Tucked into Amtrak’s locomotive consist for southbound train No. 91, the Silver Star, on Friday, Jan. 20, was Siemens ALC42 Charger No. 316, shown as the train passed through Fredericksburg, Va. Photographer Nathan Richters reports it is believed to be the first revenue trip for a Charger in Florida service.
The long-distance Chargers are gradually being integrated into the Amtrak network after launching on the Empire Builder in February 2022 [see “Amtrak to order 50 more …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 8, 2022]. The builder and operator have been working to resolve issues that led to locomotive failures in cases of extreme temperature changes [see “Siemens working with Amtrak …,” News Wire, Jan. 10, 2023].
