NJT Engine Change @ South Amboy - URHS NJ 40th Anniversary Express [ALP-46A & F40PH-2CAT]
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Yesterday 9/30/2023, I was fortunate to ride the NJT & URHS NJ 40th Anniversary Express From New York - Bay Head - Hoboken. One major highlight of the trip was the locomotive change from electric to diesel at South Amboy, a process that hasn't taken place since 1988, before my parents met. From New York Penn to South Amboy, the train was powered by ALP-46As No. 4636 (PRR Heritage) & 4640 ("Disco Stripe" 40th Anniversary Heritage). @FanRailer, you were RIGHT about this being a ALP-46A doubleheader, URHS NJ did keep this under wraps.
At South Amboy, the electrics were removed, and the F40PH-2CAT locomotives No. 4120 & 4119 were added. These two F40PHs are the final ones NJ Transit has, and they RARELY are used in passenger service nowadays. So it was amazing to see these two locomotives get another healthy and prideful run in. I rode Amtrak Northeast Regional 160 to NY, and I spotted the F40s near CLIFF Interlocking, moving light to South Amboy.
After watching many vintage clips of E60s & GG1s being swapped for diesel power (and vice versa) at South Amboy, I'm happy to say I finally captured an engine swap here myself on film. The layout at South Amboy is a tad different with the island platform and the yard being removed. So the locomotives didn't "run around" the train. Instead we "wrong railed" from GRAW Interlocking & arrived on Track 2, where the swap took place. I spoke with the engineer, and he told me the ALP-46As went to a storage track near South Amboy and then deadheaded to Hudson Yard and eventually MMC.
Hats off to New Jersey Transit & United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey for coordinating this & props to Amtrak as well. Excursions like this don't happen very often nowadays and I know it wasn't easy to pull off. I felt like, no, I WAS a part of history. Also, it was nice meeting @3985uprr on the trip. Congrats if you actually read the whole description, I don't have a prize for you, but I'm proud of you.
ENJOY!
Mileposts 🚆:
0:00 | Prequel - F40PH-2CATs Spotted Near CLIFF Interlocking
0:12 | ALP-46As No. 4636 & 4640 Get Into Position
3:44 | The ALP-46As Are Removed From The Train
7:30 | The Conductors Set The Switches For the F40PH-2CATs
8:54 | The F40s Get In Position & The Conductors Realign the Switches
12:00 | The F40s Coupling Process Begins
12:57 | The F40s Pull The Train Into South Amboy
#NJTransit #NewJerseyTransit #URHSNJ
#ALP46A #F40PH #NJT - เกม
Thank you on behalf of all of those who could not be there in person. Saw this process many, many times with Gs and Es...but it was A LOT faster then.
Thank you for your very kind words. I wasn't born yet when the last engine change happened. So up until that day, my "memories" all came from watching various videos on TH-cam from the 80s and years prior. My camera's battery isn't invincible, but I made sure beyond anything else, I captured the engine change to the best of my ability. Now I can "join" those who took those videos from the 80s and years prior.
I also imagine the swap was faster back then for two reasons. One, it was common place, therefore the crews were more used to it. Also, it was part of the everyday commute and not excursions. I doubt many regular commuters would be thrilled with a 30+ minute engine change. For instance, Amtrak's Pennsylvanian does its change in Philly in about 10-15 minutes. So I think it has a lot to do with the occasion and frequency.
Thanks again for chiming in, I appreciate it.
4640 looks awesome in its retro NJT colors; excellent catching and editing of the engine swap, thank you for sharing.
You know what? At first, I actually didn't like the Disco Stripe Scheme AT ALL on 4640. Mostly because of how it's shaped. But it eventually grew on me, the horn probably didn't hurt either.
Thanks for the compliment. I tried to capture the different aspects of the engine change to the best of my ability on my camera's tiny, but mighty battery life. I thought about all of the engine change videos from the 70s & 80s I'd watch on TH-cam when I was capturing it. I knew I was capturing history in real time. So that, combined with my creativity & SEO knowledge, led to this. Glad you enjoyed!
That is cool.
Thanks, glad you like it.
So a lot of companies are slowly going out of business, giving up routes to NJT