What locomotives goes with the HO Electrotren Talgo Amtrak? That train, runs actually? Thanks.
I believe the Talgo was originally self powered (?). In their later years though, it was hauled by F40PH’s.
The trainsets are not self-powered as far as I know (all pix I’ve seen have separate locomotives, even in Europe), so the “power car” must really be more of a HEP car. The Amtrak set sold by Electrotren/ER Models was the leased one brought to the US. All the pictures I’ve seen show it powered by an F40 in Phase III scheme. The trainsets used in the US appear to be usually bracketed by locomotives (push-pull), but I don’t know whether the leased set operated in that way.
I’m unsure what pulled the demonstrator set, F40s wouldn’t be a bad guess though. However, the current Amtrak West and Amtrak Cascades trains (which the ER model does not represent but it wouldn’t be too hard to repaint and modify it) are hauled by F59PHIs which are avalible in their respective schemes from Athearn. At the other end can be either another F59PHI or a Cabbage, which is a gutted F40 used as a baggage car and cab. These can easily be made from either the Walthers Trainline or Kato models again without too much trouble.
Cheers!
~METRO
Oh, I don’t know about it not being too hard to modify; the “fins” that blend the trainset to the F59s would be a bear to replicate. None of the Talgos used in Europe have the fairings, so I seriously doubt Electrotren will make them either (though you never know!). Besides, it’d be a crime to cover up the beautiful painting and lettering of the Electrotren set.[sigh]
Juan
Here are a couple of prototype pics…
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib003/TALGO_1.GIF
http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtStationO/OlympiaWA.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/southerncalifornian/286603565/
Hope this helps.
Juan
And a couple more (including two of the “finned” power car used on the Cascades trainsets and one of the leased set with an F40 at each end)
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib003/POWRCAR.JPG
http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtTALGO/fins.jpg
http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtTALGO/amt384b.jpg
Juan
Ah, my mistake. Man, those F40s dwarf that talgo train!
You ain’t kidding! If memory serves, that’s one of the reasons why Talgos have not been more readily accepted outside the northwest: they ride so low that they would require all new platforms to be built on many older corridors (like, say, the NEC).
Juan
Some moons back somebody also had questions about the Talgo. Here’s the link to that post: http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1059271/ShowPost.aspx
There’s also some cool pics with the engine that uses the “finned” cars.