http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=93749 Erie-Lackawanna and later NJ Transit used these things on the Summit/Morristown/Dover line until the mid-80ies. Ran on 3000 kVDC.
The system was them re-electrified at 25kVAC 60hz, which was to be the future voltage of the Northeast Corridor line into NY City. Unfortunately, the NE Corridor's voltage was never changed and stayed at 11kVAC, so the new multiple-unit trains
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40993 couldn't run into NYC, only into Hoboken. So they're running locomotive-hauled trains into NY - unfortunately, the line has a stop every mile and the locos accelerate slower than the multiple-unit trains.
Speaking of steam, I was in Poland in 1996 and the train line from Warszawa to Krakow is electrified. Unfortunately, the electrification was down on the day that I took the train to Krakow, so we ended up being hauled by a steam engine for a good part of the trip. I know some steam was still used on commuter lines in western Poland as late as 2003 or 2004, but this was *main-line* service. On the way back, the trip took 2.5hr for 300km (about 185 miles). So avg speed was 74 mph, which is actually faster than most trains on the NE Corridor in the US!
-b.
-b.
[This message has been edited by bosozoku (edited 01-19-2006).]
