Engines of Amtrak - Acela Express

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High speed rail in the United States has been a well debated topic in modern society for quite some time now. However, it wasn't always that way as at one point, the US had plenty of well-known streamlined, fast steam and diesel locomotives pulling famous trains. A failing American rail industry in the 1960s and 70s although led to the collapse and abandoning of much of the established infrastructure. A renewed interested in high speed rail in the US throughout the 1980s and 90s though led to the eventual development of the Acela Express in 1999-2000. What else led to the research, development, and eventual implementation of the Acela? Find out in this episode of Engines of Amtrak. This is final episode I had to remake out of those taken down off KZbin for copyright reasons so yay! Don't worry though, this won't be the last episode like last time when Engines of Amtrak first came out, I'll be remaking some more of the older episodes to a better standard and I'll be covering new episodes soon. On top of this, I'm looking to finally begin Engines of New York Central as well. Anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks for watching! Special thanks to those who submitted their pictures and videos for use in this episode as well!
Mountain Ridge Films:
/ @mountainridgefilms8504
CoasterFan2105:
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SimplyRailway:
/ simplyrailway
Manabu Matsumoto:
/ tetsudo_boston
Alec TV
/ @alectv3220
Virginia_Railfan:
/ virginia_railfan
TheTrainMiser:
/ @thetrainmiser8642
Average:
/ @phlbuff
ALMTrains:
/ @a.l.m.trains
jackmp294.5™:
/ 1jackdk
Willy Kaemena:
/ wkaemena
Music Used:
Super Mario Galaxy OST - File Select
Lo-fi type beat - Lighter
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour OST - Par Putt
Jazz Spastiks - Bananas Instrumental
Jazz Spastiks - Apple Instrumental
Jazz Spastiks - Delicious Instrumental
Sonic Adventure OST - Introduction
Jazz Spastiks - Move Instrumental
Sonic Colors OST - Sweet Mountain Act 1
HOME - Chicken Soup
Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door OST - Mail for the Mario Brothers
Links:
Instagram: / amtrakguy365
Twitter: / amtrakguy365
Flickr: www.flickr.com/people/1424538...
My Site: amtrakguy365.weebly.com/

[@The101Point1]

It's crazy how heavy the cars are but then again the weight of the whole train set is the weight of one big boy

[@EstorilEm]

There's a lot of information out there about this - it's primarily due to United States safety requirements for crash / impact testing and integrity, indeed these companies manufacture very similar train designs at a fraction of the weight for other countries. It does pay off though, as can be see on both sides of things (crashes inside vs. outside the US).

[@robloxfan8638]

Wow

[@VestedUTuber]

@@EstorilEm On the flip-side, though, how many collisions between trains happen in the US vs elsewhere? Our equipment might be able to stand up to rough track and take collisions a lot better, but in Japan and most of Europe those kinds of incidents don't happen anywhere near as often.

[@OnTheGo352]

@@VestedUTuber I wouldn't say it really happens often in the US either, more so historically all freight trains were super heavy and freight companies have no intent to buy lighter locomotives due to the weight of freight trains in general, so all commuter trains had to be heavy enough to withstand collisions with them specifically, and this sort of doctrine just continues today. Just like everywhere else, there are the few big accidents but it's not a common thing.

[@theberk759]

Bombardier: hey let’s name it American flyer Lionel and American flyer: am I a joke to you?

[@YaoboyProd2K15]

Alstom be like: It comes from TGV.

[@tom-and-mom]

0:21 Streamlined trains

[@Project_Prescott]

Watching the Acelas blast through Kingston Station is a wonderful experience, you just see the lights in the distance and next thing you know it's blasting by and the pedestrian bridge is shaking as if there was a earthquake

[@adventuresofamtrakcascades301]

14:24 I love how Sonic says: Now Back To Engines Of Amtrak!

[@Westernmarylandrwyoffcialyt]

Last night I Went to Union station, dc, and saw four of these together sitting at the platforms. They are truly beautiful. They almost sparkle under the station lights.

[@conorontherails]

5:48 amazing video, i love the remastered version. for the timestamp there is a small correction. only the passenger cars had tilting technology in them, the power cars never had this ability. the avelia liberty sets coming soon do have tilting technology in all passenger cars and power cars

[@Boypogikami132]

Then why need tilting track if they can tilt themselves? I don’t get it

[@banksrail]

@@Boypogikami132 It’s simple physics. Think about riding a motorcycle. When going really fast you tilt to turn even if the ground is tilted. This way you can spread more of you mass onto the ground and not flip over. The added tilt just helps the trains run faster without upgrading more infrastructure.

[@conorontherails]

@@banksrail Correct. Since they want it to be high speed rail they need to take all the steps to make it as fast as possible.

[@zeferinoresendiz1698]

Yes

[@physetermacrocephalus9986]

The power cars on the Avelia don’t tilt because that will cause unnecessary wear and tear on the catenary, from what I’ve heard.

[@thatd59ladlarry]

12:50 now there’s a surprise

[@36_snaps]

@@YaoboyProd2K15 hi

[@NScaleTrainBoy]

Oh Boy! The Long awaited Acela Express video finally arrives! Good thing I literally JUST finished presenting in class so I can just focus on this!! Love these vids so much, always so detailed and fun to watch. Thanks for the awesome videos!!

[@SONICX1027]

Since I’m from the East Coast (living in Rhode Island) the time I rode the Acela was the smoothest I ever rode on a train in my life.

[@bluebear6570]

Germany started a highspeed network already in 1971, with some major routes refurbished to allow for speeds up to 125 mph. These were loco-hauled firts class trains, pulled by the now gone DB class 103 (formerly E 03) electric.

[@thealmightydoge5653]

HELL YEAH BOI!!! BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EVER SINCE THE SDP40F!!!

[@joshbrony2204]

Same!!! I remember watching the original episodes, and I was excited when the “Rail Breaker” episode came out.

[@roninmasterxl2750]

Is SDP40F the loco of the Acela?

[@LakeStateRailfan]

@@roninmasterxl2750 No lmfao

[@roninmasterxl2750]

lol ok...

[@SkateGeneva]

It really is a shame that the US gov. has not invested more heavily in reviving the railways. Apart from the NEC, that does deserve a complete overhaul, and modernisation, so many other areas have potential for high speed rail connectivity, such as Florida, Texas, California, etc. You guys in the US deserve better public transportation.

[@subzerofromny735]

I would agree but theres a logical reason as to why they didnt. First off, Americas rail system is mostly designed for heavy freight. Not fast passenger service. America has alot of resources, so a good freight system is needed. 2. People in this country want cars, not trains. Even immigrants from other countries compliment how they can drive wherever they want without restrictions which they weren’t able to do in their home country. Third of all, alot of vehicles today are much cleaner than they were back then. Most even have to pass a CDC regulation in order to be driven in certain states. 4. America uses alot of money for other important things like military, schools, charities, other transportation, protection, town development etc. Europe and Japan on the other hand spend their money on highspeed trains. Which isn’t a bad thing, but they are not tax subsidized. Meaning that most of the money invested they’re not getting back. Yes the railroads did build America, but that was way before the invention of cars, planes and buses. Which goes on to my next point. Planes are much faster while cars and buses are much cheaper. And most people wouldn’t to for example sit on a long distance train like the empire builder from chicago to seattle when you can get a 3 hour flight. If you wanted highspeed travel you’d fly on a plane. If you want to go slower and save money, you’d drive or take the bus

[@GoSlash27]

@@subzerofromny735 All true. People have a weird fixation on HSR as a demonstration of technical achievement, but there are many places where it's not ideal. In America (the continent) the only place it makes sense is the northeast corridor. Heavily urbanized with big, congested cities that are spaced closely. This mimics the situation in Europe and Japan, which is why HSR is a good fit there. The rest of the US... Not so much. Cities are spread far apart and are so sprawling that cars are mandatory. In the rare case where people choose to travel by train, they're not in a hurry to arrive at their destination and are mainly doing it for the enjoyment of the trip. You can throw all the money you want at fast trains and infrastructure, but people around here would still rather fly or drive when given the choice. As long as that is the case, HSR will remain a cool but unprofitable concept.

[@castome7pi]

@@subzerofromny735 Trains are way faster and cheaper than planes in distances of 300 Km, they even have more interior space, you can bring your own food with you, you don't need to worry about battery restrictions...

[@fuckheinschitt239]

@@castome7pi no! Plane are much cheaper

[@castome7pi]

@@fuckheinschitt239 In USA plane airlines are way more developed than rail ones giving a lower price per person but in other countries like Japan where that Is not the case trains are way better in the conditions I said up there

[@ram-ck7ti]

Looking forward to the replacement for the Acela on the Northeast corridor. It is now 2 years after you made this video. Time for an update. Really have enjoyed your videos. thanks...

[@MemeReviewer]

Love this series! Also the new Acela reminds me of a toy train, mainly due to the carriages and power car design.

[@SBSZStudiosmoved]

I've been waiting for this *TOO LONG!*

[@MetraEmdF40PH]

Same

[@user-mn5zg4bi8h]

Yes brother

[@michaelpham8368]

First Sponsored Engines of Amtrak Vid

[@thetrainguy1]

That's how you know he made it!!! One of the first Railroad channels to be sponsored!!! Awesome video!

[@iowarailfanner1013]

Amtrak should sponsor his engine of Amtrak videos

[@evanharkin]

I’m glad he got sponsored but why are ppl talking about hacking.

[@kettlerunrailfan]

Not even five minutes in and you're already hitting the nostalgia button with the old Mario game music. Well done!

[@bradley8575]

I can't wait for the Avelia Liberty Next Year. Edit this didn’t age well yet.

[@tom-and-mom]

11:46 All Acela trains were suspended to maintain social distancing measures.

[@tom-and-mom]

11:40 I think you all know where this is going... 11:45 Due to a specific, global event... URR URR! All Acela trains were suspended to maintain social distancing measures.

[@tom-and-mom]

11:08 Split apart

[@tom-and-mom]

11:13 Hovra Da Grace Maryland

[@rainierbagatsing1073]

Me to but this could spell the end for the acela express this is disappoting as this is my favourite high speed train in America and the only high speed train in America.

[@adventuresofamtrakcascades301]

(I'VE) been waiting for this for nearly or over 2 years now (since I wasn't able to see the original.)

[@thiruraj3866]

“The cursed Acela” Let’s see show many people know what it is

[@ROTE]

Avila liberty

[@3180P5]

O

[@Swampyfoam]

I know

[@Swampyfoam]

I don’t want to say though

[@Wawa111_Mainline]

Ooooooh boy not the falling off the layout

[@mj1234321]

Well done! Glad you touched on the history of the Metroliner as well as the future of Acela service. Nice overview.

[@theamtrakfan568]

I was waiting for this!!

[@blueridgerails7779]

Per my friend who works for Amtrak, the Avelia set will be replacing the old Acela fleet by 2024. It's definitely interesting..

[@BnuuyBoi2005]

Its the fastest train in America YESSS

[@yeahman70]

Avelia Liberty: NOT ANYMORE

[@ironmantrains]

What's ironic is that you mentioned the HST at 0:48, which is double the age of the Acela and while it has been replaced on two major high speed routes, it's still running some long distance services and expected to operate even after the current Acela trains retire, while the US replace their trains after 20 years, UK trains usually last at least 30 years, with most lasting 40+ years. The HST was supposed to be a stop-gap until APT tilting trains arrived (British Rail pioneered advanced tilting technology), but the APT never reached its potential and was outlasted by the train it was intended to replace. Awesome video though!

[@fatherkalashnikov453]

I am so glad you finally did this one. Thank you and keep it up man.

[@MegeGabe_Personal]

Hell yeah, been waiting!

[@malachimuhammad-dy2ow]

Amtrak Acela Express Train #2151 made a high speed trip from New York City to Philadelphia, and broke a 150mph high speed record between those cities in 1 hour and 2 minutes.

[@tehangrybird345]

I love the Acela, it’s very fun to ride and is a great high speed train!

[@phlbuff]

Great Episode! Thanks for using my footage as well, I hope to be able to help out again soon!

[@DK-nv9zu]

Great job with this video! Being a west coaster, I haven’t thought much of Acela since I drove them in Microsoft Train Simulator almost 20 years ago

[@Daewoo940]

I love your channel it’s amazing all the facts that you’re packing to all your videos

[@thegr8winston]

AWESOME so cool to see my photos in one of your videos! Boss video as always!

[@otakurailfan]

I love these video man keep them coming! I hope to ride the acela one day. I also love your choices of background music 👍

[@DJ-Cooper]

I can't wait for the ACS-64 locomotive on engines of amtrak! I absolutely love this series!

[@medrep1000]

Outstanding video, narrative, and editing.

[@lancesamtraktrains3734]

This is a much needed video! Excellent 😃🚅

[@lightningsaviation5130]

Glad to see your remastering some older videos

[@SantaFe19484]

Keep up Engines of Amtrak, they are the main reason why I subscribed to your channel.

[@amtrakfannec]

Amazing video as always! Looking forward to the ACS-64 episode! 👍🏼

[@SgtChip]

A good video on our Acela trainsets. It gives hope for HSR everywhere in America.

[@Nurvington]

Very enjoyable! One other factor in the slower travel time to and from Boston are speed restrictions in place for the train sets on Connecticut’s tracks. The tilt option is prohibited along Metro North Territory from CP SHELL (New Rochelle) to New Haven because of a mostly narrow right of way. Acela trains could potentially broadside equipment on closely laid adjacent tracks so for that their speeds are limited to between 70 MPH and 90 MPH. 🚄ACELA

[@BLJF101]

Heck yeah I’ve been waiting for this

[@whatsup89100]

love the raritan river bridge. Drive by it every time im coming to visit my parents in nj

[@thekidfromcleveland3944]

Sponsors! My boy Jared is moving up👏👏👏👏 well earned man

[@murrayent1able]

You my friend did an amazing job here. Thanks for sharing😁

[@SpheroJr3289]

Ah yes. Acela express. YES! Also in early :D

[@springycz837]

Finnaly, one of my favorite! Edit: wow you have a sponsor! Congrats!

[@christopherdelgaudio9484]

Good stuff dude! Happy Holidays everyone!!

[@NoTraceOfSense]

I was at New Carrollton last week, saw two pass while waiting for the MARC. Quite the experience, though I’ve seen the Shinkansen before as well.

[@EMD_F59PHI]

Finally! Thank You Amtrakguy365!

[@Jstroman221]

I love this series!

[@Pensyfan19]

Great episode as always.

[@Edelweiss1102]

As an European, I really like the Acela as it brings a bit of familiarity and the design is great. It is sad and honestly I'm a bit suprised that they will be retired after just 20 years of service, I'm sure they could have been refreshed for another 10-20 years. The new Avelia sets are ... eh.

[@YaoboyProd2K15]

Yeah, the Acela express sets, being 20 years old, didn't age really well due to technical issues, but served a faster link from Washington DC to New York City.

[@MrJimheeren]

American train sets generally don’t age as well as in Europe. Due to harsh weather conditions but mainly the bad state of its infrastructure. American trains just take way more of a hit on old bumpy tracks, plus the trains are heavier due to safety regulations what also wears out the engines

[@M1stersupersonic8]

Potentially unpopular opinion, but the Northeast Corridor is the only place where high speed trains make sense. Here, the cities are densely populated and relatively close to each other, much like Europe, making the train a sensible option. But the further west you go, the less dense cities become. Distances between the largest cities would mean that the travel time would be anywhere from 4-6 hours. It only gets worse from there: cross country distances, even when using the highest speed of the Avelia Liberty, would take 12-24 hours to cross, meaning all-daylight runs would be out of the question. To be completely honest, I would love a high-speed long-distance sleeper service. That said, not everyone is a rail enthusiast. It might be possible to convince general public to trade the stress of driving or the lead time of airports for a much more relaxing experience at a premium. But most are going to look at the greater costs and longer travel times, and either drive or just take the plane.

[@MidnightAspec]

6:51 I can’t recall the last time I saw a solid Comet IV consist on NJT.

[@anonymousperson9610]

It’s sad the current Acela are being replaced I hope Amtrak doesn’t scrap them and also the liberty horns suck I hope Amtrak can equipped them the hybrid k5la.

[@yaraihan]

And Bring The Sucked Airhorn To Indonesia For Railroad In Indonesia

[@EvanAviator]

Why is it sad? They are 20 years old.

[@tylerkochman1007]

Finally. I'd missed the old video.

[@NorthAtlanticRails]

You forgot the Acela crash on October 28, 2004 where First Class car 3201 hit a bridge support. 3201 was removed and the rest of the train continued service holding down the Metroliner service. After 3201 was repaired in Bear Delaware it was re-added to the train and it runs to this day.

[@SDTrains8098]

I love the Acela and also can’t wait for the Avelia to come out

[@Noodle_Train]

Loved the video, and love the Acela. Unfortunate that they’re replacing them so early imo.

[@Cnw8701]

Sucks I was never able to ride these. However, I was ecstatic when I saw them at D.C Union Station! I took a short video of my trip back in 2018 and uploaded it onto my channel. The Veterans ACS-64 unit was also there, too!

[@Busdriver2435_YT]

I’ve been waiting for this

[@3180P5]

PERSONA!!!

[@D.O.T.D.]

you should do the F- and E- units, like do one with a few examples of those units (F9, F7, F3, E2...etc) and how they were used in systems, defects, stuff like that.

[@IAmMisterTterevel]

Just drove one on TSW 3; Amazing Train Set.

[@BulletTrainProductions]

Correction on the horsepower, the horsepower on each power car is 8,000 HP and thanks for the reference on my video sent to you!

[@ProLGL]

Somebody should do a series like this but over CITX and/or PRLX leaser units. I think it’d be really fun to watch a video on the uprising of leaser railroads and their fleets

[@pennsylvaniarailfan57]

I heard that Amtrak is delivering the Avelia Liberty sets through Sunbury, PA. I'm really excited for that since I live near Sunbury. Sunbury doesn't have an Amtrak station, so that's why I'm excited.

[@kinggamerchase4447]

I'm a fan of trains and I LOVE your videos

[@himbourbanist]

The Acela sure is not perfect, but it holds a special place in my heart as America's first high speed rail. All of the track improvements that went into the Northeast Corridor to accommodate the Acela were a HUGE benefit to every service that uses the corridor, too.

[@nolantherailfan5048]

Especially with its hybrid K5LA

[@TheHornMagnet]

Great remake episode of The Acela Express. I really enjoyed it! For your Amtrak ACS-64 remake, I have a couple of Hornshow videos I think you can benefit from using. I would like to send a few to you if you haven’t finished making that yet.

[@ceehazz]

Amtrak should paint one of their Acela trains with one of the cursed fantasy paint schemes Lionel created

[@CaptainJeau]

You should make a video on all the upgrade proposals and under construction parts in getting ready for the new train sets

[@duncanmcauley7932]

Boy do they need it! I could see all the upgrades needed in Connecticut alone. Gotta start somewhere

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

Yo, that part where you played the Sonic Adventure intro over the Trains was cool

[@thegreenelephnant8100]

Hay so happy you got a sponsor man

[@augiestravels]

Great video and narration

[@GoSolarPlz]

Thank you for saying Bombardier properly!!

[@LeonDuhaney]

Nicely done.

[@odielodie]

poggg! keep up the great work man!

[@johnspeller3666]

Here in Port Huron we do at least get to travel the Blue Water through the Midwest Division of Amtrak at 110 mph.

[@TFALC]

Wow im a 8 years old boy and im a huge fan of trains! When i grow up i will take videos of trains!

[@johnrich2102]

Many people forget that America built the world's very first high-speed electric Bullet Trains in 1931, when the Philadelphia & Western RR Bullet MU cars entered service. They were the first production railroad cars ever tested in a wind tunnel and were capable of 100 MPH. The ran for almost 60 years before they were finally retired in 1990. Six of the original 10 MU's are preserved in museums.

[@TycoonTitian01]

“What is this, professionalism?”-Red (OSP)

[@randomtransportguyx4397]

Amtrak guy: 20 years is the service life. Me in the uk with our near 40 year DMUs : am I a joke to you

[@triple7gaming243]

At 2:23 you can spot F69PHAC #451, which worked with the other F69PHAC #450. Wish we still had one around.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

We will be losing these soon sadly. Shame since they are pretty cool trains. (Though the new Liberty units look pretty good too)

[@NYMR-Pacific-6323]

Finger Goes Zoom When U See Engines Of Amtrak (Also,Im 9th To Comment So Im Happy)

[@rnrailproductions5049]

*Insert comment complaining about the Avila Liberty horn being European, even though it’s a Nathan Airchime horn with KS-2 and KS-4A bells*

[@CommuterRailProductions]

I'm gonna be honest, the overall design and Hybrid K5LA is what makes the Acela special.

[@maxster_8989]

Can't wait for you to do one for the Avelia.

[@ntytp]

Man the old Acela Express is almost as heavy as the big boy

[@TheWinnipegRailfan]

Thank you Doctor Chungus, I appreciate that, man.

[@CaseysTrains]

Fun Fact, I was the girl in that pic at 12:31

[@blue9multimediagroup]

Nikki in North Philly lol

[@MrJimheeren]

I had to look for you. But hey there you are in front of a pole

[@crudecaboose8382]

Now this is epic

[@ROTE]

The acela express is a unique and great train. It's sad that they are retiring next year.

[@RiftRaft_]

I’m subbed to you dude

[@BulletTrainProductions]

According to an Amtrak conductor, they're keeping some trainsets for super regional and keystone service

[@NishnaValleyRailVideos]

I was not expecting a skill share ad

[@williamseaman176]

I’m gonna miss Acela.

[@Ligma.balls.42069]

“Finally it’s here”

[@thomasweekley9209]

I do hope that one or two Acela sets are saved for display

[@andrewcook3475]

The articulated suspension on these new trains should prevent carriages coming apart...