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The Acela Express, Amtrak's High-Speed Train Along The NECThe Acela Express trainsets are, to date, the fastest of their kind in the U.S., regularly topping speeds of 125 mph (with a few stretches reaching 150 mph). The Acela (which derives its name from the word acceleration) had several foreign influences on its design and while its speeds are only a shadow of what other countries offer such as with France, Germany, and Japan it is certainly a step in the right direction to offering widespread high-speed rail travel across the United States. Also, while the Acela Express has had a number of mechanical troubles in its short career it still remains very popular and one of Amtrak’s top trains.
When Amtrak began it used private equipment donated by the participating railroads (although, it should be noted, that not all of the major Class Is, at that time, elected to join Amtrak) and while it was originally setup to become financially self-supporting this was completely an illusion (passenger railroading, is, again, almost never profitable and requires some sort of subsidy to operate). In its first year Amtrak earned $163 million with expenses of $310 million. By 1980 things were not much better as the carrier saw $454 million in revenues and $1.08 billion in expenses. Regardless of all of the problems during its early years and the claims by critics that it is a waste of taxpayer money and should be eliminated, travel by train is not only a very needed transportation artery but also continues to receive public support year after year. And, even though a statute expired in 2002 ensuring annual funding for Amtrak, public support has continued and Congress overwhelmingly continues to provide funding for the carrier.
What resulted in the Acela Express began as early as the early 1990s when Amtrak went exploring for a high-speed train to serve its entire Northeast Corridor (NEC) operation. It tested several ultra-fast trains but what resulted in the Acela did not begin production until the mid/late 1990s with the help of government aide. It should also be noted that the Acela trains could have never happened themselves if upgrades to the NEC had not occurred, which replaced aging electric systems and updated others providing for alternating current as high as 25,000 volts along some segments. The Acela Express was a joint venture between manufacturers Alstom and Bombardier. After numerous delays and a year behind schedule, the first trainset finally operated between Washington, D.C. and Boston on December 11, 2000. The train’s ultra-fast speed and schedule finally made rail travel a comparable alternative to regional flights. While the entire train was initially meant to tilt what resulted was only the cars themselves actually built with such features (which is only meant to increase comfort while riding, particularly at very high speeds). Internally the Acela Express uses the latest in electric locomotive technology such as silicone oil-cooled transformers and the ability to operate under different voltages, such as is found on the NEC (anywhere between 11,000 to 25,000 volts). Other features of the Acela include a three-phase propulsion system that allows the train to accelerate incredibly quickly while requiring fewer motors than what has traditionally been used employing direct current (DC). Overall the Acela Express can provide over 12,000 horsepower with each power car at either end providing over 6,000 hp.
Another book that covers modern electric locomotives like the Acela is Locomotives: The Modern Diesel and Electric Reference by author Greg McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell's book is much larger in scope than Solomon's Electric Locomotives, covering newer electrics (and diesels) on nearly 250 pages which are packed full with excellent photography, illustrations, and diagrams. The book has received superb reviews by readers and is perhaps the best current work out there covering the topic. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.
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