Need help identifying Amtrak consist and which models to use for it

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’d like to model a Amtrak Desert Wind from the early to mid 80’s in HO. I’ve got a couple of Kato F40PHs and would like to build up a consist like the one in this photo: Amtrak Desert Wind 36

Can someone identify the cars in the photo and give me an idea what models I should use for them them? It appears to me that the three cars in the middle are coaches. I’m thinking of using the Walthers Superlines for those, two coaches, and one coach / baggage. I’m not sure about the end cars, one must be sleeper and the other a diner. Are they EX ATSF cars? Are either transition cars to go from upper to lower level or would the only openings be on the upper levels? What models would work well for them in HO?

Thanks in advance for any help that any of you can provide.

John

2

The first car looks like a Coach-Dorm. Intermountain is supposed to release but not sure when. A check of the Walthers site shows the paint scheme to have the “step up” stripe but as your phot and others show, the straight thru stripe was also used.

Ricky

3

I wondered if it was a step up car but I"m not sure. Does anyone know if all step up cars were painted with a step up stripe like the one Intermountain is doing? I found this info in another discussion:

“The Desert Wind ran with a simple 4-5 car consist up until the Spring/Summer timetable change of 1993. The consist prior to 1993 usually included 3 coaches, 1 sleeper and an ex ATSF Hi Level Diner that served as a combined Diner/Lounge. After the timetable change, the train still operated daily and departure times were pretty much the same, but the Diner was lost and replaced with a Sightseer Lounge. There were no complete meals between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, however sleeping car passengers received hot tray meals while coach passengers were offered regular tray meals or cold sandwiches”

I wonder if that first car in the photo is a Hi Level Diner?

4

More than likely, the diner would be the 4th car. They generally separated the sleeping car passengers from the coach passengers with the diner. Hard to tell, in your photo, the 3rd car looks slightly different and the 2nd and 4th cars look the same as far as the area below the windows goes.

Here is another pic with the step up stripe

http://www.railroadpix.com/cgi-bin/photos/jump.cgi?ID=736

Ricky

5

The former AT&SF El Capitan cars are easily identifiable because they are the two that have a 6" lower roof line. In your picture that would be the first and fifth cars. So if indeed the diner was a former AT&SF car it has to be the first or last. It would be easy to recognize from the side as it was the only one that had 3 axle trucks.

The step-up cars had one small window on the “up” end. I do not see a single small window in window row of either of these. However that back car is really hard to see.

Likewise the diner had one of the long windows absent on each side of the car.

Without a better side shot of the train it is just hard to tell. Best rely on published rosters.

6

Thanks for the info. I did a Google search for Desert Wind rosters and couldn’t come up with much. Any idea where I might find one?

7

You may want to join the passconsist group on Yahoo as they might be able to help with specific rosters/years.

Ricky