TSW: State-of-the-Art Sprinter!

The “Northeast Corridor New York” route is coming soon to Train Sim World, and the state-of-the-art star of the show will be Amtrak’s ultra-modern and stylish Siemens Mobility ACS-64 8,600-horsepower “Amtrak City Sprinter” electric locomotive!

What is today Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor has been home to a lineage of famous, long-lived, and successful electric passenger locomotives. The NEC’s family tree of iconic electrics began with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s great GG1s, the first of which was constructed in 1934, and the PRR “G’s” served into the early 1980s. Amtrak’s chosen successor to the GG1 was the EMD/ASEA AEM-7, which entered service in 1978 and served faithfully through 2016. And today, the mantle of Northeast Corridor electric motive power is worn by the Siemens ACS-64.

As faithfully re-created down to the smallest detail in Train Sim World, Amtrak’s ACS-64 is both sleek and powerful. Riding on a four-axle (B-B) wheel arrangement, the Amtrak City Sprinter measures 66-feet long, weighs 215,537 pounds, and features a monocoque body and double-cab design constructed to meet US Crash Standard AAR S-580. The ACS-64 produces 8,600 horsepower (6,400 kW) in maximum output and has a continuous rating of 5,000 kW (approximately 6,700 horsepower). The ACS-64 offers regenerative braking that returns up to 100 percent of power to the NEC’s energy grid and maximum speed for the locomotive on the Northeast Corridor is 125 mph.

Siemens Mobility, a subsidiary of Siemens AG of Germany, design-based the ACS-64 on the successful EuroSprinter of which, in various derivates, more than 600 units have been constructed. With components coming from Siemens facilities in Georgia and Mississippi, Amtrak’s ACS-64s were assembled at Siemens’ plant near Sacramento, California. The first ACS-64 was rolled out for testing in May 2013 and ACS-64s began regular service on the NEC on February 2014. To serve as the standard bearer of its new electric motive power fleet, Amtrak purchased 70 of the ACS-64s for an estimated cost of $466 million, all of which entered service by June 2016.

Just as it is on Amtrak’s NEC, the stunning ACS-64 will be the electric workhorse on the upcoming Train Sim World Northeast: Corridor New York route. The TSW ACS-64 will feature extraordinary authenticity both inside and out, with an interactive cab, “cold-start” features, and the ability to enter the carbody corridor to set additional controls.

Accompanying the ACS-64 for Northeast Regional passenger services with be Amtrak’s venerable and versatile Amfleet I equipment. Measuring 84-feet long, with a coach capacity of up to 84 passengers and vestibules at each end, these stainless-steel cars are well-suited to the needs and rigor of the high-density Northeast Corridor. Included with the Train Sim World: Northeast Corridor New York route will be the Amfleet I standard coach, café car, and a car configured for Business Class services, which is offered on many of Amtrak’s Northeast Regional trains.

Stay tuned here at Dovetail Live, as in the coming days we’ll be exploring the upcoming Northeast Corridor New York route, its features, operations, and its full range of realistic equipment and rolling stock! – Gary Dolzall ■