Turboliner
The Turboliners were a family of
The second batch, known as RTL, were of a similar design but manufactured by
Background
Amtrak acquired the Turboliners with multiple goals in mind. The Turboliners were expected to cost less to operate than a comparable diesel locomotive with conventional cars while having a higher operating speed, though this would be constrained by track conditions. Amtrak also hoped that introducing new equipment would generate favorable publicity. Two years into its existence, Amtrak was fighting the perception that it was making "cosmetic changes to hand-me-down equipment". New gas turbine trainsets could change that perception.[3]
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw several countries experimenting with gas turbine trains. The UAC TurboTrain had been in revenue service in the United States and Canada since 1968, with mixed results.[4] British Rail began testing the APT-E in 1972; for a variety of reasons, British Rail did not pursue gas turbine propulsion.[5]
RTG
RTG Turboliner | |
---|---|
ANF | |
Constructed | 1973–1975 |
Number built | 6 trainsets |
Number preserved | 0 |
Number scrapped | 6 |
Formation | Five cars |
Fleet numbers | 58–69 |
Capacity | 296 passengers |
Operators | Amtrak |
Specifications | |
Car length | 86 ft 1 in (26.24 m) |
Width | 9 ft 5+1⁄2 in (2,883 mm)[6] |
Maximum speed | 125 mph (201.2 km/h) |
Engine type | Turboshaft |
Power output |
|
standard gauge | |
Notes/references | |
[7] |
Design
The RTG (abbreviated from the French Rame à Turbine à Gaz, or gas turbine train)
Each trainset consisted of two
Between 1985 and 1988, three RTG trainsets (numbered 64 to 69) were rebuilt at the Beech Grove Shops for the Empire Corridor in New York. Each trainset received an RTL-style nose and third rail capability for operation into Grand Central Terminal. A new 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) Turbomeca engine replaced the original.[16] The rebuilt units were designated RTG-II.[17]
Service
Amtrak leased two RTG trainsets from ANF for 18 months in August 1973, at $85,000 per month with an option to purchase.
Advantages over conventional diesel equipment included increased availability, higher speed through curves, and decreased weight which caused less wear on the tracks.[6] Impressed with their reliability, Amtrak purchased the trainsets outright and ordered another four trainsets, which entered service in 1975 on the Chicago–Milwaukee and Chicago–Detroit corridors.[21][22] The purchase price for the six trainsets was $18 million.[18] Amtrak contemplated ordering an additional 14 trainsets for the partially electrified Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York City. Doing so would have required a significant rise in fares between the two cities, and the United States Department of Transportation blocked the proposal.[23]
Amtrak established a separate maintenance facility for all six trainsets in the
The three rebuilt RTG-II trainsets joined the RTL trainsets on the Empire Corridor in 1988.
St Louis
The two daily round-trips were branded Turboliner, replacing the individual names
Detroit
Turboliners arrived on the Detroit run on April 10, 1975. Additional equipment allowed Amtrak to add a round-trip in late April; the arrival of a third trainset in May made Chicago–Detroit the "first all-turbine-powered route". After one year of operation, ridership on the corridor had increased by 72 percent. The fixed capacity of 292 passengers on an RTL trainset proved an impediment; Amtrak could not add capacity when demand outstripped supply. Amtrak replaced one of the trainsets with a conventional locomotive hauling then-new Amfleet coaches in 1976; Turboliner service ended altogether by 1981 as more Amfleet equipment became available.[28]
Milwaukee
Turboliners debuted on the Hiawatha corridor on June 1, 1975, and more trainsets began operating in 1976. As with the St. Louis and Detroit corridors, Amtrak dropped individual names in favor of the Turboliner branding in 1976, but reinstated these names in 1980. Turboliner equipment was withdrawn altogether in 1981. Their withdrawal was the end of Turboliner service in the Midwest.[29]
RTL
RTL Turboliner | |
---|---|
standard gauge | |
Notes/references | |
[30] |
Amtrak ordered another seven Turboliner trainsets, which were delivered between 1976 and 1977.
The RTL Turboliners were wider than the RTG Turboliners (10 feet or 3.05 meters versus 9 feet 5+1⁄2 inches or 2.88 meters) to accommodate more seating. The floor height was raised for use on the
The RTL Turboliners were capable of
The official inaugural run of the RTLs took place on September 18–19, 1976. Regular service on the Empire Corridor began on September 20.[43] Initially, the two trainsets were mostly confined to the New York–Albany shuttle, with a single round-trip each on Saturday and Sunday to Buffalo.[44] The New York–Montreal Adirondack received Turboliners on March 1, 1977, replacing conventional equipment.[45] By April 1977, Turboliners had displaced conventional equipment on most routes in upstate New York. Exceptions included some New York–Albany trains, as well as the long-distance Lake Shore Limited and Niagara Rainbow.[46] In 1989, after 12 years of operation, the availability of the fleet was at 90%.[41]
RTL-II
In 1995, Amtrak and the State of New York collaborated to rebuild a single RTL trainset at a cost of $2 million. This rebuild included a pair of new
RTL-III
In 1998, Amtrak and the State of New York began the High Speed Rail Improvement Program, a $185 million effort to improve service over the Empire Corridor. A key component was the reconstruction of all seven RTL Turboliner trainsets to the RTL-III specification. New York selected Super Steel Schenectady to perform the work, and the first two trainsets were to enter service in 1999. Numerous delays pushed the start of service to April 2003. Of the five additional trainsets, originally scheduled to enter service in 2002, only one was completed and it never entered revenue service.[50][51] All seven trainsets were renumbered in 2001 to prevent duplicate numbers with the new GE P42DCs and were painted in new Acela-style livery.[52] One of the rebuilt RTL-IIIs was tested on the night of February 15, 2001, reaching 125 mph (201 km/h).[53]
The first rebuilt RTL-III entered service on April 14, 2003.[37][54] The agreement between Amtrak and New York provided that New York would take ownership of the rebuilt trainsets once Amtrak had "fully accepted" them for regular revenue service. Amtrak withdrew all RTL-IIIs from service in June after problems developed with the air-conditioning systems. In 2004, New York sued Amtrak in federal court for $477 million, both for not operating the trainsets and for failing to complete track work in the Empire Corridor to permit regular 125-mile-per-hour (201 km/h) operation. Amtrak mothballed the equipment at its maintenance facility in Bear, Delaware. Joseph H. Boardman, then-Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation (and a future president of Amtrak), accused Amtrak of "stealing" the trains and threatened to find a new vendor for the state's intercity rail service.[55] Conventional Amfleet equipment replaced the trainsets in revenue service.
In April 2005, New York reached a settlement with Super Steel to close the rehabilitation project for $5.5 million, requiring them to stop work on the project, cover remaining costs, and move four unfinished trains into storage at a nearby industrial park. This settlement, when added to the $64.8 million previously spent, brought total project expenses—the results of which were three rehabilitated trainsets and four others in various states of repair—to $70.3 million.[56] In 2007, Amtrak and New York settled their own lawsuit, with Amtrak paying New York $20 million. Amtrak and New York further agreed to commit $10 million each to implement track improvements in the Empire Corridor.[57] New York, which was paying $150,000 per year to store the unused trains, auctioned off its four surplus Turboliners in 2012 for $420,000, including spare parts; scrapping began in 2013.[58][59]
See also
- Bombardier JetTrain
- Turbine-electric transmission
Notes
- ^ Kelly, John (June 5, 2001). "Amtrak's beginnings". Classic Trains. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
- ^ Simon & Warner 2011, p. 108
- ^ Sanders 2006, p. 227
- ^ Pinkepank & Marre 1979, pp. 83–84
- ^ Duffy 2003, p. 403
- ^ a b c Pier & Foster 1975, p. 4
- ^ Pinkepank & Marre 1979, p. 83
- ^
- ^ a b NTSB 1976, p. 8
- ^ "Forty Years of Amtrak Locomotive Horns" (PDF). Key, Lock & Lantern. 40 (4). November–December 2011.
- ^ LACMTA 1995, p. 15
- ^ 64 FR 25544
- ^ Bing, Berry & Henderson 1996, pp. 2–16
- ^ a b Morgan 1974, p. 22
- ^ "The American Turboliner" (PDF). ASME. 75 (GT-108). December 1975.
- ^ a b Keefe 1988, p. 33
- ^ Simon & Warner 2011, p. 95
- ^ a b Congress 1974, p. 41
- ^ French turbo arrives: C'est is bon Railway Age August 27, 1973, page 10
- ^ Morgan 1974, p. 21
- ^ a b Solomon 2004, p. 147
- ^ a b Allen 1992, p. 143
- ^ Congress 1974, p. 53
- ^ Sanders 2006, p. 262
- ^ "Amtrak Replacing Trains". The New York Times. September 6, 1981. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
- ^ Smyth, Julie Carr (October 20, 1994). "Amtrak Retires Line of Trains: Schedules to Change After Fire-Prone Turboliners Are Pulled". Times Union. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014.
- ^ Sanders 2006, pp. 227–229
- ^ Sanders 2006, pp. 195–202
- ^ Sanders 2006, p. 176
- ^ a b c Amtrak (April 1977). "Join Amtrak for a journey into the future".
- Amtrak NewsAugust 1, 1974, page 1
- ^ Americanizing the Turboliner Railway Age April 14, 1975, pages 20, 21, 26, 27
- ISSN 0030-879X. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 22, 2022.
- ^ Solomon 2004, p. 148
- ^ USDOT 1994, pp. 2–25
- ^ NTSB 1981, pp. 9–10
- ^ a b Johnston 2003, p. 24
- ^ NTSB 1981, p. 3
- ^ Pinkepank & Marre 1979, p. 84
- ^ EuDaly et al. 2009, p. 227
- ^ a b Pier 1989, p. 2
- ^ Amtrak 2011, p. 32
- ^
- ^ Amtrak (August 5, 2014). "Celebrating 40 Years of the Adirondack". Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ Amtrak contract goes to Turbomeca Railways Age Jne 1994 page 23
- ^ Turo Train Refurbished International Railway Journal March 1995 page 4
- ^ Vantuono, William C. (March 1, 1995). "A turbo in your future?". Railway Age. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2014 – via HighBeam.
- ^ Maldonaldo, Carmen (February 9, 2005). "Turboliner Modernization Project SSSI Payment Verification and Close-out Costs Report 2004-S-10" (PDF). Office of the New York State Comptroller. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2016.
- ^ Martin, Ben (July 1999). "Super Steel Schenectady". RailNews (428). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ^ Simon & Warner 2011, p. 98
- ^ New York State (February 21, 2001). "Governor Announces Successful 125 MPH Run Of NY's High Speed Train". Archived from the original on July 17, 2006.
- ^ Turbos return Railway Gazette International May 2003 page 258
- ^ Woodruff, Cathy (September 23, 2004). "DOT Rails Against Amtrak". Times Union. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014.
- ^ Woodruff, Cathy (May 28, 2005). "Express rail plan hits end of line". Times Union. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
- ^ Woodruff, Cathy (December 13, 2007). "Track cleared for upgrades; State suit settled; Amtrak to pay $20M, make improvements". Times Union. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014.
- ^ "New York Turboliners being scrapped". Trains News Wire. January 4, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ Karlin, Rick (December 13, 2012). "Trains' final destination: Scrap". Times Union. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
References
- Allen, Geoffrey Freeman (1992). The World's Fastest Trains: From the Age of Steam to the TGV (2nd ed.). OCLC 26752357.
- Amtrak (2011). Amtrak: an American story. Washington, D.C.: National Railroad Passenger Corporation. OCLC 731030633.
- Bing, Alan J.; Berry, Shaun R.; Henderson, Hal B. (1996). Design Data on Suspension Systems of Selected Rail Passenger Cars (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Federal Railroad Administration.
- Duffy, Michael C. (2003). Electric Railways 1880-1990. London: ISBN 978-0-85296-805-5.
- OCLC 209631579.
- Johnston, Bob (August 2003). "Hudson River Turboliners finally rolling". Trains. 63 (8). – via EBSCO's MasterFILE Complete (subscription required)
- Keefe, Kevin P. (October 1988). "Beech Grove". ISSN 0041-0934.
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (August 3, 1995). "Alternate Rail Technology Overview: Final Report" (PDF).
- Morgan, David P. (January 1974). "Biggest travel news since the 747?". ISSN 0041-0934.
- OCLC 45567906.
- OCLC 7530396.
- Pier, J. R.; Foster, J. L. (1975). The American Turboliner. Gas Turbine Conference & Products Show, Houston, Texas, March 2–6, 1975. . 75-GT-108.
- Pier, Jerome R. (1989). The American Turboliner: A Progress Report (PDF). Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exposition, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 4–8, 1989. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 89-GT-110. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A.; Marre, Louis A. (1979). Diesel Spotter's Guide Update. Milwaukee, WI: ISBN 0-89024-029-9.
- Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
- Simon, Elbert; Warner, David C. (2011). Holland, Kevin J. (ed.). Amtrak by the Numbers: A Comprehensive Passenger Car and Motive Power Roster – 1971–2011. Kansas City, Missouri: White River Productions. ISBN 978-1-932804-12-6.
- Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MBI. ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Subcommittee on Transportation and Aeronautics (1974). Amtrak authorization--1975 hearings before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Aeronautics of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Ninety-third Congress, second session, on H.R. 15427 and H.R. 15428 ... June 17 and 20, 1974 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office.
- United States Department of Transportation (1994). Final environmental impact statement/report and 4(f) statement: Northeast Corridor Improvement Project Electrification-New Haven, CT to Boston, MA. Washington, D.C.
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Further reading
- Pier, Jerome R. (1976). "Rohr Industries Train". In Hlasnick, Marie T. (ed.). Improved Passenger Train Service. Carnegie-Mellon Conference on Improved Passenger Train Service December 2–4, 1975. Pittsburgh: Transportation Research Institute.