You remember the Amtrak Dash 8-32BWH engines? Well, lately I have seen them on the Southwest Chief tons of times, just about every time you see it. It’s always the third unit, though, and I still have never seen a PepsiCan leading a train. I read somewhere that these engines were reduced to maintenance and crew trains. Why? Are they not capable of running long distance trains or something?
I’m certain others will reply also but the basic reason is the P 40/42 were designed specifically as a passenger engine. The P38 (Dash 8-32BWH) is a freight engine regeared for passenger speeds.
They have been used exclusively to pull trains and have been used as “leaders” in MU lash-ups but were phased out for the Genesis engines.
Dale
Here’s a picture of PepsiCan 505 as the third unit in the Southwest Chief:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/Clermontia/ThirdUnitPepsiCan.jpg
I actually have a Ho model of the pepsi can engine and I think it is pretty. Cool looking engine I think anyway.
SchemerBob,
Here’s a photo of a pure Pepsi Can consist of locomotives 507 (lead unit) and 517 on number 4 as it made a (very very late) station stop in Emporia, KS on a hazy summer afternoon. The AT&SF depot was destroyed by fire in Aug of 1999, and the “amshak” (to the far right in pic) was taken out due to the elimination of Emporia as a stop.
Hope this helps [:)]
Take care,
Russell
Originally they were bought for use in the NE Corridor but the purchasing dept never talked to the clearance group so they bought engines that were too wide and high to fit in to the stations and tunnels in New York.
Amtrak had to bump them to western lines.
Dave H.
Thanks for all the pictures!! I like the Phase III type better because it is more like a “Pepsi-Can”. Phase IV is okay, but doesn’t really look like a Can anymore. When I was little I used to call these locomotives the “striped engines”.
Several of the B32-8WH’s appear to be assigned as heavy switchers and back-up power out of Chicago. They were meant to be interim power pending the design and building of the Genesis models.
I see them used for motive power occasionally on the Hiawatha trains between Chicago & Milwaukee.
Perhaps on the long-distance trains they are used primarily for head-end power, freeing up the HP of the Geneis locomotives to actually move the train. Or perhaps they trail due to the engine room not being enclosed. Or both.
I like the Phase III better too[8D]
slackstafford