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GO Transit Fleet Equipment and other

cplchanb said:
I seriously doubt the emd 125 will even be considered given it only has 1 customer after all these years
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Well it’s still being sold by Progress Rail, so there’s still a chance.

Also I think it may actually have a chance as I heard the Chargers have reliability issues in colder weather, and since the F125 is an EMD, it has similar parts to the F59s, MP40s, and even a few parts of the MP54s.
 
RS3488 said:
Also I think it may actually have a chance as I heard the Chargers have reliability issues in colder weather,
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That story has been put to rest by three years of operations of the Chargers in the brutal Chicago winters. But hey, if you want to keep propagating an incorrect rumour.....

RS3488 said:
and since the F125 is an EMD, it has similar parts to the F59s, MP40s, and even a few parts of the MP54s.
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The amount of parts commonality between an F125 and an F59, MP40 or MP54 is measured in the fractions of a single percent. For all intents and purposes, there is none.

Also keep in mind that EMD hasn't existed in 12 years.

Dan
 
smallspy said:
That story has been put to rest by three years of operations of the Chargers in the brutal Chicago winters. But hey, if you want to keep propagating an incorrect rumour.....



The amount of parts commonality between an F125 and an F59, MP40 or MP54 is measured in the fractions of a single percent. For all intents and purposes, there is none.

Also keep in mind that EMD hasn't existed in 12 years.

Dan
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Yeah I was doubting the whole Charger reliability issue, especially considering that if that were true, it’s likely VIA would have not purchased them for HFR. I was just relaying what other people said to me, but I guess that is the nature of these rumours. My apologies.

All I wanted to say was I don’t think that the Charger is 100% going to be selected, considering that this an open tender and Metrolinx would have not done this had they knew the Charger would be the only choice.
 
RS3488 said:
All I wanted to say was I don’t think that the Charger is 100% going to be selected, considering that this an open tender and Metrolinx would have not done this had they knew the Charger would be the only choice.
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Well, let's put this into perspective, shall we?

At this moment, I think that it is safe to say that there are 3 manufacturers who are likely to bid on this tender, as they have recently built or are currently building locos for the North American passenger market. Those are Progress Rail (F125), Wabtec (HSP46, MP54AC, take your pick) and Siemens (Charger). Any one of these could be an option.

There is the potential for a bit of a dark horse with Alstom - they could certainly bid with a neuter'd version of the ALP-45DM, which is currently in production.

The reality is this - Metrolinx will choose whatever of the products meets their requirements (and keep in mind that at this moment very few people outside of Metrolinx and whomever have taken tender documents know what those requirements are). If they prioritize speed of manufacture and delivery, they may very well choose Siemens, or Alstom if they offer anything. If they are looking for commonality with the fleet, then you have to assume that Wabtec has the upper hand.

Dan
 
RS3488 said:
Yeah I was doubting the whole Charger reliability issue, especially considering that if that were true, it’s likely VIA would have not purchased them for HFR. I was just relaying what other people said to me, but I guess that is the nature of these rumours. My apologies.

All I wanted to say was I don’t think that the Charger is 100% going to be selected, considering that this an open tender and Metrolinx would have not done this had they knew the Charger would be the only c
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They will need to get in line since Amtrak just ordered another 50 chargers.
railway-news.com

Amtrak Takes Up Option for 50 More Siemens Mobility Charger Locomotives

Amtrak has taken up the option to order a further 50 Charger locomotives from Siemens Mobility as it continues to replace its fleet.
railway-news.com railway-news.com
 
Bordercollie said:
ALP-45DP?
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Weight wise ALP-45DP is well up there with MP54AC; if you can remove the transformer without a weight and balance issue then it might go. But it's also part of the wider Traxx family so maybe they could offer something else, if they wanted to keep Siemens out now to have a shot at selling ALP-46 later.
 
dowlingm said:
Weight wise ALP-45DP is well up there with MP54AC; if you can remove the transformer without a weight and balance issue then it might go. But it's also part of the wider Traxx family so maybe they could offer something else, if they wanted to keep Siemens out now to have a shot at selling ALP-46 later.
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A lot of the "excess weight" of the MP54 is ballast. All of the MP units can be built quite a bit lighter (although not quite as light as a Charger or F125).

Of course, that's also assuming that Metrolinx considers weight a negative. Judging by all of their previous loco purchases since the F59s, that's not the case.

Dan
 
smallspy said:
A lot of the "excess weight" of the MP54 is ballast. All of the MP units can be built quite a bit lighter (although not quite as light as a Charger or F125).

Of course, that's also assuming that Metrolinx considers weight a negative. Judging by all of their previous loco purchases since the F59s, that's not the case.

Dan
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Doesn't the weight help with traction?
 
Bordercollie said:
ALP-45DP?
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RTM (Montreal) has 19 ALP-45DPs which it doesn't specifically need anymore, given that it doesn't have any electrified rail lines anymore. It doesn't sound like GO is looking for second-hand locomotives, but if they are, the ALP-45DP could be a good fit since GO will be getting some electrified lines within the lifespan of the locomotives they're about to purchase. Having dual-mode locomotives on hand could be helpful during the intial rollout of electrification, allowing Metrolinx to test electrification infrastructure wherever it's ready.

In electric mode, an ALP-45DP produces 6700 hp, which is more than any passenger diesel locomotive on the market. In diesel mode, it produces 4200 hp.

RTM already has Siemens Chargers on order, so if they sell their ALP45-DPs to GO, they could presumably order a few extra Chargers to replace them. RTM would probably be happy to have new Siemens Chargers rather than 10-year-old ALP-45DPs since they aren't making use of their electric capability anyway.
 
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A large fleet of dual modes probably isn't worthwhile, and a small fleet bought new sounds like a money pit, but the Montreal units seem like a good opportunity all around. I really do hope they end up here given how useful they'd be for commissioning the system, and that there would seem to be enough to run at least most of the Kitchener line trains dual mode (actually on second thought Hamilton trains might be a better use, but same point).
 
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