(The following story by Michael Dresser appeared on the Baltimore Sun website on October 16, 2009.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — Amtrak has finished overhauling and has returned to MARC the second of four AEM-7 electric locomotives that had been out of service for more than two years, bolstering the commuter rail system’s ability to haul long trains and reduce crowding.
Maryland Department of Transportation spokesman Jack Cahalan said the newly returned locomotive performed well on the first of a series of tests in which it hauled a train equipped with a backup locomotive — the first of the AEM-7s returned by Amtrak.
Cahalan said that locomotive has perfomed acceptably since being returned to MARC. He said the Maryland Transit Administration is hopeful that Amtrak has found a lasting solution to the electrical problems that sidelined the AEM-7.
With the return of the second AEM-7, MARC’s fleet of electric locomotives — which can haul longer trains than the system’s diesel engines — is up to eight. Two AEM-7s remain in Amtrak’s Wilmington repair yard. MARC also operates six HHP-8 electric locomotives, which have remained in service despite a record of sporadic breakdowns.
In recent months a thin roster of locomotives has forced MARC on many days to run trains with fewer cars than usual — exacerbating its crowding problems on the Penn Line. The electric locomotives are used only on the Penn Line. When too few are available, MARC has to substitute its less powerful diesel engines.