GE P32AC-DM No. 704 rolled into the windy city last week displaying a Phase III paint scheme. The locomotive, on its way to New York, featured a special Empire Service emblem and paint scheme that resembles that of the railroad’s 40th anniversary Phase III heritage locomotives.
“The locomotives used on the Empire Service are being repainted as part of their normal maintenance cycles,” Amtrak spokesman Craig Shulz tells Trains News Wire. “The cost of this work is shared between Amtrak and New York State Department of Transportation.
“Over the next several years, the entire Empire Service fleet of Dual Mode P-32’s will be similarly refreshed,” he adds.
No. 704 is the first locomotive to feature the retro scheme and special medallion. The railroad’s Beech Grove, Ind., facility will be repainting the 700-series dual-mode Empire Service locomotives.
I was expecting the real Phase III used on the P42s in the 1990s
I sure love hearing about Phase III paint scheme coming back…they should do so to ALL of their locomotives around the country as the current "standard" scheme is really ugly.
I prefer the Metroliner name to Acela. I would like to see train names restored to the Northeast Corridor, Empire Corridor and the Keystone Corridor.
Amtrak has done a good job making the strange and ugly styling of the GE P units nose and windshield not as noticeable as it was with the original phase 11 paint. By far the best regular paint scheme is the North East Direct scheme with the handsome gray and silver; but the current blue whale scheme goes with most phases..
It was kind of a let down to see the first Superliner long distance trains with a baggage car; in other words the first all Amtrak long distance bi level with all original Amtrak equipment have a baggage car scheme that does not match the rest of the train.
The phase 4B mostly blue stripe along the window line is sooo! much more classy than the original wide stripes of the first Superliner and Amfleet and lets the stainless steel do most of the looking good.
As a taker of the non baggage car equipped Texas Eagle I wish more money could be put into updating the tired interiors of many Superliner sleepers.
I do get the fact that the engines are only being painted in the regular cycle; but a matching train certainly looks better than a mix of phases. Kinda like Amtrak's version of the rainbow consists of the early Amtrak trains.
Sorry, Christophe, I think the Acela scheme des not do anything to enhance the appearance of these units. All that's needed now is for the "Pointless Arrow" logo to replace that ridiculous "Road to Nowhere" one!
That is one ugly locomotive but considering that Amtrak is braindead it's probably what should be expected.
It's so beautiful Phase III colors on locomotives instead dull looking blue colored.
Those locos are ugly. The Acela scheme at least made them look somewhat attractive. I think this scheme is a step in the wrong direction.
What Phillip said.
Nice look. Is the 704 PTC-ready? The antenna farm over the cab looks a bit sparse.
What about the the FP40, in real phase III livery, behind it? Does anyone know which one it is? Or are there any "cab-cars" left, in that paint sceme?
Regards
Will empire service coaches be painted to match?
Yes! A step in the right direction! Now all they need to do is rename "Acela" to "Metroliner."