CHICAGO — This morning, Amtrak Hiawatha train No. 329 departed Chicago Union Station for Milwaukee behind a new SC-44 Charger locomotive, No. 4620. This is the first solo revenue trip for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s SC-44 locomotives since arriving in the Windy City this spring. This locomotive and its counterparts are owned by a consortium of states.
IDTX Nos. 4611 and 4604 were the first to arrive in Chicago from Seattle in March following several months of testing in the Pacific Northwest. Since then, many additional Chargers have arrived, with many testing on various routes out of the Chicago area.
The Siemens SC-44 order encompasses 69 locomotives built for the Departments of Transportation in Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin, and Maryland. The 33 SC-44s ordered by Illinois will be used on the state sponsored trains into and out of Amtrak’s Chicago hub.
