Siemens Charger
The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. There are five variants of the Charger: the SC-44 for Amtrak state-supported inter-city services, the SCB-40 for Brightline inter-city service, the SC-42 for VIA Rail inter-city service, and the ALC-42 for Amtrak long-distance service, and the ALC-42E for Amtrak inter-city service. The first production SC-44 was unveiled on March 26, 2016, and entered revenue service on August 24, 2017, followed by the SCB-40, which inaugurated Brightline service on January 13 , 2018. The first ALC-42 was delivered to Amtrak on June 17, 2021 and entered revenue service on February 8, 2022 on the "Empire Builder". Design. The Charger is powered by a Cummins 16-cylinder QSK95 4-stroke high speed diesel engine, which meets EPA Tier IV emissions standards that took effect in 2015. Power output varies by model: the SCB-40 produces , the SC-44 produces , and both the SC-42 and ALC-42 produce . The maximum speed in service is . The locomotive shares much of its overall design with the Siemens Vectron diesel and electric locomotives used in Europe and the Siemens ACS-64  electric locomotive built for Amtrak. Four Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power inverters carry electric current to each of the four AC traction motors. A static inverter off of the main prime mover supplies head-end power (HEP). The locomotive also features dynamic braking with regenerative capability, allowing the locomotive to divert power generated by dynamic braking away from the resistor grids to HEP and onboard locomotive auxiliary power demands. In response to a 2013 Request for Information from Metro-North Railroad, Siemens said they would be capable of producing a dual-mode variant of the Charger with onboard energy  storage for use by Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road, as well as intercity service on Amtrak's Empire Corridor. California's SC-44s have aerodynamic "spoilers" on the rear of their roofs that match the height of bi-level California and Surfliner cars. Service history. The first production SC-44 unit was unveiled on March 26, 2016. The first two Charger locomotives to leave Siemens' factory in Florin, California were transported to the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado in June 2016 and underwent testing of performance metrics such as acceleration and braking. The first Brightline SCB-40 locomotives were  delivered in December 2016 to undergo testing in Florida. In February 2017, Amtrak and WSDOT began testing one of the Midwest-bound locomotives for federal certification along the "Cascades" corridor in the Pacific Northwest. Test runs were conducted on the Midwest and Northern California routes in April and May. Testing at up to at TTCI, on the corridors, and on the Northeast Corridor in September 2016 resulted in a federal certification for operations. Revenue testing on the "Capitol Corridor" and "San Joaquins" routes in Northern California began on May 25, 2017. During these tests, the trains operated with a second  locomotive in case of failure. The Northern California units were formally accepted and approved for solo service on October 23, 2017. The SC-44 entered revenue testing on the Midwest routes in July 2017, with solo revenue service beginning on a "Hiawatha Service" train on August 24, 2017. Revenue service on the "Cascades" route began in November 2017. On December 18, 2017, Washington state SC-44 #1402 was wrecked in a derailment of a "Cascades" train on the Point Defiance Bypass. Brightline began revenue operations with its SCB-40 locomotives on January 13, 2018. The first Chargers for MARC began testing that month , and revenue service began on April 5, 2018. Pre-revenue testing began on the "Pacific Surfliner" in October 2018; revenue service began later that year. The first Charger for Amtrak Long Distance service was put into service on the westbound "Empire Builder" on February 8th, 2022 after extensive testing in the midwest and on the "Empire Builder" route. Of the 2 units on the inaugural service, one was Amtrak's "Day One" heritage unit #301. Customers. Altamont Corridor Express. California regional commuter line Altamont Corridor Express ordered four SC-44 locomotives in April 2018, with deliveries beginning in December 2019. They  entered revenue service in 2020. Amtrak. On December 21, 2018, Amtrak ordered 75 ALC-42 locomotives with options for additional 100. The first locomotive was expected to enter service in 2021 with the last by 2024. Compared with the SC-44, changes were made to the ALC-42 to make it more suitable for long-distance service: additional positive train control systems for nationwide service, a larger diesel fuel tank (instead of ), a larger diesel exhaust fluid tank, a larger sand tank, a more powerful 1,000-kilowatt head-end power generator (instead of 600 kw), an extended nose section with remodeled headlights for  ease of repair in the event of minor front-end collision, and a prime mover de-rated to to lengthen maintenance intervals. Assembly of the first ALC-42 began in March 2020. On August 5, 2020, Amtrak announced that one of the first six locomotives will be painted in a replica of the "Day 1" livery to commemorate 50 years of Amtrak service, while the other five will feature a preliminary "Phase VI" paint scheme. The remainder of the fleet will introduce a new "Phase VII" livery. By February 2021, 12 units had begun production, with the first locomotive, AMTK 300 , delivered to Amtrak on June 17. The first ALC-42 locomotives entered revenue service on the "Empire Builder" on February 8, 2022. On the same day, Amtrak announced that they had ordered an additional 50 ALC-42s, bringing the total amount of locomotives ordered to 125. Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Amtrak plans to purchase at least 65 ALC-42E locomotives as part of its intercity trainset order with Siemens. These trainsets will be used on routes that operate on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Each ALC-42E will be paired with one of two types of passenger trailer cars with specialized functions: the Auxiliary Power Vehicle  or battery car. The Auxiliary Power Vehicle will contain a pantograph, transformers and a powered truck. In electrified territory, the APV will draw power from overhead lines, which will be fed to the powered truck and the traction motors in the locomotive. Outside of electrified territory, the ALC-42E will function like a typical diesel–electric locomotive. This combination will replace Amtrak's existing Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives. The battery cars will supply electricity to traction motors in the locomotive when operating around New York Penn Station, eliminating the need for third rail propulsion. This combination will replace Amtrak's existing  GE Genesis P32AC-DM dual mode (third rail electric and diesel–electric) locomotives. Amtrak state-supported corridors. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in conjunction with its counterparts in California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington, purchased 32 SC-44 locomotives for state-supported corridor services, operated by Amtrak under contract. The $225 million order placed in March 2014 included options for an additional 75 corridor-configured locomotives In 2015, IDOT ordered 12 additional units for use on the upgraded "Lincoln Service" corridor. California ordered 14 additional units in November 2015 for use on the "Pacific Surfliner" beginning in 2018, plus two  more units in 2016 for the Northern California services. Washington state ordered an additional unit to replaced the one lost in the 2017 Point Defiant Bypass derailment. A total of 64 locomotives (32 base and 32 options) were ordered for Amtrak state corridors in this contract: 22 for California, 9 for Washington state, and 33 for the Midwest states. Another 8 options were exercised by MARC, bringing total contract orders to 72. Brightline. In September 2014, Brightline purchased ten SCB-40 locomotives with options for an additional eleven. The locomotives are used in pairs, bookending four passenger cars (expandable to seven ) on Brightline's Miami–West Palm Beach service. The SCB-40s have a streamlined front end that conceals the front coupler behind a removable nose cone and produce a maximum of instead of the on the SC-44. Brightline later ordered five additional trainsets and one extra locomotive (eleven locomotives total) for use on the extension to Orlando, with delivery between September 2021 and 2023. Coaster. In June 2018, the North County Transit District Board of Directors approved the purchase of five SC-44s for its San Diego-area Coaster commuter rail service, replacing five older F40PH locomotives. Deliveries began in August 2020  and are expected to conclude in the spring of 2021. Two additional units were approved in June 2019, and another two in September. These additional locomotives will replace two existing F59PHI locomotives and allow increased service levels. The first five locomotives entered revenue service on February 8, 2021. Exo. In January 2022, Montreal's Exo ordered 10 Siemens Chargers to update the fleet. They are planned to replace the aging F59PH locomotives. MARC. MARC announced in August 2015 that it was seeking $58 million to purchase eight locomotives to replace their aging electric powered AEM-7 units, with deliveries planned  for late 2017. The purchase was approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works on September 16, 2015. The MARC order uses part of the Amtrak state-corridor options. The first MARC Charger was shipped from the Siemens factory in early December 2017, and began testing in mid-January 2018. Metro-North Railroad (New York). In December 2020, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved a Federal Transit Administration-funded $335 million contract for 27 dual-mode locomotives based on the Charger design. The new locomotives will replace the 27 existing GE Genesis locomotives used on the Metro-North  Railroad's Hudson Line, Harlem Line, and Danbury Branch; they will use third rail electric power to enter Grand Central Terminal. The first 19 locomotives are scheduled to be completed in mid-2026. The contract has options for 144 additional locomotives: 32 for Metro-North, 66 for the Long Island Rail Road, 20 for the New York State Department of Transportation (for Amtrak "Empire Service" trains), and 25 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Via Rail. In December 2018, Via Rail ordered 32 bi-directional trainsets each powered by one SC-44 locomotive for use on the Québec City–Windsor Corridor. The  first of VIA Rail's trainsets were delivered on September 29, 2021 to VIA Rail in Montreal, crossing into Canada via Sarnia, Ontario. When the locomotives' final paint scheme was unveiled by VIA Rail in May 2021, the locomotive was designated as an SC-44, but when delivered the locomotives' designation had been changed to SC-42.