Are there also any electric railroads in the US? I know that most American trains are driven by Diesel or steam.
All passenger save for a couple isolated coal mine roads out west.
Catenary:
Amtrak Washington to Boston via New York City, also Philadelphia-Harrisburg
SEPTA - Philly area commuter several lines
New Jersey Transit - Multiple lines out of NYC and Hoboken NJ
Mainline third rail:
Long Island RR – Multiple lines from NY Penn Sta. to the Island
Metro North RR – two ex-New York Central commuter lines from Grand Central
And, Metro-North’s New Haven (CT) line is mostly catenary, but uses third rail into NYC Grand Central.
No mainline freight is electrified. Not sure if the one or two oddball former interurban lines in the midwest still run freight under wires.
South Shore Line runs EMUs on its commuter line between Chicago and South Bend, IN. From Kensington (115th Street, Chicago) to Randolph Street, Chicago the SSL trains run over the tracks of the Metra (ex-IC) Electric District. The MED has a mainline that extends about 35 miles out from Chicago south to University Park, IL and two branches, the South Chicago branch from 67th Street, Chicago to 93rd Street, serving the southeast side of the City, and the Blue Island Branch to the suburb of the same name.
EMUs also run in Philadelphia suburban service (ex-PRR and RDG lines now run by SEPTA) and in New Jersey on the ex-PRR and EL lines, now run by NJ Transit. Both SEPTA and NJT also run on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, which is electrified from Washington to Boston. NJT and SEPTA also have some locomotive-hauled commuter trains, as does MARC in Maryland. The MARC trains also run on the NE Corridor. Amtrak’s NE Corridor services are all electrified.
Metro-North and Connecticut DOT run EMUs and dual-power (diesel-electric/electric) locomotives on former NYC and NH lines out of New York City. Long Island Railroad has EMUs and dual-power locomotives to haul trains on its lines out of New York City.
In terms of pure freight haulage under wires, there’s the Black Mesa & Lake Powell out west. Navajo Mines also has electric haulage.
Hope this helps a bit!
As of late December 2005 the Iowa Traction Company of Mason City, Iowa, still was operating its entire system with 600-volts DC overhead. Sadly it looked like it had only one active interchange (with Union Pacific?), one on-line grain processor, and one scrap metals dealer for customers. There’s a secondary state highway that parallels their mainline between Clear Lake and Mason City, and it’s a good place from which to see whatever action is going on. I’m thinking it’s strictly a Monday through Friday operation right now, 100% freight and zero passenger.
The New Haven railroad was the first major road to do some major electrifying in the early 1900’s - the line from New Haven, CT to New York was done in 1907.
Other RR’s like the PRR followed the NH’s lead including the 11000vAC 25c system and methods of electrification.
The New Haven RR pioneered AC/DC locomotives and had the first dual-mode diesel-electric/electric which could run off its diesel engine and generator or the third rail in NY.
Before WWI the NH planned to electrify all the way to Boston, but due to financial trouble, it did not happen until the 1990’s under Amtrak.
The New Haven RR/Metro North New Canaan branch was and is still electrified and the NHRR Danbury branch used to be - now the wires are gone and MN uses diesel powered trains on this branch.
The New Haven had HEAVY electric operations and a large fleet of passenger, freight, and yard electric locomotives.
Infact, the PRR GG1 was built based on the New Haven EP-3 after the PRR tested a New Haven EP-3 and was impressed with the New Haven/Westinghouse loco.
Muskingham in Ohio and Black Mesa and Lake Powell in Arizona haul coal to power plants.
NJT has several electric lines, mostly former Lackawanna. Most freight lines that were electrified no longer are if they even still exist. I remember reading in an older book that it was thought that electrification would become widespread, but this of course never happened.
I believe the Muskingam Railroad has been shut down because the mines it served were closed.
For further information about electrified railroads in the U.S. read “When Steam Roads Electrified” by William Middleton.
There is an electric operation in Canada – in Montreal, through the tunnel north from Gare Central Station. Recently bought entirely new rolling stock, replacing some locos that dated back to 1914.
The Milwaukee Road had a major electric operation out west.
I was going to mention these operations, but you beat me to it.
Besides the Milwaukee’s electric operation over the Divide, don’t forget Great Northern’s operation, ditto. Both required at the time because of longi***unnels and the problems the train crews had breathing with steam engines! When diesels started to become used on these runs, the ventilation problems became more manageable, and the costs of maintaining the electrification and separate equipments became excessive – so they were scrapped.
The Muskingum has been shut down for several years and at last report was being disposed of as scrap. There is very little chance the engines or cars trapped at the facility will get out “intact” as the line connecting to the former
B & O, (CSXT now Ohio Central) has multiple washouts and it would be a major project to restore same to condition which would allow towing the equipment to better rail. Trucking the engines is equally unlikely.
Dale
I am not sure why this myth continues to exist.
There is no Milwaukee study that ever suggested that the Electrification of its Western lines had anything to do with smoke in tunnels. It was purely an economic decision, made before the line was even built. Indeed, the final location surveys had not been completed, and there was no knowledge of the extent and length of major tunnels even available at that point in time.
Further, Milwaukee full dieselized in 1957. The electrification was not scrapped as the result of dieselization and abatement of smoke in tunnels. The Electrification continued to operate after that time.
This contrasted with the GN experience which did terminate its Electrification after Dieselization, and which has paid a bottleneck penalty at its Cascade Tunnel ever since, ironically, because of smoke, heat, and toxic combustion by-products resulting from operation of diesel locomotives in that very long tunnel.
As of 1971, the cost of operating the Electrification on the Milwaukee, including maintenance of engines, overhead and supply including power costs was less than the costs of equivalent diesel operation. By 1974, when the last Electric operated, the margin in favor of electrification had increased substantially due to the doubling and tripling of diesel fuel prices over the preceding 16 months. The cost of replacing available electrified horsepower with SD-40-2s at 14-16% interest not only burdened the Company with
It’s too bad that Michael Sol hasn’t figured out how to turn back the hands of time. Scrapping the MILW electrification and the Pacific Coast Extension may or may not have been a smart decision, but it happened a while ago and can’t be undone.
Oddly, no one has suggested that it could, although many have suggested it should.
However, the underlying decision making process is widely misunderstood. This happens to be an instance of that. Whatever is “too bad” about that is up to your own perceptions. You express them frequently enough.
Developing a more accurate historical context is useful for understanding the historical record and why it developed the way that it did. For those who actually manage, and actually make decisions, understanding that historical process is usually far more important than dilettantes ever suspect because, of course, they don’t understand the decision making process in the first place.
Milwaukee’s Electrification termination decision is a first class “case study” about how decisions are made.
I’m not convinced that “it happened a while ago” is a compelling justification for ignorance, but some seem to think so. The rationale is apparently self-fulfilling.
Best regards, Michael Sol
Facts? Facts? I don’t need no stinkin’ FACTS to make a railroading decision.
^says much about the railroad decision making process, additionaly figures lie and liars figure so you never know how much to the numbers are truly FACTS!
Well, whatever that means. In this Electrification discussion, there was in fact an underlying question regarding persistent rumors that the Mechanical Department was charging diesel repair work to electric engines in order to tilt the scales against the Electrification. The rumor was persistent at the Deer Lodge Roundhouse. Statistically, there was some evidence that it happened.
However, the advantages of having two studies, one internal and one extenal, each reaching a similar conclusion that was contrary to the “wishes” of the Mechanical Department, suggests that while the methodologies employed were somewhat different, the results were reliable.
If one had the idea that Management in that instance was presdisposed to termination, then the fact that the Company’s own study did not offer strong support to that predisposition probably gives lie to the suggestion that the internal study was concocted to support a preconceived notion.
Unless, of course, one subscribes to the theory that all studies are lies, and that therefore companies should not do any. It would b
Would like to see photos of anyone who models Milwaukee or GN electrics through the Cascades, I remember seeing some big honkin’ orange electric locos in the mountains when we were on holidays in the U.S. back in the late 60’s or early 70’s ? ? ?(were these Milwaukee?? ) What colour were GN electrics and just how far did these electrical systems extend?? Can you suggest some good reading material on theses 2 railways??? thanks
I do believe the East Troy museum has interchange with CN/WC in Wisconsin, and they run with traction.
Yes,those were Milwaukee electrics you saw.The GN electrics were originally painted dark green,and were later painted in the orange and green scheme.
GN’s electrification was about 74 miles long,and the Milwaukee’s was over 600 miles long total,in two seperate districts.