Airo train set testing on the NEC

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks to a friend I caught them testing the new Amtrak Cascades Airo sets on the NEC this morning.

I'm not going to be too mad about it when our versions of these show up.

[Point353]

Thanks to a friend I caught them testing the new Amtrak Cascades Airo sets on the NEC this morning.

I'm not going to be too mad about it when our versions of these show up.

Hold that thought until you've tried the seats.

[sirenwerks]

Um, please send our trainset to Portland right away. Clearly, the Cascades moniker indicates its not some NEC trollop. Get your own toys.

[Englewood]

Wake me up when we're going 200mph.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wake me up when we're going 200mph.

Interesting thing about that. One of the things pointed out to me there was the new catenary hangers. Cat sag is a big limiting factor in enabling higher speeds on the NEC. Keep in mind this stuff is still commonly using 30s technology. Amtrak gets a lot of flack for a lot of things, but one of the things they're quietly doing is implementing upgrades to that technology even when it isn't immediately visibile.

This is a great example: most people wouldn't notice those new brackets but they're going to allow increased speeds in places that haven't as they provide a more rigid attachment for the wire.  They're night highly visible but they are incredibly important.

[seusscaboose]

Thanks to a friend I caught them testing the new Amtrak Cascades Airo sets on the NEC this morning.

Literally 3 minutes from my office... and no call for LUNCH....

you are DEFINITLEY buying in Altoona

Poor Form Good Sir!

[Stolen Moment]

It's been amusing on recent NEC trips to look at the obvious "sash weights" every so often that keep the catenary stretched.