The Alstom PL42AC is a class of four axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive designed by

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

in association with GM-EMD. 33 were built between 2003 and 2006 for NJ Transit Rail Operations.

Description

The PL42AC is a diesel-electric 4-axle locomotive built by

with 16-710G3B prime mover for

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

. The first two locomotives were manufactured at the Meinfesa plant in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 2003. The 31 following units were assembled at the Alstom Transport plant in

Hornell, New York Hornell is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Steuben County, New York, Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. The City ...

in 2004, and were produced through early 2006. The power rating of the PL42AC locomotives is 4,200 hp (3.1 MW) total for

tractive effort In railway engineering, the term tractive effort describes the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, calculated from known or implied mechanical proper ...

and

head-end power In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, ...

. The locomotive has a design similar to the

GE Genesis The GE Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of passenger diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation for Amtrak, Metro-North, and Via Rail between 1992 and 2001. A total of 321 units were produced. Designed to meet Amtrak's ...

, mainly because both PL42AC and Genesis series locomotives were designed by industrial designer

Cesar Vergara Cesar Vergara is a Mexican-born American industrial designer, specializing in rail transport. He has designed a number of passenger train locomotives and cars, including the GE Genesis, the Talgo trainsets used on Amtrak Cascades, and the MTA M ...

. This locomotive uses

IGBT An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily forming an electronic switch. It was developed to combine high efficiency with fast switching. It consists of four alternating layers (NPNP) that ...

technology with precise traction computers for tractive effort. The PL42AC has 800

kilowatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s head-end power and WABCO's EPIC II braking system, along with an E-7 wheel slide device, made by

Wabtec Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wab ...

, preventing flats spots on the wheels through software and hardware. It has an Intelligent Display Unit (IDU) based on

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...

technology from which an engineer or technician can view data or download events and faults from the previous weeks or months. The technician can do a host of tests from the IDU to determine if a specific system is operating correctly. The PL42AC uses computer hardware and software to control functions and to protect the engine. For example, if the on-board computer detects too little oil in the system, it will shut down the engine to avoid damage.

Future

In July 2020, NJ Transit announced that older locomotives in the PL42AC fleet will be replaced by additional ALP-45A dual mode locomotives, due to the PL42AC's unreliability and inability to be upgraded to meet new Environmental Protection Agency standards. Of the 33 units, 23 are slated for replacement, while the remaining 10 will receive a light overhaul for continued service.

References

{{EMD misc Bo-Bo locomotives NJ Transit Rail Operations PL42AC Passenger locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 2003 PL42AC Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States