Amtrak is beginning to give its General Electric locomotive fleet a look in keeping with its newer units. Fresh from an overhaul at the Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, Amtrak P42 No. 174, manufactured in 2001, sports a variation of the paint scheme the company uses on its new Siemens Charger locomotives as it leads the westbound Cardinal on Monday, Jan. 29, at Munster, Ind. It leads an overhauled Pacific Surfliner coach-baggage and Superliner sleeping car in front of the train’s regular consist as the train transitions from CSX’s former Monon to ex-Grand Trunk Western trackage. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the locomotive was the first to be painted in the “Phase VII livery because it was the next due through the Beech Grove paint booth after the older materials had been depleted, all the materials for Phase VII were on hand, and it wouldn’t delay the release of a locomotive into service. … This is the most efficient way to get our legacy equipment matching the new ALC-42s.”
For the model railroaders out there like myself who contrubute to this column, Kato USA makes this particular model in N scale along with a few others in the various Amtrak paint schemes that have been applied to their locmotives. Kato has created an excellant and accurate model and models of Amtrak equipment and also very smooth and dependable running and operation of their locomotives. On my N scale layout about 85 percent of my equipment is made up of Amtrak passenger trains and exclusively Kato USA. One of the best model train manufacturers in the business today.
Joseph C. Markfelder
Looks good.
As to the comments about dressing them up for one last time before they are retired, I wouldn’t bet on it.
I’m Sure that the GE 42’s will be around a lot longer than management plans. Know some railroad personnel. The Siemens Chargers are problem children. With all the wiz-bang technology designed and built into the Chargers makes them too complicated. Going off line or breaking down twice the rate of the 25-30 year old GE’s.
Instead of Taking a bid from a foreign manufacturer and adapting their technology to this country, wouldn’t it be better to use US manufactures that know how to build the equipment for this country. But NO, low bidder every time.
That’s because we have lost so many of our US rail manufacturers that we have to mainly rely on foreign customers. MPI no longer lists the MPXpress on their portfolio, not even the MP54AC which is Tier 4 compliant. And no one is giving the EMD F125 another chance just because of issues that Metrolink faced. Siemens is always winning customers.
I like the different shades of blue, but the hot pink on the upper nose clashes.
Do you suffer from red colorblindness? That is a red, not hot pink on the top of the nose around the windows. Also, the main colors are red, black and blue with white accents/separation stripes.
@gerry, in a few short years the red will be pink as it basks in the sun all day. To bad they don’t clear coat the paint like on cars. To expensive and time consuming to do, but it would protect the colors.
Looks good. Now if they will see the wash rack now and then. Also much more visible than the old scheme.
They need to find some EMD drawing for early E and F unit paint schemes.
And the engineering drawings for the car body!
I’m glad to see Phase 7 starting to appear on something other than the ALC42s. Amtrak has had an uninspiring paint scheme for far too long.
Joseph, you’re bumming me out , man! LOL!
Might as well give these old warriors and veterans of the rails one final dignified look and classy paint job before either get retired to a museum or rail park or end their careers in a scrapyard. Just like us humans when we reach retirement age and then led out to pasture , we too want to look our best before we make our final goodbyes So be it with locomotives and trains also.
Joseph C. Markfelder
Additionally I
was thinking of retirement account of grade crossing accidents or derailments.