Amtrak could throw desperate EMD a bone and get new F125s near that rebuild price.
Not all of it. CB&Q Zephyr cars used skirting and so did some of their E series locomotives. Even the Rio Grande Zephyr cars into the 1980’s still had some skirting in use.
Note how the Zephyr cars appear via the illusion of shadow to float above the rails in some camera shots…result of skirting along the frame that can be removed for maintenance…you can see the difference between the gold and silver car and the all stainless steel cars as the train passes the camera below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCXx_c7qq04
Even though skirting is a PITA maintenence wise it gives the train more streamlined asthetics and adds to the panache…in my opinion.
Understand the costs of fabrication for a bulldog nose but even a F40PH looks better than a P42 and even with angular designs you can do nice things from a streamlining design perspective…look at the angular windows on a skytop obs for example.
Those are the machines running $7 million a pop. Also, as the real railroads have eschewed exhaust treatment Amtrak should follow suit. Railroads are always swapping parts and supplies. If the railroads are not using it then you don’t want it.