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.''

 

as of 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, 2001) 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

914 converted Aug 2002

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


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 bulbs are used in the number boxes 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.
  Number
Location & Information

  Date  Photo Credit
 
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 
New Carrollton MD
Sept 21, 2000
Chao-Hwa Chen 
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 
  Inside the cab of 905
Wilmington Shop at
Wilmingtion DE
Sept 9, 2000
 Chao-Hwa Chen 
 Inside the cab of 905
Wilmington Shops at
Wilmington DE

Sept 9, 2000
 Chao-Hwa Chen 
 905
  Westwood MA
Dec 22, 2001
 Adrian Turner
Martin Airport MD
March 19, 2001 
 Chao-Hwa Chen
 New Carrollton MD
 May 25, 2001
 Pete Piszczek
913
914
 Washington DC
 June 17, 2003
Chao-Hwa Chen  
 Washington DC
Built Dec 1980
upgraded to AC Aug 2002
Nov 2, 2014
Dick Leonhardt
915
New Carrollton MD
the first to be remanufactured
 March 24, 2000
 Chao-Hwa Chen 
 BWI Rail Station MD
 May 26, 2000
 Chao-Hwa Chen 
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
 Wilmington DE
the second to be remanufactured
 February 5, 2000
 Jeff Lubchansky
 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		 Sept 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
923 Boston MA
Southampton St. Yard - back in service		 Sept 11, 2001 Ralph Carter
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      
   926      
 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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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