| Amtrek is near the end of a massive five-year mission to upgrade service between New York and Boston. The project includes the replacement of track and signals and the design of a new breed of super train, dubbed Crashela. | |
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| Until now, train travel north of New York was slow compared to all other modes of transport, as this archive photo clearly shows. Once the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project is complete, Crashela trains are expected to gain significant market share from bicycles in the Boston-New York market. | Project planners considered several innovative methods of propulsion for the corridor upgrade. They eventually settled on using more conventional electric locomotives and an overhead wire system. |
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| A reporter and some livestock look on as a Crashela trainset undergoes testing in Colorado. Overhead catenary wire is not installed at the test track, so an old steam locomotive stands in for the Crashela power car. The weight of passengers and baggage is simulated by flat cars loaded with donkey manure. | Early studies of the Crashela
wheels showed extremely rapid tread wear. This photo shows a small part of the storage
facility for worn-out Crashela wheels. These wheels were all removed from just one of the
test cars over a five-day period. Go to page 2 (Please? How 'bout it. Ok?)  |
