Amtrak Photo Archive
an unofficial Amtrak site

The AEM 7
the new reMANUFACTURED AC"Toasters"

 

After the page is loads, click on the image or AEM-7 number to view a larger image

 

Here is the direct quote from the May 2000 issue of Railway Age Magazine.

New Life for an Old Workhorse

The Acela Express and its companion HHL (High Horsepower Locomotive) aren't the only pieces of new equipment for the NEC. Thirty of Amtrak's AEM-7 locomotives are now undergoing a complete makeover at the Wilmington, Del., shops.

The rebuild program is a public/private partnership between Amtrak and Alstom, which is supplying a.c. propulsion equipment, electrical cabinets, transformers, HEP, and cab displays. Amtrak workers are performing the overhauls under Alstom supervision.

The power modules use water-cooled IGBT (inverted gate bipolar transistor) technology and provide 5 MW (megawatts) of traction power plus 1 MW of HEP, enough for 12 coaches. As such, the reborn AEM-7 ``is the world's first passenger locomotive with IGBT in service,'' says Alstom.

Amtrak also wanted to upgrade the amenities in the AEM-7 cab. This was accomplished by adding two screens, one of which displays main functions and verifies operations; the other, failures and their location. ``Having all information on one operations screen makes the engineer's
job easier and more comfortable ergonomically,'' says Alstom. ``The trouble-shooting screen improves locomotive availability, because failures can be identified and corrected quickly.''

 

916: The first AEM-7AC in service.
918: The second AEM-7AC in service.
924: The third AEM-7AC in service.
901: The fourth AEM-7AC in service.
905: The fifth AEM-7AC in service.
920: The sixth AEM-7AC in service.
919: The seventh AEM-7AC in service.
908: The eighth AEM-7AC in service.
927: The ninth AEM-7AC in service.
935: The tenth AEM-7AC in service.
946: The eleventh AEM-7AC in service.
940: The twelfth AEM-7AC in service.

Currently ( July 2001) 923, 943, and 913 are being converted to AEM-7AC.

The next locomotive due in
service is the 948 (due out within the next week July 16-20 ) followed by the 943 then
the 923

AEM 7 AC locomotives in service date.

1. 916 01/30/00
2. 918 03/18/00
3. 924 05/22/00
4. 901 08/16/00
5. 905 09/15/00
6. 920 10/20/00
7. 919 12/12/00
8. 908 01/29/01
9. 927 03/23/01
10. 935 04/23/01
11. 946 06/01/01
12. 940 06/20/01
13. 948 07/24/01
14. 943 08/10/01
15. 923 08/29/01
16. 925 09/14/01
17. 913 ----------
18. 938 10/22/01
19. 929 11/09/01
20. 941 12/05/01
21. 921 12/21/01
22. 917
23. 942
24. 939
25. 904
26. 934
27. 914
28. 944
29. 936


 

How to tell an AEM-7 from a AEM-7AC
there appear to be two additional heat radiators on the roof, next to each panograph
this has been reported on 916 and they are visable on 918 shown below. 924 also has them

    Location & Information  Date  Photo Credit

How to tell the remanufacturerd AEM-7AC from a repainted AEM-7
The number plate of an AEM7AC is round-typed; while that of an
AEM7 is flat-typed except 904, 911, and 928.

Fluorescent light is used in the number box of an AEM7AC;
while tungsten light is used in the number box of an AEM7.

Appearance of the roof. This is the easiest way to tell an AEM7AC
from an AEM7. If you observe carefully, you will see the roof
appearances on AEM7ACs 916, 918, 924, 901, and 905 are similar.
Starting from AEM7AC 920, 919, and 908, the roof appearance
are vastly different than the preceding 5 AEM7ACs.
  901 New Carrollton, MD
901 was testing on the NEC
July 31- Aug 5. 901 and its sister engine, 918, hauled train #182 northbound and #85 southbound from Monday to Saturday.Because 901 is still testing, it was the trailing engine,		 Aug 2, 2000  Chao-Hwa Chen 
901 New Carrollton, MD Sept 21, 2000 Chao-Hwa Chen 
905 905 is completed. It is freshly painted. It will begin testing in
the near future.Outside of
Locomotive Shop of Wilmington Shops, Wilmington, DE		 Sept 9, 2000 Chao-Hwa Chen 
 905   Inside the cab of 905
Wilmington Shop at
Wilmingtion, DE		  
September 9, 2000		  Chao-Hwa Chen 
 905  Inside the cab of 905
Wilmington Shops at
Wilmington, DE
September 9, 2000		  Chao-Hwa Chen 
  905   Westwood MA  December 22, 2001  Adrian Turner
 908 Martin Airport, MD March 19, 2001   Chao-Hwa Chen
 908  New Carrollton MD  May 25, 2001  Pete Piszczek
   913      
 914  Washington D.C.  June 17, 2003 Chao-Hwa Chen  
   915    
916 New Carrollton MD
the first to be remanufactured		  March 24, 2000  Chao-Hwa Chen 
 916  BWI Rail Station MD  May 26, 2000  Chao-Hwa Chen 
917  This is the 917 making it's first run as an AC locomotive. It is double headed with the 909 on train #642
in Trenton station. In service date is 1/29/02 		    Butch Bitler
918  Wilmington DE
the second to be remanufactured
Visit Jeff's website here		  February 5, 2000  Jeff Lubchansky
 919  BWI Station  July 7, 2001  Chao-Hwa Chen 

920 Inside of Locomotive Shop of Wilmington Shop
Note: 920 isn't completed yet. 
at Wilmington, DE		 September 9, 2000  Chao-Hwa Chen
 920 New Carrollton, MD March 10, 2001  Chao-Hwa Chen

 923 Wilmington DE
923 being decabbed for
remanufacture

 March 5 2001  Wayne Bradford
924 New Carrollton MD  May 11, 2000 Chao-Hwa Chen
 924  New Carrollton MD  May 24, 2000 Chao-Hwa Chen
 924  BWI Rail Station MD
An interesting shot - the new builders plate		  May 26, 2000 Chao-Hwa Chen
   924  Wilmington DE  June 2000  Ran Barton
 924  Wilmington DE  June 2000  Ran Barton
   924  Wilmington DE  June 2000  Ran Barton
 924 Kingston RI  Nov 25 2001  Paul McGrane
   925  soon to be remanufactured    
   926  soon to be remanufactured    
 927  Boston MA
Southampton St Yard		  July 2, 2001  Ralph Carter
 927  BWI Station  July 7, 2001 Chao-Hwa Chen
 929
large		  Heading north of 30th st. station Philadelphia with the Schuylkill river and Boat House Row in the background.  Nov 10, 2001  Butch Bitler
 929 Boston MA
Southampton St Yard		 Nov 2001   Ralph Carter

 935 Wilmington DE
in the backshop yard		    
 935  955 on a service to
Newport News		  Nov 10, 2002  Adrian Turner
   937  soon to be remanufactured    
938  Harrisburg PA
entered service Oct 22, 2001- shown here on a test run		  October 2001 Butch Bitler 
939 BWI Station July 16, 2003 Chao-Hwa Chen 

 940 The 940 is on
a test run at Perryville.		    
 941 941 and one coach leaving Wilmington back shop for a test run. 941 in service on 12/05/2001  Dec 4? 2001  Butch Bitler 
  942  New Carrollton, MD  June 23, 2003  Chao-Hwa Chen
  943  BWI Rail Station  July 27, 2003  Chao-Hwa Chen
 946 Wilmington DE
in the backshop yard		    
 946   Westwood MA  12/8/2001  Adrian Turner
  948   Boston MA
It just came from the
Wilmington shops at the Southampton St.
Amtrak yard
NOTE THE LOGOS!		  Aug 1, 2001  Ralph Carter
948    Westwood MA  12/23/01  Adrian Turner

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Contributions welcomed and credited.

Most of the photos on this site are from original photos/slides or submissions. Some photos are from the web - I have tried to get permission to use on all of them, but a few may have slipped through. Please, let me know if that has happened.

 

as of Aug 3, 1999 all Amtrak AEM-7s are shown!

This archive was first accessed August 1996