This unit was set out east of the Amtrak depot in Minot, from the eastbound Empire Builder. It may be bad ordered, or it may be power for the westbound 7. I don't know, but there's a TON of buzz on the facebook groups about the issues the new Chargers are having in this most recent cold snap.
Some software issues, #7 died at the west portal of Cascade Tunnel two days ago. No HEP. Bad time of year to be in that train, freezing, no toilets, etc! Update; as of 9pm, Thursday #7 is 12 hours late and east of Skykomish, Wa and is broke down again! Crew saying units shutdown, trying to restart. BNSF is gonna' ban these here soon!
Seems as though those units operate as poorly as their outward appearance. I was communicating with an ATK agent a few days ago. That person is REALLY frustrated with having to deal with these constantly late trains. Both the unhappy waiting people and their personal life a mess, due to being stuck at the station until it finally arrives.
Amtrak needs to talk to the folks at Farmer's Insurance. They know a thing or two, because they've seen a thing or two....
My friend Jacob Casas was out chasing Amtrak again yesterday. He caught the Texas Eagle No. 22 with Dash 8-32BWH #518 on the point heading north outside of San Antonio. I saw it in Chicago back on April 29, 2012 in an earlier paint scheme here on the far left. These locomotives were delivered with the original Pepsi Can paint scheme in 1991.
Love those "Pooches", another crazy GE passenger loco design! Did they all get scrapped, or was atleast one saved?
The Chargers are slowly growing on me. I like the big vent on the sides and you can see the lights on inside. They remind me of the old FM and Baldwin designs. Doug
Hopefully get the bugs/kinks worked out of them, they're reliability has been less than subpar, especially in the colder weather.
I think we should all protest at the discrimination against us in the upper midwest. It's like, "Hey, we don't all live in California or Florida!" Doug
So why would they not test a prototype of the Charger in all weather conditions, and areas of the country? Too expensive? Too difficult, etc...
I don't get it. Siemens sells locomotives to a great many countries that have winters as bad as ours. Why are the US built Chargers the only ones having problems? Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
We might not be the only problem areas. Perhaps other areas don't have the free press that we enjoy in America,
I've heard a few people here and there, say the diesel exhaust fluid, or "DEF" on the Chargers don't have a heater in them, so in cold weather it freezes up and shuts down the loco. You'd think they'd think of that when they built them?
