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NJ Transit dual-mode locomotive makes first revenue trip
Good gosh industrial design is dead!
This would be a good locomotive for Amtrak to buy for NEC and Keystone trains, provided any of the latter can ever be extended west of Harrisburg. any train which uses the NEC going south of DC would be just perfect for this.
I’m glad I didn’t become a locomotive engineer for NJ Transit. I think I’d be embarressed to be operating one of those ugly things.
I also understand that they are planning to also use these engines on current diesel lines to run some trains directly into Penn Station NY alleviating the need to transfer in Newark to an electrified train.
I’m glad NJT was able to come up with reasons to “justify” why they bought such a complex piece of equipment before its requirement (Hudson River tunnel project) even got any traction.
Lake Hopatcong, N.J is the ex-morris & essex mainline the Boonton Line starets at denville nj & go’s to east orange nj
I got to walk through one of these at Innotrans 2010. It’s one massive locomotive!
Looks like a Woolybear.
One of my relatives is a diesel mechanic for NJ Transit rail, and told me that these locomotives are the most complex that he’d ever seen. He thinks that repairing these will be a major problem, because of the way components are crammed into the carbody. Accessing some components require the removal of several other components. Anyone remember the car (in the 80’s?) where the engine had to be pulled to reach the #7 sparkplug?
I think they look like slugs. Not a mother-slug combo, but a real, fat slug.
Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that when it comes to form follows function, passenger locomotive designers don’t have a clue? The ugliest freight locomotive every built for North American rails would look better. That includes any rebuilds for freight service. You know it is bad when the last good looking passenger power was the F40C and F40PH which were essentially freight power doctored up for passenger service.
Good Gosh! I hope it works better than it looks.