these trains had been pulled from service.
I have a couple of slides of Amtrak RTL taken in Montreal. No mention that they were used on international service. I believe they were used between Montreal and New York City
I understand that the Turbos ran a lot longer in the USA than France, because of fuel and maintenance costs. When the ETG and RTG were being designed, SNCF was considering saving money by using gas turbines on the Paris-Lyon high speed line under development. However, the sharp jump in fuel prices after 1973 guaranteed that the TGV would be and remain straight electric.
French RTGs / Turbotrains are still in use in Egypt and maybe in Iran too. In France, RTGs have been in use until 2004 and some units have been preserved.
1:46 “say... that’s a nice bike”
love these types of informative videos! thank you and hope to see more
I have seen 2 RTL III sets in storage at Adams yard, just west (south) of New Brunswick, and I understand there are two more sets stored just east of New Haven.
Nicely done. More than I ever new about the turbo-liners.
The first bunch were 'strange looking' because they were French! The second set were built by Rohr in Chula Vista (San Diego)--their last foray into rapid transit. Rohr got into the business with San Francisco's BART cars, then tried to market a bus which never sold. Rohr's main business was commercial aircraft propulsion equipment, (cowling, struts), now part of Goodrich Aerospace.
Here before it gets taken down for the updated video.
Same
...used to ride the RTGs regularly on the Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago. We did have the more airliner inspired United Aircraft train show up in Milwaukee on it's US tour but they never saw service on this route.
AmtrakGuy365 what day are you going to do the General Electric E60?
4:11 that's a Leslie SL-4T and 4:16 it has a Leslie S/RS-5T.
Amazing so much work went into reviving such a failed concept.
It was very fun and I really enjoyed your video.
It is regrettable that there are few explanation and introduction videos of the history of American railway services in this style or form.
As in this video, there are practically very few things that introduce numerical values such as detailed dimensions in concrete terms with audio and video.
I am participating from Japan, but I feel that this is a national character, and that various values are often present in the railway video made by Japanese people.
Thanks for your video.
That's messed up! Over an air conditioning issue brought an end to the turboliners that use to run on my hometown line and I never got to see. I wish they were still running today but what's up with Amtrak these days? Hopefully the turboliner comes back in some way so I can experience them on my hometown line or be able to travel back in time.
They should have fixed the air conditioners and not make a big deal.
PennCentral670 Because the Turboliners were under in lawsuit on AC testing.
The RTL IIIs looked great in the Acela livery. A shame this train never lived to see its full potential.
Just learned about these. Passed by one today in Dugger, Indiana sitting in the weeds at the front of a junkyard.
Wow very good little documentary about the turboliner I liked it very much I hope u make soon plus I could have seen a turboliner but the last were being scraped when I was younger
Hope u make more soon sorry for da typo
Nicklikestrains 2111 I was born 2002 to bad I did not get to ride one
Not all of them are scrapped!
ruclips.net/video/ElJjeW0ncuk/видео.html
Please make the next installment Soon as possible. I have been wondering if you would ever make this after seeing the videos you made in between this and the one about the SDP-40F. Keep up the great work with whatever you do.
2:50 nice to see a picture of one in Amtrak Phase I and SNCF yellow!
6:38 coincidence, I THINK NOT!
If any remaining power cars or coaches are found, they should be preserved in the St. Louis museum of transportation!
lol
One trainset was moved recently. Where it's going, I don't know.
ruclips.net/video/ElJjeW0ncuk/видео.html
I remember seeing this train on the show, The Real Ghostbusters. I think it was at the end of the episode with Casey Jones.
Have you done a video on the Amtrak X996 test locomotive as i can not find footage of it.
7:52 why was that part cut out?
The coupler is covered by the missing piece
Because, *_D E L A W A R E ._*
@@WPGT He’s talking about the video being cut, not the coupler being exposed.
Awesome job! Loving this series!
4:40 what’s that song? Also though old I still loved it
Some turboliners were recently moved onto somewhere in the north east corridor if you did not know
Yay, it's here! Worth the wait!
I just today took a picture of a complete Turboliner trainset in Acela paint that is sitting in the New Haven Amtrak MOW yard.
Great video! I've been looking forward to this!
4:14😄True, but they were also equipped with Leslie Horns as well including the Leslie RS5T. But I do love your videos so far. Keep up the good work!😄lol
Not all are scrapped. 2 are stored in Bear, DE and one's cab is preserved around Rochester, NY...
I think a museum like the IRM should buy and preserve a trainset.
Yeah. I would think it would be more fitting for a museum in New York State to buy one however... The 2 left are of the RTL variant. All RTGs are essentially scrapped, however theres one rusting a way in the back of a junk yard in Ellis, Indiana along route 54. RTGs would be better for IRM... they handled the corridors around chicago more.
One trainset was moved recently. Maybe it is going to a museum.
ruclips.net/video/ElJjeW0ncuk/видео.html
One was moved north to North Jersey. I have video of the move.
I remember seeing what looked like a bullet train cab at the state fair in Syracuse I remember it looking more like the cab of an X2000. I could be wrong as I was very young
@AmtrakGuy365 Do you have an Amtrak Acela edition of Engines of Amtrak?
Amtrakguy365 It would be nice if one of the Tubroliner sets was preserved. Also, Great Video!Can't wait for the E60! Keep up the good work!
I have a old Amtrak Jouef Turbotrain engine only I would like to find out how much its worth.
One of my teachers told me a story of a trip she took on the RTG’s. I can’t believe it. What a small world.
Saw two pairs here in NJ. Quite the catch!
I guess this is where they got T-1000 name for terminator 2
I liked your video. I liked the old Amtrak commercials. I want to know when you're going to make a video about the new Siemens Charger locomotive or the new ACS-64s. I really enjoyed your video. Thank you.
I saw the turboliners in Montreal in the early 90's when they were used briefly on the Adirondack. They actually didn't look strange next to VIA's LRC trainsets.
Hey man I'm a big fan, I've been here since 5k , keep up the good work
Yes next is the Amtrak e60! Which is my favorite electric engine!!! And it has my favorite horn, the Nathan Airchime p01235!
I never seen an Amtrak turbotrain, French built turboliner, American built turboliner RTL1, RTL2 & RTL 3 Acela paint scheme, SDP40F, F40PH, P30CH, E60, SC44, Amtrak Ice Train, Amtrak X2000, & Amtrak New trains that are coming up. But one day I will see them one day
Um sorry to burst your bubble but Amtrak no longer had the RTL's, SDP40F's, F40's, P30's, or E60's. And the Amtrak ICE train is long gone with the Amtrak X2000.
YASSSS! THE E60 IS NEXT
Love the E60s. I never got to ride behind one but P01235s are sexy.
NCSTLsteamtrain 150 and I'm so exited about it and also it will see it on 9/9/2017 when it go to Pennsylvania on my very very very very early birthday before my birthday in 10/12/2014 and I'm going with Monika, Natalia, Michele, Thomak, machik, Alexandra trofort, my mom and my day and also I'm brining kiyear and also he's from my bus and my bus is 427 and i always take it to school every day and also I have a contract for my behavior on my bus and also I misbehave and behave and I had a meeting and also if I misbehave on the bus, I loose my computer privladge, if I behave on the bus, then if I behave on the bus I earn my privladge and I lost it for 6 days and it lost it for the first time last year and I lost it this year for 5 years and also it makes my computer not work and it gets very angry and don't worry, will not witnise it as fortantuly or maby unfortunately
NCSTLsteamtrain 150 AND IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THE AMTRAK GG1 IS COMING UP
What a sad ending too the engine. But of course, these vehicles will live happy forever.
iight i got a question. Doesn't conrail and the mta own most of the empire corridor? And if so. Y was amtrak being sued for track maintenance that doesn't belong to them?
No, Conrail originally own most of the tracks until 1999. In 1997 two rival freight companies CSX and Norfolk Southern wanted to expand track ownership when Conrail was losing money. After 2 years of heated arguments, they compromised and the assets were split between them with Norfolk Southern taking the most. Now CSX Transportation owns most of the Empire Corridor. As for the second question, you might want to retract the "if so" cause that STILL won't save Amtrak from being sued as part of the lawsuit involved the train sets.
That was a nice video. And what does RTL stand for?
You also gave us the origin of the TGV, pretty neato
As of Jan. 12, 2019, there is one set in between Princeton Junction and New Brunswick on a siding that you see when you ride on the NEC
Hopefully we can see Turboliners making a comeback soon, because those sideman chargers will have to replace those P40 sierras trains at some point and something needs to take their place.
Thanks for doing this video. I rode the RTGs in France from Paris to St Malo. They were nice and smooth. Good points made throughout the video. I never knew how far and long their career was here i the US.
Are you going to make a video of the SNCF CC2103 that made it here when tested against the Sweedish locomotive in the 70s? I've never seen footage and only pictures.
So sad Amtrak doesn't use these great sets anymore. Ridership would be more high
A U T O G R A M M E R E R :
____________________________
*higher
The Acela imo is better with how electric conserving it is
one was spotted being moved on January 11th actually it's on youtube
@@spdaylight1
I have video of one being moved to North Jersey
They must have them in Colorado.
Trainiac caught one being moved through hamilton station in nj. Also my go to station
Great video! I never had heard about the turboliner before but it seems a really nice train!
So sad that there are no more turbofans for at least exhibition or something. :(
Turbotrain was SNCF response to Aérotrain. Aérotrain is a French invention It's a tracked hovercraft developed in 60-70's that quickly reach high speeds, faster than any train. SNCF see a threat and start to develop high speed trains, the Turbotrains. Ultimate turbotrain was TGV001 the first TGV prototype powered by 6 gas turbines and the only petrol powered TGV.
After 1974 oil crisis Aérotrain was abandoned and TGV was chosen but with full electric power.
I have some videos of Aérotrain on my channel and for more information search "Aérotrain Jean Bertin" in a search engine.
The closest i got to a Turboliner was the X4300 DMUs operated by RegioTrans in Romania (brought second-hand from the SNCF).
Jokes aside, seems like a waste to scrap those turboliners. Wouldnt it have been easier to just sell them to someone else and operate them, if costs allowed that?
Gotta love that RailRoadTycoon 3 soundtrack
i like all types of the turboliners
R.I.P. RTGs, hope to see RTLs go on a test run sometime.
I want to see the Turboliner make a comeback in the future
Well done! Very well done.
Those are abandoned Amtrak trains but do Amtrak f40phs work in 2021?
Well done! Very informative!
great video. I liked the old vibe
That VIA Rail Turbotrain @1:29 looks like it filled in for a piñata, the way it's dented up like that. It may have been built by United Aircraft, but that looks like one bodged fuselage, unfit for flight on land or in sky.
Thank you. Pretty interesting history. Far different outcome from freight turbine service.
Excited for F40PH and LRC
Back in the mid eighties I seen one of these trains going towards Syracuse NY.
Thanks for this amazing video!
It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been just over 5 years since this video was published
All your videos are amazing!!, im new here in your channel, do you make freight engines videos as well??
R.I.P the turboliner
I like the french-built more.
Have you considered reviewing the ICE train, or the P30ch's?