Bombardier ALP-45DP explained

ALP-45DP
Powertype:Electro-diesel (dual mode)
Builder:Bombardier Transportation
Alstom
Totalproduction:NJT: 60
Exo: 20
Builddate:2010–2012[1]
2019–Present
Aarwheels:B-B
Uicclass:Bo′Bo′
Bogies:FLEXX Power 250
Wheeldiameter:1.118to new / worn
Minimumcurve:912NaN2
Wheelbase:bogie (truck) 2.8m (09.2feet)
bogie centres 13.25m (43.47feet)
Length:21.8m (71.5feet) length over coupler faces
Width:2.95frac=8NaNfrac=8
Height:4.4frac=8NaNfrac=8
Axleload:32.65t max
Locoweight:288000lb
Fueltype:Diesel
Fuelcap:1600gal
  • ,
    1800gal†
Headendpower:480 V AC, 60 Hz, 3 phase, 1,000 kW -->
Electricsystem:Exo:
NJT: Overhead line;
Collectionmethod:pantograph
Primemover:2x Caterpillar 3512C HD
Rpmrange:600-1800
Enginetype:V12 diesel engine, 7.1t
Aspiration:Turbocharged
Displacement:58.6L[2]
Alternator:2x MITRAC [3] TG 3800A, 1700 kVA
Tractionmotors:4x MITRAC DR 3700F, 1300kW each
Transmission:AC-DC-AC
Multipleworking:Yes, up to 2 units.
Maxspeed:Diesel mode: 161km/h
Electric mode: 201km/h
Poweroutput:Continuous electric at rail: 5360hp[4]
Max electric at rail: 5900hp
Max diesel at rail: 3600hp (no HEP)
Max diesel at rail: 2734hp (With HEP for 8 car train)
1567kW each,
3108kW at shaft. inserted
Tractiveeffort:316kN starting
262kN continuous electric @55km/h[5]
291kN continuous diesel @25.2km/h
Factorofadhesion:4.056
Trainheating:Locomotive supplied HEP
Locobrakes:Regenerative/Dynamic, WABCO Electro-pneumatic.
Mechanical: hollow shaft mounted disc brake, plus tread brakes
Locobrakeforce:electric regenerative 4000kW
electric dynamic 1300kW
maximum electric brake effort 150kN
Trainbrakes:Pneumatic
Coupling:Tightlock coupler
Operator:NJ Transit
Exo
Fleetnumbers:NJT: 4500-4534 (45DP)
NJT: 4535-4559 (45A)
Exo: 1350-1369
Firstrundate:NJT: May 30, 2012
Notes:
  • NJT locos, † Exo locos
    Sources : except where noted

}}

The Bombardier ALP-45DP is a type of single cab dual-mode locomotive operated by New Jersey Transit and Exo. The locomotive was designed and originally built by Bombardier until 2021, and by Alstom since 2021.

Operators

New Jersey Transit

See main article: NJ Transit. New Jersey Transit (NJT) purchased 26 ALP-45DPs in 2008, with an option to purchase up to 63 additional units.[6] The first locomotive from the order was displayed at Innotrans in 2010 and was officially unveiled at Pennsylvania Station on May 11, 2011. NJT purchased 9 additional units in July 2010.[7] [8] The locomotives from these two orders are numbered 4500–4534.

The ALP-45DPs are used on the Morristown Line, Montclair-Boonton Line, Raritan Valley Line, Northeast Corridor Line, and the North Jersey Coast Line, providing a one-seat ride into New York Penn Station. They are also used on the Main Line, Bergen County Line, Pascack Valley Line, and occasionally on Metro-North Railroad's Port Jervis Line. They have replaced all GP40FH-2 locomotives (except those owned by Metro-North), and a majority of the GP40PH-2 and F40PH-2CAT locomotives.

In December 2017, NJT purchased 17 additional ALP-45DPs, labelled as the ALP-45A.[9] [10] [11] On June 28, 2019, Bombardier announced that the first car body from this order was inspected and approved for final assembly.[12] In July 2020, NJT ordered 8 additional ALP-45As, leaving 29 options. Originally slated to replace the remaining GP40PH-2B locomotives, the 25 locomotives are now intended to replace the majority of the PL42AC fleet, due to the PL42AC's unreliability and inability to be upgraded to meet new Environmental Protection Agency standards.[13] The ALP-45A locomotives from the 2017 and 2020 orders will be numbered 4535–4559. On December 15, 2020, the first unit from the order, #4535, has left the Kassel factory and was delivered in January 2021.[14] #4536 was the first ALP-45A unit to enter revenue service on July 30, 2021.[15] Following the purchase of Bombardier Transportation in January 2021, Alstom will be responsible for completing the ALP-45A order.

In 2019, NJ Transit unveiled locomotive 4519 painted in a heritage Erie Lackawanna scheme.[16]

Exo

In 2008, the predecessor of Montreal's Exo, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), ordered 20 locomotives (with an option for 10 more), with an order value of €152 million. These units replaced the remaining GP9s, F40PHRs, and all ex-NJT equipment. The locomotives are for use on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, Saint-Jérôme line, Mont-Saint-Hilaire line, and Mascouche line to Montreal Central Station via the electrified Mount Royal Tunnel. They are numbered 1350-1369.

The first unit, AMT 1350, arrived in Montreal on June 9, 2011, after being shipped to Newark and then moving north to its new home.[17]

The locomotives originally ran in electric mode along the entirety of the Deux-Montagnes line and along the Mascouche line between Montreal Central Station and Ahuntsic station. However, in January 2020, the electrified portion of the Exo network was permanently closed, so the locomotives now operate exclusively in diesel mode.[18] The Deux-Montagnes line is being converted into the mainline of the Réseau express métropolitain light metro system and the Mascouche line will be truncated to Côte-de-Liesse station.

Design

The ALP-45DP is an electro-diesel locomotive design, based on Bombardier's ALP-46/A and TRAXX locomotives. Design requirements included weight less than 288000lb, length less than 752NaN2, and EPA-compliant emissions.

The challenge of fitting diesel and electric systems within the same carbody while staying within axle load limits, led to the choice of two high-speed, twelve-cylinder Caterpillar 3512C HD diesel engines rated at 2100hp each. The systems for the two engines are independentfor example, each has a separate 3400L fuel supply (split across four total tanks owing to NJT regulations regarding tunnel operations that limit individual fuel tank capacity to 400gal)allowing the locomotive to operate on one engine in case of failure or under low load. The engines are capable of shorter startup times from idle to load (100 rpm/s) than traditional medium speed diesel engines. To achieve mass balance and distribution within the locomotive, the engines are situated on either side of the transformer, which is located in the center of the locomotive. The engines are manufactured in Lafayette, Indiana, USA.

When running under diesel power, each engine powers a MITRAC TG 3800 A alternator having an output of 1700 kVA @ 1800 rpm. Power output is reduced from 6700hp (including HEP) in electric mode to 4200hp in diesel mode; under diesel power, the same tractive effort curve is maintained up to around 25km/h (assuming 2734hp available for traction after HEP reductions for an 8 car train).

The pantograph is of TransTech design. The ABB main transformer has four secondary taps, switchable to supply 1360 V under all electrification supplies. There are two MITRAC TC 3360 DP V01 DC-AC main converters, one per bogie, which convert the single phase input to a 2,8 kV intermediate DC-bus, using IGBT based switches. Each DC bus powers two traction converters, with each traction inverter powering a separate traction motor. The locomotive uses four 1300kW MITRAC DR 3700 F fully suspended, bogie mounted traction drives to reduce unsprung mass.

In addition to taps for the traction inverters, the locomotive transformer supplies 1 100 kVA and 140 kVA for head-end power and locomotive auxiliary power. Two partially-redundant auxiliary inverters are incorporated into the two main converter units. Normally, one provides a 3 phase, 480 V 60 Hz 1100 kVA supply for head end power, while the other provides several 3 phase variable voltage, variable frequency supplies (up to 480 V 60 Hz) for the traction motor fans, transformer fans, and inverter cooling circuit motors. In the event of a converter failure, it is possible to route all supply through a single converter, ensuring redundancy and margin of error operations.

HEP is maintained when changing power modes, due to the fact that the pantograph is not lowered until the prime movers have been started (when changing from electric to diesel), and the prime movers are not shut down until the pantograph has made contact with the catenary wire (when changing from diesel to electric). In either case, the changeover takes approximately 100 seconds. The locomotive is capable of performing a mode change while on the move; however, NJ Transit has reprogrammed their locomotives to only allow a mode change during a station stop. This is most likely to prevent the loss of power during the transition to diesel mode with a limited amount of wire left.

The braking system uses Wabtec's Fastbrake control system, with two disc brakes per axle. The mechanical parts of the brake system were supplied by Faiveley Transport. Compressed air supply is charged through a Knorr screw compressor with a capacity of at pressure, stored in two air reservoirs. The dynamic and regenerative braking system operates under all three NJT electrical systems. In addition, the locomotive, while in diesel mode, is capable of routing power generated by the electric brake to HEP and locomotive auxiliary power requirements in addition to the dynamic brake resistor.

The locomotives are within Amtrak's A-05-1355 structure gauge and meet CFR and AAR crashworthiness standards. The diesel engines meet Tier 3 EPA emission standards, and work is being done to enable an upgrade to Tier 4 standards, which took effect on January 1, 2015. Total length is, approximately longer than the ALP-46A.[19]

The bodyshells of the locomotive were constructed at Bombardier's Wrocław site, the bogies at Siegen, and the alternators at Hennigsdorf factory. The locomotives were assembled at Kassel.

References

Sources

Further reading

  • Web site: MITRAC Hybrid The Dual Power Propulsion Chain . Bombardier . https://web.archive.org/web/20200219051117/http://www.bombardier.com/content/dam/Websites/bombardiercom/supporting-documents/BT/Bombardier-Transportation-ECO4-MITRAC_Hybrid-EN.pdf . 2020-02-19.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NJT ALP-45 Dual Power . 2019-10-05 . The European Modern Electric Locomotive Database . Railcolor.net . 2019-12-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191224011545/https://www.railcolor.net/index.php?nav=1405722&lang=1 . dead .
  2. Specification sheet for 3512C HD engine from CAT
  3. https://www.bombardier.com/content/dam/Websites/bombardiercom/supporting-documents/BT/Bombardier-Transportation-MITRAC.pdf MITRAC
  4. 2016-07-02. Reprint from NJ 1: 1. Editorial and Insert – The Terrigal Conference. NJ. 40. 2. 160–174. 10.1080/14452294.2016.1279463. 218835187. 1445-2294.
  5. Web site: Jean-Marc. Allenbach. Fiche documentaire BoBo NJT ALP 45-DP. November 11, 2009. fr. June 11, 2011.
  6. News: Bombardier to supply electro-diesel locos. The locomotives will be a dual-mode diesel and AC overhead electric evolution of the ALP-46 electric design in service with NJ Transit since 2002. 19 August 2008. Railway Gazette International.
  7. News: 19 July 2010. NJ Transit approves FY2011 spending. Railway Gazette International. An order for 100 additional double-deck commuter cars, valued at up to $293·5m, and 9 additional dual-mode locomotives costing $78·8m, was approved on July 15 by New Jersey Transit, exercising options on existing orders with Bombardier..
  8. Web site: 14 July 2010. NJ Transit Orders Modern Rail and Bus Equipmjent. NJ Transit. 25 June 2012. 22 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191222165758/http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2615. dead.
  9. Web site: NJ Transit to order more electro-diesels . International Rail Journal . December 8, 2017 . December 8, 2017.
  10. News: NJT: Bi-level EMUs, more dual-power locos on tap - Railway Age. 2017-11-17. Railway Age. 2018-08-27. en-US.
  11. Web site: TIMES. The STAT TRADE. New Jersey orders 17 more ALP-45DP locomotives from Bombardier Supply Chain. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200229062916/https://www.stattimes.com/news/new-jersey-orders-17-more-alp45-locomotives-from-bombardier-supply-chain/. 2020-02-29. 2018-01-14. www.stattimes.com. en.
  12. Web site: First Carbody Inspected and Approved.
  13. Web site: Medina. Toni. NJ TRANSIT. 2021-02-19. NJ TRANSIT. en-US.
  14. Web site: 4535 leaves the Kassel factory.
  15. Web site: NJ Transit welcomes first ALP-45A to the fleet . en.
  16. Web site: NJ Transit provides more details on heritage units | Trains Magazine.
  17. News: AMT electro-diesel arrives in Montréal. Montréal commuter rail authority Agence Métropolitaine de Transport took delivery of its first Bombardier-built ALP-45 electro-diesel locomotives on June 9. [...] Built at Kassel in Germany, the locomotive was shipped from Hamburg to Newark, New Jersey, and moved to Montréal under its own power. June 16, 2011. June 17, 2011. Railway Gazette International. September 17, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110917115419/http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/amt-electro-diesel-arrives-in-montreal.html. dead.
  18. Web site: Deux-Montagnes and Mascouche lines - Transitional network from January 2020. REM. en. 2019-09-23.
  19. News: ALP-45DP electro-diesel locomotive debut. With an overall length of 21·8 m, the dual-mode loco is around 2 m longer than the electric version. Careful design of the internal layout and has helped to keep weight of the four-axle loco to 130 tonnes. ... It has a pair of Caterpillar 3512C engines rated at 2 100 hp arranged symmetrically around the transformer and converter pack to balance the weight.. 23 September 2010. .