Re: (rshsdepot) "450-Ton Locomotive at the Waldorf-Astoria"

["JIMBEAR" <ribear_@_cox.net>]

Lucky and Daniel,
It was even more complicated than that. The New Haven's overhead
catenary system ran on 11,000 volt AC current, while the NYC's 3rd
rail system ran on 600 volt DC. The FL-9s were ordered at a time
when the NH under the lamentable (but unlamented) Patrick McGinnis
was considering abandoning the entire electrification from New Haven
to Woodlawn Junction. The FL-9s were designed to run from Boston
to Woodlawn on diesel, then switch over to the NYC's 3rd rail power
at Woodlawn to comply with NYC ordinances that required electric
motive power. The FL-9 didn't need the large AC pantographs used
on the other NH electrics because the catenary wasn't supposed to be
there anymore, but they did need special 3rd rail shoes that could be
set in two different positions -- one for the NYC's under-running 3rd
rails, and another for the LIRR/PRR top-contact rail in case they had
run into Penn Station. As Daniel mentioned, the electrical control system
system required to change from the onboard power to 3rd rail power
was complicated and never really perfected in the FL-9s -- there were
several cases of electrical fires in FL-9s including one that had to go
back to EMD for a complete rebuild.

Jim.



- ----- Original Message -----
From: <CoolGuy127_@_aol.com>
To: <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 11:30 PM
Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) "450-Ton Locomotive at the Waldorf-Astoria"


> In a message dated 3/6/02 11:15:09 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> luckyshow_@_mindspring.com writes:
>
>
> > re: NH EMD FL-9's-why would a New Haven power not have catenary but only a
> > shoe?
>
>        As a layman, it would seem to me that using electric power to run a
> diesel-electric engine should be no more complicated than taking a laptop
> computer and plugging it into an electric outlet.  I would have thought that
> the railroad would want to take advantage of the availability of cheap
> electric power and would choose to run the engines by electric power whenever
> possible.
>
>        The facts, though, apparently are a little different.  For some reason
> that I don't fully understand, the conversion of electric power from catenary
> or third-rail to the type needed to run a diesel-electric engine is very
> complicated.  It is so complicated that these FL-9-type engines operate under
> electric power only when absolutely necessary.  They cannot achieve full
> power when operating in electric mode.  Thus, Metro-North operates trains
> with dual-power Genesis engines from Grand Central Terminal in New York City
> to Poughkeepsie.  The line is electrified all the way to Croton-Harmon, but
> the dual-mode engines operate in electric power mode only until they get out
> of the Park Avenue tunnels.  The rest of the way, they operate in diesel
> mode.
>
>        So, to answer the first question, the only purpose of the electric
> mode of the FL-9 was to get the train out of the Park Avenue tunnels.  Thus,
> there was no need to have pantographs for the catenary on the New Haven line.
>
>                    Daniel Chazin
>                    Teaneck, NJ


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