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 Amtrak AEM-7 No. 943 with aMetroliner atSeabrook, Maryland, in 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheEMD AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axleB-B 7,000 hp (5.2 MW)electric locomotive manufactured byElectro-Motive Division (EMD) andASEA between 1978 and 1988. The locomotive is a derivative of the SwedishSJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in theUnited States. The primary customer wasAmtrak, which bought 54 for use on theNortheast Corridor andKeystone Corridor. Two commuter operators,MARC andSEPTA, also purchased locomotives, for a total of 65.
Amtrak ordered the AEM-7 after the failure of theGE E60 locomotive. The first locomotives entered service in 1980 and were an immediate success, ending a decade of uncertainty on the Northeast Corridor. In the late 1990s, Amtrak rebuilt 29 of its locomotives from DC to AC traction. The locomotives continued operating through the arrival of the finalSiemens ACS-64 in June 2016. MARC retired its fleet in April 2017 in favor ofSiemens Chargers, and SEPTA retired all seven of its AEM-7s in November 2018 in favor of ACS-64s.
Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. Amtrak retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before.[3] To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric anddiesel) and 1190passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.[4]
Operation on the electrified portion of theNortheast Corridor was split between theBudd Metrolinerelectric multiple units andPRR GG1 locomotives. The latter were over 35 years old and restricted to 85 mph (137 km/h).[5] Amtrak sought a replacement, but no US manufacturer offered an electric passenger locomotive. Importing and adapting a European locomotive would require a three-year lead time. With few other options, Amtrak turned to GE to adapt the E60C freight locomotive for passenger service.[6] GE delivered two models, the E60CP and the E60CH. However, the locomotives proved unsuitable for speeds above 90 mph (145 km/h), leaving Amtrak once again in need of a permanent solution.[7]
Amtrak then examined existing European high-speed designs, and two were imported for trials in 1976–77: the SwedishSJ Rc4 (AmtrakNo. X995,SJ No. 1166), and the FrenchSNCF Class CC 21000 (Amtrak No. X996,SNCF No. 21003).[8] Amtrak favored the Swedish design, which became the basis for the AEM-7.[9]
| AEM-7 | PRR GG1 | GE E60 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 51 ft1+25⁄32 in (15.59 m)[10] | 79 feet 6 inches (24.23 m)[11] | 71 ft 3 in (21.7 m)[12] |
| Weight[13] | 101 short tons (90 long tons; 92 t) | 193.5 short tons (173 long tons; 176 t) | 237.5 short tons (212 long tons; 215 t) |
The AEM-7 was far smaller than its predecessors, thePRR GG1 and theGE E60. It measured51 ft1+25⁄32 in (15.59 m) long by 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) wide, and stood 14 ft 9.5 in (4.51 m) tall,[10] a decrease in length of over 20 ft (6.1 m).[11][12] The AEM-7's weight was half that of the E60CP or the GG1.[13][11] On its introduction it was the "smallest and lightest high horsepower locomotive in North America."[14] TheBudd Company manufactured the carbodies for the initial Amtrak order, while the Austrian firmSimmering-Graz-Pauker built the carbodies for the MARC and SEPTA orders.[15]
Reflecting the varied electrification schemes on theNortheast Corridor the locomotives could operate at three different voltages:11 kV 25 Hz AC,12.5 kV 60 Hz AC and25 kV 60 Hz.[16] A pair ofFaiveley DS-11 two-stagepantographs, one at each end of the locomotive, collected power from the overheadcatenary wire.[17]Thyristor converters stepped down the high-voltage AC to provide DC power at a much lower voltage to four traction motors, one per axle.[18] As built the AEM-7 was rated at 7,000 hp (5.2 MW), with a startingtractive effort of 51,710 lbf (230 kN) and a continuous tractive effort of 28,100 lbf (125 kN). Its maximum speed was 125 miles per hour (201.2 km/h).[14] A separate static converter supplied 500 kW 480 Vhead-end power (HEP) for passenger comfort.[19] This was sufficient to supply heating, lighting, and other electrical needs in 8-10Amfleet cars.[20]
The rebuilt AEM-7ACs used AC traction instead of DC traction. The power modules used water-cooledinsulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology and provided about 5,000 kilowatts (6,700 horsepower) of traction power plus 1,000 kilowatts (1,300 horsepower) of HEP, twice the HEP capacity of the original DC units. The 6 FXA 5856 traction motors, from Alstom's ONIX family of propulsion components, had a maximum rating of 1,250–1,275 kilowatts (1,676–1,710 horsepower) each and a continuous rating of 1,080 kilowatts (1,450 horsepower). The remanufactured AEM-7ACs were the world's first passenger locomotives to incorporate IGBT technology.[1][21]
Amtrak planned a fleet of 53 locomotives, with an estimated cost of $137.5 million.[22] Limited funding hampered that plan, but in September 1977 Amtrak proceeded with a plan to buy 30 locomotives for $77.8 million. Five groups bid on the contract: General Motors'Electro-Motive Division (EMD)/ASEA,Morrison–Knudsen/Alstom,Brown Boveri,Siemens/KraussMaffei, andAEG/KraussMaffei.[23] Amtrak awarded the contract to the EMD/ASEA partnership in January 1978.[24] It ordered 17 more locomotives in February 1980, bringing the total to 47.[25]
The Railroad Test Track at theTransportation Test Center inPueblo, Colorado was electrified in 1979 under sponsorship by the Northeast Corridor. The first locomotive completed, No. 900, was delivered to Amtrak in February 1980, then after acceptance testing, it was shipped to TTC for performance tests from April 1980 to May 1981.[26]: xvii Testing included evaluation of three different pantograph designs,[26]: 1, 115 instantaneous power and total energy consumed during operation,[26]: 59, 84 and reliability testing, during which the AEM-7 was operated for 156,200 mi (251,400 km).[26]: 97
Revenue service began on May 9, 1980, when No. 901 departedWashington Union Station with aMetroliner service.[27] The Swedish influence led to the nickname "Meatball", afterSwedish meatballs.Railfans nicknamed the boxy locomotives "toasters".[28] Between 1980 and 1982, 47 AEM-7s (Nos. 900–946) went into service.[29] Amtrak retired the last of itsPRR GG1s on May 1, 1981,[30] while most of theGE E60s were sold to other operators.[31] The new locomotives swiftly proved themselves;Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia stated that no new locomotive since theNew York Central Hudson had "such an impact on speeds and schedule performance."[32]
This strong performance led to further orders. Amtrak added seven more locomotives in 1987, delivered in 1988, for a total of 54.[29] Two commuter operators in the Northeast ordered AEM-7s.MARC ordered four in 1986 for use on itsPenn Line service on theNortheast Corridor betweenWashington, D.C., andPerryville, Maryland.[33] TheSoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ordered seven in 1987.[34] Amtrak also used the AEM-7s to handle theKeystone Service on theKeystone Corridor betweenHarrisburg andPhiladelphia as the Budd Metroliners, displaced from the Northeast Corridor, reached the end of their service lives.[35]
In 1999, Amtrak andAlstom began a remanufacturing program for Amtrak's AEM-7s. Alstom suppliedAC propulsion equipment, electrical cabinets, transformers, HEP, and cab displays. The rebuild provided Amtrak with locomotives that had improved high endtractive effort and performance with longer trains. Amtrak workers performed the overhauls under Alstom supervision at Amtrak's shop inWilmington, Delaware.[36] These remanufactured AEM-7s were designatedAEM-7AC. Between 1999 and 2002, Amtrak rebuilt 29 of its AEM-7s.[37]
As the locomotives passed 30 years of service their operators made plans for replacements. In 2010, Amtrak ordered 70Siemens ACS-64 locomotives to replace both the AEM-7s and the newer but unreliableBombardier/Alstom HHP-8s.[38] The ACS-64s began entering revenue service in February 2014.[39] The last two active AEM-7s, Amtrak Nos. 942 and 946, made their final run on June 18, 2016, on a special farewell excursion that ran between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.[40]
While Amtrak was replacing its AEM-7s, MARC initially decided in 2013 to phase out its electric operations on the Penn Line altogether and retire both its AEM-7 andBombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives,[41] but the railroad instead started a refurbishment program for its HHP-8s in 2017.[42] As of September 2017[update], the first HHP-8 reconditioned under this program had been delivered and was undergoing successful testing.[43] MARC selected theSiemens Charger diesel locomotive as the replacement for its AEM-7 fleet in 2015.[44] The last of the MARC AEM-7s were retired by April 2017, with the Chargers entering service in January 2018.[42]
SEPTA continues to use electric traction, replacing its seven AEM-7s and loneABB ALP-44, an improved AEM-7, with fifteen ACS-64s.[45][46][47] The first SEPTA ACS-64, #901, entered revenue service on July 11, 2018.[48] On December 1, 2018, SEPTA held a farewell excursion for the AEM-7 and ALP-44 locomotives along thePaoli/Thorndale Line.[45][49]
Two locomotives, ex-Amtrak Nos. 928 and 942, were moved to theTransportation Technology Center in July 2017.[50] 15 AEM-7s entered storage at theSeaview Transportation Company in Rhode Island amid potential interest from theMBTA. When the MBTA declined to acquire the units, Seaview began scrapping them, with three units remaining in late 2024.[51]
Caltrain, which operates commuter trains in theSan Francisco Bay Area, purchased two retired Amtrak AEM-7s to test theirelectrification system once completed. The units would also serve as backup power for EMU cars.[52] On June 7, 2018, the board awarded two contracts totalling approximately $600,000: one to purchase two AEM-7ACs from Mitsui & Co, and the other to Amtrak for refurbishment, training, and transportation tothe Caltrain maintenance facility in San Jose.[53][54] Locomotive Nos. 929 and 938 were delivered to California by Amtrak in June 2019.[55]
The seven SEPTA AEM-7s were leased toNJ Transit beginning in late December 2018 for the purpose of allowing NJ Transit to roster additional locomotives equipped withpositive train control (PTC) in order to meet a deadline for operating PTC-capable equipment.[56] However, they were never used and subsequently returned. SEPTA then used them exclusively for overnight work service during autumn,cleaning tracks and applying traction gel.[57][58] In 2022, SEPTA sold the AEM-7s and ALP-44 for scrap.[59]
Three ex-Amtrak units have been preserved: Nos. 915 at theRailroad Museum of Pennsylvania,[60] 945 at theIllinois Railway Museum,[61] and 917 at theDanbury Railway Museum.[62] A fourth unit, no. 927, was purchased from Seaview by Northeast Rail Heritage Inc. in 2024 for eventual preservation.[51]
