Atlas H.O. ALP-45DP NJ Transit 4542
The ALP-45DP is a “dual mode” locomotive, capable of drawing power from either overhead electrical wires or its own pair of 12-cylinder Caterpillar diesel engines. These flexible locomotives were designed to provide a one-seat commute from NJ TRANSIT’s various diesel-only lines into the electrified territory that leads to New York City’s Penn Station. This fulfills the requirement of not operating diesels through the North River Tunnels and within the subterranean Penn Station complex. Produced by Bombardier Transportation in Kassel, Germany, the first ALP-45DP locomotive entered service on NJ TRANSIT on May 30, 2012.
Concurrent with its purchase of ALP-45DP locomotives, NJ TRANSIT also purchased 62 multi-level cab cars from Bombardier Transportation. These cab cars are used on the opposite end of the train from the ALP-45DP locomotive to facilitate “push-pull” operations, where the engineer in the cab car can control the locomotive pushing from the other end of the train. A cab car provides an engineer with all of the same controls as a locomotive cab, allowing the train to reverse direction without turning around. Cab cars also include all standard locomotive safety features, such as a horn and bell.
In addition to its multi-level cab cars, NJ TRANSIT operates an additional 367 multi-level trailer coaches without cabs. Ninety-nine of these cars include a toilet and have a passenger seating capacity of 132 commuters. The remaining 268 trailer cars do not have a toilet, and feature seating for 142 passengers. The multi-level trailer cars are always operated in matching sets (with a multi-level cab car on one end and a locomotive on the other), and these cars carry commuters over 2.2 billion miles every year.
