The Siemens Charger is a family of diesel-electric passenger locomotives designed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility for the North American market.
There are five variants of the Charger, tailored for different operators and types of service: ALC-42 for Amtrak long-distance service, ALC-42E dual mode for Amtrak inter-city and long-distance routes that serve the Northeast Corridor, SC-44 for Amtrak state-supported inter-city service or commuter rail operators, SCB-40 for Brightline inter-city service and SCV-42 for VIA Rail inter-city service.
The first production model Charger, the SC-44, was unveiled on March 26, 2016, and entered revenue service on August 24, 2017. It was followed by the SCB-40, which inaugurated Brightline service on January 13, 2018. The first ALC-42 was delivered to Amtrak on June 17, 2021, and entered revenue service on February 8, 2022 on the Empire Builder.
The Charger is often paired with Venture passenger cars, as part of a trainset.
Ironically, in 2024, particularly the latter half, SC-44 Chargers for Surfliner service have started to become unreliable while the other Siemens Charger models for other services have been working perfectly.
The first Siemens Charger to ever be officially retired from service is Amtrak California Siemens SC-44 No. 2117, which was sidelined in 2022 and was officially retired on March 3, 2025.
See also[]
- EMD F125 – competing Tier 4 passenger locomotive
- MPI MP54AC - competing Tier 4 passenger locomotive
- EMD F40PH-4C – potential future competitor Tier 4 locomotive, though not confirmed
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