Amtrak Lightweight Train in the Northeast

Amtrak ran an experimental lightweight train on the MBTA (Boston) Fitchburg commuter line several years back. We caught this unusual beast at the Acton grade crossing. Enjoy!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Amtrak
• Train
• Commuter
• LRV
• MBTA
• Fitchburg
• Acton

[Miserlou57]

Is this a battery-electric set?

[Superedit]

@Miserlou57 No - small diesel engine.

[amtrak710123]

Those exist?

[Superedit]

This was in the days when Amtrak was testing all sorts of borrowed imported trains to formulate specs for the Acela. This rig toured the Northeast for several months. I don't know what happened to i - I assume it went back "home", whatever country that was.

[Driverman2008]

Where is this train today?

[Superedit]

Dunno - I'm assuming it went back to Spain, but that's only a guess.

[bnsfwarbonnet]

glad they didn't buy it it's ugly

[BNSFbeagrett9647]

Did this train not have a horn, or is this crossing a quiet zone?

[JuiceJackNut]

Didn't VIA Rail Canada also test these?

[JuiceJackNut]

@Superedit Israel. From the national railways.

[sitp2]

@Superedit Actually Israel, this was a demonstration train called the Flexliner. Didn't work well in the US. The took it over Donner pass and they nearly burned the motors. Those from Israel just shrugged and said that they didn't have those types of grades. Even some of the controls were still in Hebrew.

[MrFlightfan]

@Driverman2008 I think it was borrowed from Israel and that it's back there now.

[trainfanNL]

Transfer to railway trains arrive at the Israeli way. that have to be reliable trains. Amtrak has already placed an order with ABB? there are trains that built it? As far as I know this is a standart type of trainset ABB

[Praporschik]

As trainmanlars and HT65000 mentioned correctly, these Danish-made IC3 trainsets are Israeli. They were leased for the test runs from Israel Railways, keeping the company's color scheme and "Israel Ports and Railways Authority" logos. These are heavy rail DMUs, not LRVs at all. Each permanently-coupled 4-bogie 3-coach set has 4 diesel engines with mechanical transmission, max. speed is 125 mph (reduced to 100 mph in the Israeli modification).

[NYSW3636]

@Superedit sweden somewhere in europe

[Destointment]

This train is manufactured in Randers, Denmark (Europe) Originally Designed in Denmark by ABB Scandia now named AdTranz, a sattelite company of Bombardier.