Mech.9810
F-59PHI's
Going Back a few years Amtrak ran mostly GE P-30's, or Pooches as they were called in the trade, on the Sunset Limited. These Engines had 2 individual Powerplants in the rear of the locomotives that supplied 480 Power to the coaches. A modern example of this is the F-59PH and F-59PHI's that different passenger and commuter services use today.
These Locomotives have an individual Power Plant in the rear to supply 480 power. Originally the F-59PH had Detroit Diesels that supplied the power, then were converted to Cummins Power Plants. All the F-59PHI's have Catepillar Power Plants that supply power to the cars, as far as I know. These auxiliary power plants due an exceptional job of supplying the power needed for short commuter and passenger trains.
The Advantages: Mostly noticeable is the low noise level that the auxillary Engines produce. Another is that if the Main Engine should shut down the Passengers will still have heating and cooling in the coaches.
The Disadvantages: These smaller Power plants cannot supply the power that a large cross country train needs, especially considering the new GE's with power coming off of the main Alternator, or rather a section of it. No Standby power mode are on these Engines either.
This raps up our Articles on 480 Power. I hope this gives you a better understanding of how the different systems work.
next time: The Warning light System on Locomotives