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| Re: AMTRAK POWER ELECTRIC (1631439) | |||
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Re: AMTRAK POWER ELECTRIC |
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Posted by Bill West on Tue Apr 16 22:00:12 2024, in response to AMTRACK POWER ELECTRIC, posted by Baltimorerail on Tue Apr 16 17:54:14 2024. More exactly New Rochelle to Woodside Ave at the east end of Sunnyside yard was also NYNH&H's 25hz electric system. When Metro North converted their mainline to 60hz they abandoned the problem of that line to Amtrak. As Con Ed probably wanted to be out of the 25hz supply to the NH at West Farms, Amtrak had to quickly do something so they got a 60hz supply substation built at Van Nest and converted the line. They also built their own 60hz feeder station 1/3 mile south of New Rochelle and converted the existing Bowery feeder station (1 mile east of Woodside Ave). Later the Woodside change point moved near Gate interlocking and then to the Bowery feeder station.And to just stand back a bit, the NH and PRR electrifications started as 25hz because that was the standard for industrial power at the time dating back to Niagara Falls. 60hz didn't fit traction applications until past the 1920's. The modern pressure to change is merely based on the presumption that 60hz is better. It's not entirely so, it won't save costs as readily it seems. Metro North needed to replace the worn out NH generating station at Cos Cob and went for utility power by converting the line rather than by getting frequency changers but they had to add substations because 60hz has greater voltage drops. Actually they had old Great Northern frequency changers aiding Cos Cob for a while. Amtrak just never had the money to convert the PRR and would suffer more costs without the backbone of PRR's transmission system. The cost of their ~7 frequency changer stations would be replaced by the cost of ~45 rebuilt substations PLUS new intermediate stations AND the cost of utility transmission lines to connect to them. On the Boston 60hz one of the PUC's raised Amtrak's rates because the other customers were subsidizing the cost of a substation and line built for Amtrak that it's erratic load caused to be under used. Bill |
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