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Re: UP agrees to back out of Caltrain territory
Author: mook
Date: 01-07-2017 - 20:55
Dual-power locomotives have been talked about many times, but seldom are built. They have too many compromises. GE in fact offered at one point to build them for freight operators when there was semi-serious talk of requiring electrification of the LA Basin - at a huge premium that effectively priced them as 2 locomotives in one. The only ones currently in use in the US are dual diesel & 3rd-rail electrics on Metro-North & LIRR, and some Alsthom(?) dual diesel/overhead units on NJ Transit.
Freight will never again be significant on the SF Peninsula, but there are several customers that can and do still use it. Freight operators for that amount of traffic would best be drawn from the major shortline operators, and would use diesels simply for flexibility (and not having to pay the JPB for electricity used!). Same as on LIRR, where NY&A uses diesels for the same reasons. They could, of course, be "encouraged" to use only Tier 4 or (as they're developed) better engines, and unlike UP would have only a few units to manage so DEF-based engines could be used if necessary, and JPB-specified PTC could be installed without having to deal with UP's system-wide usage issues.
What I haven't seen in the comments etc. is whether UP is fully backing out - i.e. abandoning freight service - or simply saying that they will agree to assign their freight rights to somebody else rather than insisting on continuing to run on the Peninsula lines. Makes a difference.
Freight will never again be significant on the SF Peninsula, but there are several customers that can and do still use it. Freight operators for that amount of traffic would best be drawn from the major shortline operators, and would use diesels simply for flexibility (and not having to pay the JPB for electricity used!). Same as on LIRR, where NY&A uses diesels for the same reasons. They could, of course, be "encouraged" to use only Tier 4 or (as they're developed) better engines, and unlike UP would have only a few units to manage so DEF-based engines could be used if necessary, and JPB-specified PTC could be installed without having to deal with UP's system-wide usage issues.
What I haven't seen in the comments etc. is whether UP is fully backing out - i.e. abandoning freight service - or simply saying that they will agree to assign their freight rights to somebody else rather than insisting on continuing to run on the Peninsula lines. Makes a difference.
