From: gl4317@yahoo.com   
      
   In article ,   
    Clark F Morris  wrote:   
      
   > My hope was not to have E units for ongoing services for the reasons   
   > you mention, it was to use them to see if a locomotive with a lighter   
   > axle load than the new Siemens for the Midwest services would be   
   > better for the Talgos on curves.   
      
      
   I don't think there is any question about that being the case.   
      
   Portland to Seattle has been on the list of places where improved train   
   service might work for a very long time.   
      
   In the 1970s Amtrak and BN wanted to show what could be done, and one of   
   the Turboliners was brought out here and some test runs were done.  I   
   believe the time between the two cities was somewhere in the 2:45 range.   
      
   However, to get there you have to do even more than the E units were   
   able to do.  The E units are long locomotives, and they have 3 axle   
   trucks.  Both of those work against them on curves because the shorter   
   the wheelbase of the trucks and the shorter the wheelbase of the   
   locomotive the better they are on curves.   
      
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