Spectrum Acela HHP-8 and Acela Passenger Car Coupling Problem

[edmondbond]

Subject: Spectrum HHP-8 Locomotive and Acela Passenger Cars Coupling â€" No Good

I have purchased four Spectrum Amtrak Acela passenger cars and two Spectrum Amtrak Acela HHP-8 locomotives.  I have successfully coupled the cars together using the EZ Mate, Mark II NEM couplers, but no luck with the HHP-8 locomotives and the cars.  The HHP-8 conforms to the NMRA Specification.  The coupler when installed on the Acela passenger cars does not conform, and vertically misaligns too high â€" it sits on top of the HHP-8 coupler. Help???

[Santa Fe buff]

Sound's like your coupler holder is too low, contact the service department to get some info, have them send a new engine- does it work then? If not, your car set needs to be fixed. Try to lower or higher the coupers or holders, if you fix it, forget about the sevice dedpartment then.
I'm pretty tapped out at this point...

[r0bert]

your trying to connect two things that were never ment to be connected, the Acela cars are designed to only connect to each other and the acela express locos via drawbar, and not to have a coupler plugged in to connect to a hippo.
you will either have to modify the cars by adding a coupler box at the correct height, or get the correct cars for the hippo, which are the acela "Regional" Amfleet cars.

[CHUG]

why does bachman call it acela hhp-8 if it cant hook to acela passenger cars and so forth. thanks

[Guilford Guy]

The service is Acela. There is Acela Express, and Acela (aka "Regionals"). It wears the Acela scheme. This is a FAQ, and Bachmann may wish to add it to the HHP-8 product description.  The HHP-8's and Acela power cars were both built by Bombardier.

[Dr EMD]

The Acela Regionals are locomotive hauled Amfleet trains.
See Photo;

[Santa Fe buff]

Why make them Acela then, they look just like the passenger car of the 1990s! Why, probley to make more money on the Acela line, or offer slower transport, unless those engines top 90.

[Conrail Quality]

On the NE Corridor, Amfleets are pulled by AEM-7 or HHP-8 electric locomotives, which can and do go up to 125 mph in regular operation. The fact is, the true Acela trainsets can't go much faster than that, since they can only do so on the new catenary and signaling systems east of New Haven, and even then only on straight track. West of New Haven, the infastructure dates back to the Great Depression (even older in some parts), and simply can't handle 150 mph operation. So, the fact is, the Amfleets aren't much slower than the Acelas, they just don't have as may amenties.

Timothy

[Guilford Guy]

Acela Express skips many of the Stations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, while regionals make the stops the Acela's skip. When leaving Wilmington DE, our HHP-8 had issues with propulsion, and we were transferred onto an Acela Express Trainset

[Guilford Guy]

Um, 1. Bachmann is being prototypical...
2. What they call it at the shop is something completely different...

How old are you anyways? 11?

[CHUG]

amtrak recently started sending some acela service on thru without a wilmington stop. might be this traction problem. i need to be pried from wilmington when it's time to leave, why would trains be different. maybe amtrak has incorporated a special acela coupling system to prevent  passenger cars that become particularly moved sentimentally from dropping off in wilmington, hence bachman keeping prototypical as it would of course.

[Guilford Guy]

Actually, I believe it was a problem with the propulsion, not traction. And why would they skip a stop, when paying people go there?

[Santa Fe buff]

Ah, so Amfleet was to provide a transport that stopped at every station, and was convient. Good old Amtrak, just trying to keep up with this economy.