The new SC-44s are incredible, absolute powerhouses! Had to take MARC almost everyday for a summer job last year and didn't get a charger till my very last day but was definitely the fastest, smoothest most comfortable commuter ride I've been on. Hopefully MARC orders more to serve more frequently on the other lines.
They're my second favorites behind the HHP8s. Honestly it blows my mind why the stupid MP36s aren't rated for higher speeds (max 90mph) when the GP40s they replaced could go 100
@@R3VStudios Guessing it has to do largely with which lines they were made to serve on, the chargers I think were intended to largely be NEC oriented, replacing the electric AEM-7s and HHP-8s that served there which is why the other, slower lines often get saddled with the MPs. The MPs must still be doing something right though considering MARC has almost 30 of them and less than 10 of everything else lol
@@R3VStudios- Chargers require caternaries; on all of MARC, only the Penn Line has those. If any commuter line in the eastern US can use more Chargers, it is SEPTA, as they have the greatest amount of electrification of any eastern US regional rail operator.
@@R3VStudios The MP36s are also really heavy compared to other commuter locomotives. In Chicago, Metra originally ordered 27 of them for fleet expansion and to replace some older locomotives on the UP-N/NW/W lines. When they got them, they discovered the MP36s were heavier than they thought, and some of the bridges on that line couldn't support its weight. They ended up having to relegate them to other lines. Not only are they heavy, but they load really slow compared to some other locomotives out there. Metra has F40PHs with 3,000 HP that load faster than the MP36s with 3600 HP. A typical F40PH weighs around 250K pounds while an MP36PH will weight almost 300K pounds. They're just too heavy to go that fast.
Finally I find a video showing MARC SC-44 Chargers doing 125 mph!! (or at least somewhere close enough) Good MARC express train video! PS: the sound of the locomotive at 6:51...
It was cheaper for MARC to overhaul theirs because, they weren’t as worn down as Amtrak. They intended on getting rid of them and replacing the entire fleet with diesels ( ACS-64 were too cost prohibitive.)
A point about the Martin Airport/Middle River MARC Station - it serves a non-insigniificant area in the northeastern Baltimore suburbs - basically everything above East Baltimore but below Edgewood Arsenal (the next MARC station) - including White Marsh, North Point, Sparrows Point, etc.
Incorrect, Siemens Chargers have a top operational speed of 125MPH per their manual - they were even tested on the NEC by Amtrak prior to entry into service for Midwest service at speeds of up to 135MPH.
Could these scenes be imagined scored to Rob EG's "55 Days at Peking," let alone Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" (itself something of a trope for rail videos of late)? (Or, for that matter, "Bumble Boogie" by B. Bumble and The Stingers.)
Yes, as the ones built for MARC originally had no ditchlights. A neighboring railroad, VRE, bought the same cars with ditchlights, but ended up selling them to MARC to have a single fleet of all-Gallery cars
It's not that the Chargers can't fly - especially on the Penn line between Union Station and Baltimore Penn; they have to have permission to crank those throttles open.
Or they get put on slower lines instead - seems to be the case. MTA should forbid these MP36s from operating on the Penn line lol every time one leads a consist a delay occurs. Thanks for watching!
The chargers in general also give a much smoother, less turbulent ride which always makes them feel like they're going faster, no wonder so many commuter lines are snapping them up
@@R3VStudios The "slower" lines are ANY line that has no caternaries - which is, in fact, every line that is NOT the Penn Line, and they are slower because of their non-passenger (as in "freight") rail traffic. The MARC Brunswick Line is shared with (and owned by) CSX - which is a freight railroad; freight consist does not require the care and babying passengers do - not even a freight consist made entirely of raw eggs. (CSX Intermodal does ship such consists from the Eastern Shore - so I am not joking about the eggy consist.)
@@haydendraycott7897 That is why I also look at who operates them; the Chargers - in both MARC and AMTRAK livery - are operated by AMTRAK crews (MARC has no crews itself); however, they are not the only commuter rail line to have them; NJ Transit and MBTA have them as well - further, their overlalid sections of the NEC are faster than the Penn Line overlaid - not slower; so why is MARC faster in operation than either NJ Transit - especially the Princeton-Newark segment - or MBTA Providence? (Conaidering what the AMTRAK and MARC Chargers can do, why are the NJT and MBTA rail versions slower - unless it is the crews' fault?) Hence my suspiscion - "operator error" - literally.
@@PGHammer21A MBTA doesn't have any Chargers. They have the MPI HSP46s, which are leading most trains out of South Station these days. Other than that it's mainly F40s, two MP36s, and a few old GP40s.
They're newer and were purchases of an unused NJT option; basically NJT asked for an additional 50 multilevels and then they changed their mind so MARC took them instead.
@@diegoarpino2080 Yep both Kawasakis and Bombardiers. They also used to use the Kawasaki's in tandem with old Metra bi levels MARC inherited when it launched. Kind of ironic though, they apparently like the Bombardiers so much that MARC is now looking to overhaul all the Kawasakis as soon as possible.
@@turbochargedtransit7241 Yeah it's one of those Chinese phones lol, not available to buy here. I bought it while I was overseas and the camera is nuts. Thanks for watching!
MARC has actually speed tested all of their motive power to verify with the FRA that they are capable of 125mph- everything except the MP36s and the single level cars, which are only allowed to reach 90mph and 110mph respectively. I don't recall Mbta having run any similar tests so there you go lol
Max design speed of the HSP46 is 110 but MBTA single-level coaches are only rated for 80 mph, bilevels for 90. In practice this means all trains are limited to 80.
People: Commuter rail isn't high speed
MARC: Hold my crabcakes
LMAO "crab cakes"
@@R3VStudios MARC Halethorpe - and Baltimore Penn Station - actually have good places for crabcakes in walking distance. So farfetched it is not
Ikr he said hold my crabcakes 3 mins later: passes BWI 125 mph
@@PGHammer21A no to mention crabs are like the de facto food of Maryland
The new SC-44s are incredible, absolute powerhouses! Had to take MARC almost everyday for a summer job last year and didn't get a charger till my very last day but was definitely the fastest, smoothest most comfortable commuter ride I've been on. Hopefully MARC orders more to serve more frequently on the other lines.
They're my second favorites behind the HHP8s. Honestly it blows my mind why the stupid MP36s aren't rated for higher speeds (max 90mph) when the GP40s they replaced could go 100
@@R3VStudios Guessing it has to do largely with which lines they were made to serve on, the chargers I think were intended to largely be NEC oriented, replacing the electric AEM-7s and HHP-8s that served there which is why the other, slower lines often get saddled with the MPs. The MPs must still be doing something right though considering MARC has almost 30 of them and less than 10 of everything else lol
@@R3VStudios- Chargers require caternaries; on all of MARC, only the Penn Line has those. If any commuter line in the eastern US can use more Chargers, it is SEPTA, as they have the greatest amount of electrification of any eastern US regional rail operator.
@@PGHammer21A Chargers don’t require catenaries, they’re diesels.
@@R3VStudios The MP36s are also really heavy compared to other commuter locomotives. In Chicago, Metra originally ordered 27 of them for fleet expansion and to replace some older locomotives on the UP-N/NW/W lines. When they got them, they discovered the MP36s were heavier than they thought, and some of the bridges on that line couldn't support its weight. They ended up having to relegate them to other lines. Not only are they heavy, but they load really slow compared to some other locomotives out there. Metra has F40PHs with 3,000 HP that load faster than the MP36s with 3600 HP. A typical F40PH weighs around 250K pounds while an MP36PH will weight almost 300K pounds. They're just too heavy to go that fast.
Finally I find a video showing MARC SC-44 Chargers doing 125 mph!! (or at least somewhere close enough)
Good MARC express train video!
PS: the sound of the locomotive at 6:51...
Thanks for watching! That MP36 has had problems for AGES now lol, #23
It sounds like a car going nyooooooom
@@jawshify2168 It does!
@@jawshify2168 it does actually
Glad to see some HHP-8s running around.
My favourites!
It was cheaper for MARC to overhaul theirs because, they weren’t as worn down as Amtrak. They intended on getting rid of them and replacing the entire fleet with diesels ( ACS-64 were too cost prohibitive.)
@@engineerminded3388 '64s are probably still in the works though since they seem to happy to poach some of Amtrak's whenever they can
@@engineerminded3388 If they did get rid of the HHP-8s they would have been replaced by the Chargers.
A point about the Martin Airport/Middle River MARC Station - it serves a non-insigniificant area in the northeastern Baltimore suburbs - basically everything above East Baltimore but below Edgewood Arsenal (the next MARC station) - including White Marsh, North Point, Sparrows Point, etc.
I see, good to know!
4:33 I’ve always loved those bells on the single level cab cars
same here!
Amtrak: all the hhp-8’s are dead
Marc: nah *refirbished them* still breaking down every week lmao
The only MARC locomotive that did 125 MPH was the HHP-8, the SC-44 Charger only at 110 MPH.
Incorrect, Siemens Chargers have a top operational speed of 125MPH per their manual - they were even tested on the NEC by Amtrak prior to entry into service for Midwest service at speeds of up to 135MPH.
@@R3VStudios I was talking about in the video, and not in general.
The speed of these trains is just remarkable!
Could these scenes be imagined scored to Rob EG's "55 Days at Peking," let alone Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" (itself something of a trope for rail videos of late)?
(Or, for that matter, "Bumble Boogie" by B. Bumble and The Stingers.)
Freaking awesome indeed!
Never knew those trains could go so fast
Where I live they are limited to 80 besides the Amtrak's and Acela
Man I love the HHP-8 and the MP36s
It’s surprising that Marc has the chargers.mp36s are often used in the nec like VRE,MARC,and MBTA.
I FINALLY GET TO SEE THE NEW COACHS IMA FAN RAIL THEM THIS WEEKEND!
Nice video, wish I could railfan on the northeast corridor someday.
Those chargers could really move
They sure do, as long as they don't get blocked by an Amtrak in front lol
MP36 #23 had a blast of a howl!!!
I’ve noticed some Kawasaki bi-levels have ditch lights under the cab and some don’t.
Yes, as the ones built for MARC originally had no ditchlights. A neighboring railroad, VRE, bought the same cars with ditchlights, but ended up selling them to MARC to have a single fleet of all-Gallery cars
2:39 Oh sh*t he almost got blown away! That’s what happens when you have a Siemens Charger!!
Agree I was riding one yesterday and omg it’s fast as idk what
feels good to be from maryland
8:42 Why is that Amtrak ACS 64 Pulling MARC Coaches
leased equipment from amtrak
Marc probably ran out of locomotives at the time and needed an acs64 to pull it.
#6:58 THAT MP36 WAS DRUNK
I wish all towns and cities in the US had access to passenger rail service.
Wow great video. :D
At 6:58 it sounded like a race car but with a train!
Sweet catches
Thanks!
It's not that the Chargers can't fly - especially on the Penn line between Union Station and Baltimore Penn; they have to have permission to crank those throttles open.
Or they get put on slower lines instead - seems to be the case. MTA should forbid these MP36s from operating on the Penn line lol every time one leads a consist a delay occurs. Thanks for watching!
The chargers in general also give a much smoother, less turbulent ride which always makes them feel like they're going faster, no wonder so many commuter lines are snapping them up
@@R3VStudios The "slower" lines are ANY line that has no caternaries - which is, in fact, every line that is NOT the Penn Line, and they are slower because of their non-passenger (as in "freight") rail traffic. The MARC Brunswick Line is shared with (and owned by) CSX - which is a freight railroad; freight consist does not require the care and babying passengers do - not even a freight consist made entirely of raw eggs. (CSX Intermodal does ship such consists from the Eastern Shore - so I am not joking about the eggy consist.)
@@haydendraycott7897 That is why I also look at who operates them; the Chargers - in both MARC and AMTRAK livery - are operated by AMTRAK crews (MARC has no crews itself); however, they are not the only commuter rail line to have them; NJ Transit and MBTA have them as well - further, their overlalid sections of the NEC are faster than the Penn Line overlaid - not slower; so why is MARC faster in operation than either NJ Transit - especially the Princeton-Newark segment - or MBTA Providence? (Conaidering what the AMTRAK and MARC Chargers can do, why are the NJT and MBTA rail versions slower - unless it is the crews' fault?) Hence my suspiscion - "operator error" - literally.
@@PGHammer21A MBTA doesn't have any Chargers. They have the MPI HSP46s, which are leading most trains out of South Station these days. Other than that it's mainly F40s, two MP36s, and a few old GP40s.
today my lead loco I was riding Marc on was hpp-8 4910
Awesome v video !
Thank you!
6:57 that MP36 sounded like its 4000HP sister.
Sister?
@@R3VStudios the 4000 HP MP40 lol sry
@@easternroutemainlinevideos6823 oh lol
@@R3VStudios th-cam.com/video/1U4T85H4G-k/w-d-xo.html
So agree it’s sounds so weird in the distance
2:34 Toaster memories anyone?
Yeppers
Agreed also at 5:42
7:09 these are the same type of multilevel cars as New Jersey Transit has. Are those older for MARC?
They're newer and were purchases of an unused NJT option; basically NJT asked for an additional 50 multilevels and then they changed their mind so MARC took them instead.
R3V Studios ah interesting. So I guess Marc has two different sets of multilevels. Thanks :)
@@diegoarpino2080 Yep both Kawasakis and Bombardiers. They also used to use the Kawasaki's in tandem with old Metra bi levels MARC inherited when it launched. Kind of ironic though, they apparently like the Bombardiers so much that MARC is now looking to overhaul all the Kawasakis as soon as possible.
Why doesn’t MARC get more electric locomotives for their penn line trains
They only have one electric line, and apparently Amtrak charges a ton of money for the use of the overhead wires.
R3V Studios I take it this is another way of them trying to “raise money”?
@@amtrak_121 Sorry I just saw this - most likely lol
@@R3VStudios or “improve service” rather
@@R3VStudios the penn line is on Amtrak’s property so makes since
guys don't get too close for frick sake, you literally can see your friend getting sucked into a coach...
0:00 0:20 2:21 2:38 3:13 3:35 4:53 5:28 5:46 6:08 6:32 8:23
When did MARC ever run GP40’s?
They used to have a bunch of them - a lot have been sent out to Progress Rail for rebuilding and what not
This filmed at Bowie State?
Yep!
What/where is 'MARC' ??
Maryland, search it up on Wikipedia
6:58🤔Dam that was a loud double header
I really like the ones that go in reverse
Me too, cabcar first
Prob sped up to 2x
What kind of camera do you use? The footage looks great!
Thank you! Any clip in particular? The 60fps shots were on my Oppo Reno phone, and the non-60fps shots were on my iPhone 6.
R3V Studios oppo reno, never heard of it. but those were the shots that looked the best.
@@turbochargedtransit7241 Yeah it's one of those Chinese phones lol, not available to buy here. I bought it while I was overseas and the camera is nuts. Thanks for watching!
R3V Studios dang. well keep up the good work! the video quality is fantastic.
Ķ@@R3VStudios
Why can't MBTA go this fast on the NEC?
MARC has actually speed tested all of their motive power to verify with the FRA that they are capable of 125mph- everything except the MP36s and the single level cars, which are only allowed to reach 90mph and 110mph respectively. I don't recall Mbta having run any similar tests so there you go lol
Because of their rolling stock, but NJ transit actually has equipment capable of going 125 mph, but never run them above 100.
Max design speed of the HSP46 is 110 but MBTA single-level coaches are only rated for 80 mph, bilevels for 90. In practice this means all trains are limited to 80.
@@liamnixon4428 NJT GP40’s top speed 105 MPH after rebuilt from 77 MPH as GP40/P
Had no idea that trains go that fast in the US
Some of them sure are quick!
Acela can hit 150
Amtrak is testing the Acela 21 which is designed to go 229 mph. They're joking. They probably mean 229 kmh, which is about a 130 - 145 mph range.
@@thealmightydoge5653 They're not joking bc it can only go 165 mph on their tracks, or 185 mph with some infrastructure improvements
Why does it just skip the station
Peak hour trains sometimes skip stations because they get INSANELY crowded - standing room only
Look it me
Yes.
Disappointed they abandoned Electric traction power.
Blame Amtrak for charging a massive fortune to use the overhead wires.
Thx; was not aware of that.@@R3VStudios
Interesting
Don't americans know aerodynamics?