This Train is Faster than the Amtrak Acela

[@michlschade2236]

I'm guessing the purpose of the express is to hurry up to Bmore to pick up another load of morning commuters. The weekday usage of MARC Penn is mostly for Bmore-to-DC commuters. It would be awesome to have express service on weekends to help promote Baltimore as a tourist destination.

[@henryjpridejr]

That train used to be a deadhead move but now they run in service

[@chineselemonkitty717]

I feel like they should run a service the other direction like this at this time of day

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

@@chineselemonkitty717 I thought they ran this route because they needed the train in Baltimore for another route and they needed to move it from Washington. Instead of moving it empty they offer it as a service so the train can run the rest of its route the rest of the day starting in Baltimore.

[@AutumnBosco]

@@chineselemonkitty717in the Washington-bound direction there are many people wanting to get on at intermediate stations, especially BWI, so it doesn’t make sense to skip them. For this trip they just want to get the train back to Baltimore as quick as possible to make another Washington-bound trip.

[@6TheButcher]

HHP-8!!!!!!!! Most of them retired after the ACS-64s came out

[@bernardschmitt6389]

Amtrak is returning some to service as control cars to replace the old metrolinners still used on the keystone service.

[@stitchstudios2404]

Yep we have only 2 actually running revenue but apparently we have 6, 4910-4915,

[@CaradhrasAiguo49]

3:50 the Manassas Line does run 3 reverse peak trains per weekday (2 afternoon eastbound, 1 morning westbound)

[@strredwolf]

Long time MARC rider here. 408 is the "shotgun express" because it has to make it up to Baltimore to turn for a return trip back down (421 if I remember). It skips past 406 (which was a diesel based turn off a Brunswick line train, and is all local).

[@michlschade2236]

BTW the "cool lights" by the doors indicate whether you can bring your bike in that entrance. Green means there are bike racks (or the folding seats you can lean a bike against).

[@danpeppers4976]

Whoa an HHP-8! They were a bit of a black sheep for Amtrak. I'm glad to see them still operating!

[@29downtheline]

I love that MARC runs this service, I’ll have to try it out some time! It may be a hot take, but if I have the time, I actually prefer the Camden Line over the Penn Line. It’s more scenic and has much better transit connections in Baltimore.

[@EvanLindstrom]

Love this train, it has allowed me to get from Brunswick, MD To Baltimore in 2 hours flat. You got lucky with the HHP-8, most of the time the loco is a diesel which can only get up to 90 mph on the nec

[@jstephens2758]

Is it a repositioning run? This is common in air travel and would explain running a non-stop nearly empty train.

[@nathantransitj]

Yes. This is the most likely explanation.

[@jg-7780]

FWIW, some Amtrak long distance trains (like the Cardinal) also run this trip nonstop

[@c.j.benoit8662]

I remember messing around with an HHP-8 on Train Simulator as a kid!

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Same!

[@Schola718]

That sign asking employees not to enter and use the other gates was for an event that Amtrak hosted in that waiting area some months ago. They just never put the sign away.

[@nathantransitj]

Ohhh. That makes sense lol

[@Schola718]

​@@nathantransitj😂

[@Schola718]

​@@nathantransitjI want to say it was for the mass hiring events they had

[@CubeAtlantic]

That Amtrak route is legit fast & detailed i haven't been on it in yrs.

[@Acela2000]

I really love your channel but as a Acela hippo lover (what some of us called the HHP-8 because it’s the dual cab variant of the Acela power cars) I kinda got secondhand embarrassment, but it’s no biggie. You should come back so I could show you around our system.

[@brycebundens6866]

So much cooler than Brightline!!

[@NorthAtlanticRails]

You got the Alstom/Bombardier HHP-8 leading. Funny how it's built extremely similarly to the Acela

[@CentralJerseyRailfan]

the HHP-8s are literally based on the Acela power cars

[@NorthAtlanticRails]

@@CentralJerseyRailfan Yea I know I see how they look

[@bernardschmitt6389]

They used to be called Acela when everything was an Acela on the NEC

[@NorthAtlanticRails]

@@bernardschmitt6389 The HHP-8s themselves weren't called the Acela, the service they ran was called the Acela Regional

[@bernardschmitt6389]

@@NorthAtlanticRails thats what I meant...

[@streamlinedtransit]

4:54 you had to slow down at new carrolton because there is a lower speed limit due to the proximity of the two track to the platform at the station.

[@PabloM201]

I've ridden this service a few times. Really cool

[@TheMarylandrailoaddude145]

I like the Penn line trains because they go really fast, well some of them do but I railfan at seabrook sometimes which is also a Penn line station. I also catch Amtrak Acela trains there to.

[@wavesnbikes]

If Amtrak played nice with their Electric tariffs for commuter railroads, would it be a good option for MARC to consider rebuilding their HHP-8's?

[@ToyotaCamry2000]

Marc already rebuilt the HHP-8s between 2017 and 2018.

[@StefanWithTrains]

They will go 100% electric on the penn line when the Frédéric Douglas tunnels are finished.

[@StefanWithTrains]

These are just as fast as any other Amtrak train on this section of the NEC... (not counting trains with Viewliner I's).

[@TomHoffman-uw7pf]

41 minutes? So what? PRR was pulling heavyweight coaches behind GG-1s in 40 minutes back in 1940.

[@russellgxy2905]

GG1’s weren’t in commuter service regularly though, certainly not in Maryland. An MP54 or a P5 couldn’t be doing this

[@BenriBea]

lol you thought the hippo was a charger

[@sammymarrco2]

What's the reasoning of your phone being in Dutch, are you learning it?

[@nathantransitj]

Yeah, I was but I kind of stopped now.

[@midnightdeluxegaming6582]

Why does every Railfan sound the same? Lmao

[@bernardschmitt6389]

HHP-8's are cool

[@seprishere]

How fast is it in mph? Faster than 104 mph (Warrington Bank Quay to Euston non-stop)?

[@nathantransitj]

The maximum speed is 125mph and I just calculated the average speed to be about 63.5mph. American trains = generally slow

[@jayydarailfaner549]

I’m afraid your title is wrong; HHP8s are capable up to 135mph (125 in service) the Acela Express can run up to 160mph (150 in service)

[@NoahAlvarez-i2h]

Amtrak is more better

[@FreeJaffa92]

Hippo stink

[@TheBeagle58]

This train probably goes back and does a second trip to DC, so, instead of running it lite, it does the xpress to get it back for the next train. makes sense, one train set and crew used twice. good resource and can generate some income.

[@nathantransitj]

Yeah, that does make sense.

[@qsman01]

Ah the elusive HHP 8! Unfortunately this express service only runs in the opposite-commute direction! I always see this set pull in at Baltimore Penn while waiting for the NE 111.

[@SeaBassTian]

I am planning a side trip to B'more while in DC this September. Does MARC run service between the two cities (not express) on the weekend? I'd love to ride it!

[@nathantransitj]

Yes! MARC does run on weekends about every 2 hours. If the schedule doesn’t work out for you, you can always take Amtrak which is a similar price.

[@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226]

dang every two hours is wild

[@SeaBassTian]

@@nathantransitj Ah okay, I see six routes a day on the weekend with only about 1 hour of travel time. Sounds like I might have the train all to myself!

[@tommarino1056]

Interesting that there were so few passengers.

[@johnchambers8528]

As noted earlier it originally was a deadhead run to get the train back to Baltimore in time to bring more passengers to Washington DC. It benefits MARC in that even with a few passengers it helps cover costs that in the past were it was only an expense. It also helps those few passengers commuting to Baltimore with a fast service.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

2:26 ahhh you expect Marc to be getting electric locomotives? That would make too much sense lol

[@NorthEastTransitProductions]

Seimens Locomotives had me dieing and those are MARC HHP-8s

[@nathantransitj]

Yeah, I’m not very familiar with the actual rolling stock lol

[@NorthEastTransitProductions]

@@nathantransitj Its alright once I mistook an Acela for an ALP-46

[@Minigamer4153]

2:56 Bombardier? The aircraft manufacturer? Didn't know they make trains.

[@russellgxy2905]

Funny thing about the HHP-8’s, and the AEM-7 before them, is that MARC got them directly! They’re not secondhand from Amtrak. As some pointed out, 408 is a revenue-deadhead move back to Penn, and 3 minutes early is quite good. Unfortunately, that’s part of the reason an equivalent service can’t run in the evening. The HHP’s can do 125 as well as any ACS-64 or SC-44 (still have yet to see that) but since the locos don’t lead southbound they can’t make the same speed. MARC’s cab cars are only rated for 100~ mph, so a nonstop to DC is always slower than what’s possible heading out. While southbound aren’t as fast as Amtrak, they can be as *quick*. I recall taking a train home one evening, and the complex signals I kept seeing implied we were chasing the marker of another train the whole way down. My suspicions were confirmed as we arrived at New Carrollton, an Amfleet car picking up speed right as we were pulling in.

[@himbourbanist]

lol that door opening early was funny. MARC out here ghost-riding the whip

[@hairypotter259]

Awesome

[@SomeRamdomAhole]

lmao its not faster...

[@johnathanstevens8436]

I don't know that it's any faster but certainly the MARC is significantly less expensive than Amtrak when you can get service (service reduced on the weekend).

[@nathantransitj]

Surprisingly, if you buy Amtrak on the day of travel, prices can get as low as $7, cheaper than MARC! Usually you can find a train for $9 but this is not guaranteed.

[@russellgxy2905]

@@nathantransitj Can confirm! Hell, I’ve found Acela tickets from BAL-WAS that was slightly under $30, no way I’d get that price had I booked in advance

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

The HHP-8 does look very slick.

[@dougkoontz1752]

Yo should try to work off a script, so you don't ramble in your narration.