Anyone see any old amtrak equipment lately. Imtalking baggage cars, dorms, or any other passenger cars or equipment. Anyone know how much pennsylvania stuff is still around?
Please, tell me how you chose your sign in name…
From an Amtrak press release.
"the only remaining dome car in Amtrak service, car number 10031, which is a former Great Northern Railway “Great Dome” car previously used on the Empire Builder. The car is usually used in charter service on the West Coast and rarely operates east of the Rocky Mountains.
This car will be on the west bound Empire Builder on June 11. I’ll try to get some shots to e-mail.
Also try this site
http://www.on-track-on-line.com/amtk-roster-cars.shtml
Maybe some of them old switcher engines seen around the terminals like at Washington DC ?!
The auto racks on the Auto Train aren’t passenger cars, I know – but some of them are pretty durned old.
There are 2 switcher engines of the SW1 class still in use in Washington, DC. They are the #738 and the #742 I believe. One of them, the #738, was repainted in the old Washington Terminal colors. Yes, I’ve had the oppertunity to work on both of those engines. They’re great for shunting short cuts of cars around, but are a real pain when a crew is assigned to switch a long draft of 8 cars or more.
Glenn
A R E A L RAILROADER…A TRUE AMERICAN!!!
Almost all Amtrak equipment has some history. The oldest that I have seen was baggage car with New York Central still seen above the door.
There are some baggage cars in service that were rebuilt from coaches or sleeping cars. They have a single roll-up door and a vestibule with steps. The cars in their original forms may date from the 1950’s.
Hey Vista Dome, that may be true to an extent. Yet, those two SW1’s that we use here in DC, I believe were built before WWII or during that war. I happened to look at the FRA form(“blue form”) that all locomotives are required to have in their cabs. I was truely amazed that these two engines still have alot of their original everything, quite possibly the engine block itself! I’ve seen a few of Southern’s baggage cars that were probably built in the latter half of the 40’s. But, I don’t think nothing can come close to those two SW1’s we have. Also, I think they are the only one’s left that Amtrak has. The others are possibly sold for scrap or given to museums or even collectors somewhere. I’ve seen one of them in Philadelphia, outside of this rebuild shop(which escape my memory now).
Glenn
A R E A L RAILROADER…A TRUE AMERICAN!!!