Amtrak 704 new paint and logo?

[Bob Dylan]

As a Senior citizen (ie Old!) I remember the pre-Amtrak Trains, the after A- Day Rainbow consists, the hideous 70s/80s interiors and the various paint schemes that Amtrak has rolled out thru the past 40+ years.

I was one who thought that the various Class Is Colors on the "crack" trains looked really sharp ( ie UPs Yellow, Santa Fe's Warbonnet Paint,PRR's Red,NYCs Grey, Southerns Green and Gold etc.) and that the milk run and mail train consists, with lots of heavyweights, really were bland and even ugly.

I agree with Patty that the Blue Wave scheme on the P-42s looks nice and I do think the IIIb scheme on the locos looks sharp!

No matter what scheme Amtrak comes out with, I wish they would wash and clean the consists better when they come out of the yards to start their journies. YMMV

 

[jis]

In the following all original copyrights are acknowledged. The photos are included only by URL reference for illustrative purposes.

Original Phase III with the fadeout towards the rear did not match in height with Phase III on passenger cars. Nor did the shade of the colors match.:

Phase IIIb OTOH is designed to line up better with Phase III striping on passenger cars:

 

[frequentflyer]

Phase 3 reminds me of Amtrak's glory years, when it was ran by a true railroader Graham Claytor and the livery was uniformed. With that said, the blue in todays Phase 3 is not the same as the 80s blue, its lighter, doesn't look right. And the Genesis locomotives have too much black on the nose, the black should have a raccoon effect, it stop at the base of the front windows.

Amtrak rebuilding the Genesis is a smart idea, thrifty NS is doing that and so is BNSF. Tier 4 locomotives are expensive and not a proven commodity, rebuild the old and keep it running.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

It is amazing how a nice rebuild and respray makes the IIIb P-42s and even Cabbages look like they just rolled out of the build shop brand spanking new with no hours on the clock.

 

[TylerP42]

As a Senior citizen (ie Old!) I remember the pre-Amtrak Trains, the after A- Day Rainbow consists, the hideous 70s/80s interiors and the various paint schemes that Amtrak has rolled out thru the past 40+ years.

I was one who thought that the various Class Is Colors on the "crack" trains looked really sharp ( ie UPs Yellow, Santa Fe's Warbonnet Paint,PRR's Red,NYCs Grey, Southerns Green and Gold etc.) and that the milk run and mail train consists, with lots of heavyweights, really were bland and even ugly.

I agree with Patty that the Blue Wave scheme on the P-42s looks nice and I do think the IIIb scheme on the locos looks sharp!

No matter what scheme Amtrak comes out with, I wish they would wash and clean the consists better when they come out of the yards to start their journies. YMMV

I've seen the hideous interiors in some coaches at a museum I volunteer at!

 

[AmtrakLKL]

Maybe we should reupholster the interior with orange walls, purple doors, tan curtains and brown seats while we're at it. Humph....

LOL! Is this for the diesel engines? Or have we transitioned to passenger cars now?

Looks like you are the only one doing the flaming

Well there was mention that the 8400 and VL Is will get phase III during overhaul, so I thought it was a combined power/passenger car thread.

But since you mention it, there probably would be some savings by purchasing the same brown fabric for the Amfleet seats as the engineer seats...

 

[jis]

I was just trying to visualize a P42 with tan curtains and purple doors

 

[KnightRail]

704 should be heading out tonight with a Saturday homecoming. There's a chance 156 might be with it as both were in Chicago tonight.

 

[TylerP42]

704 should be heading out tonight with a Saturday homecoming. There's a chance 156 might be with it as both were in Chicago tonight.

Yup, on 48 Lake Shore Limited! Both trailing, though.

 

[Agent]

YouTube user Richard Peschio filmed Amtrak #48 this morning with AMTK 704 and 156.

 

[Seaboard92]

I guess till we start seeing the P42s coming out like this. If you like the Phase V catch it while you can. These are interesting times

 

[Thirdrail7]

I guess till we start seeing the P42s coming out like this. If you like the Phase V catch it while you can. These are interesting times

Until a new CEO comes on board.

 

[neroden]

I can explain why I think Phase IIIb is better than Phase IV/Phase V. Phase IIIb is *striking*. It sticks in people's memory; it has marketing value. Phase IV and Phase V don't; they are grey designs which fade into mental oblivion. (The New York Central color schemes were equally bad, and so were most of the dark, dark Pennsy schemes.)

Given that a large portion of the US isn't aware of Amtrak at *all*, the more striking appearance is valuable. When the trains with the red white and blue stripes go past, people on the highways will go "What's that?" and maybe they'll Google and figure out that it's Amtrak.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Given that a large portion of the US isn't aware of Amtrak at *all*, the more striking appearance is valuable. When the trains with the red white and blue stripes go past, people on the highways will go "What's that?" and maybe they'll Google and figure out that it's Amtrak.

I agree that Amtrak needs more awareness but I'm not sure that reviving a clumsy Uncle Sam Bicentennial style paint scheme from the 1970's is the best way to achieve that. If we don't mind risking a bit of garishness on our quest for attention then why not do it in a more modern style like WN?

 

[Acela150]

Amtrak rebuilding the Genesis is a smart idea, thrifty NS is doing that and so is BNSF. Tier 4 locomotives are expensive and not a proven commodity, rebuild the old and keep it running.

Yes NS is rebuilding the SD60 fleet into SD60E's. These SD60E's are trash.. It's not possible to have a decent conversation in the cab of one of these things.. When I'm having a conversation I'm yelling across the cab to the engineer. The SD40E's are most likely the best rebuild that NS has put out. Now they're rebuilding the 90MAC's into SD70ACU's, ACU meaning "Another crappy unit". I will say that the Dynamic on the 60E's is good. NS has an order for new locomotives although we're not sure if it will be Tier 4's or a Tier 3 as part of some kind of add on to the recent order of GE Tier 3's with some kind of contract. Not really sure though. Or if it'll be GE or EMD. We shall see.

 

[neroden]

Given that a large portion of the US isn't aware of Amtrak at *all*, the more striking appearance is valuable. When the trains with the red white and blue stripes go past, people on the highways will go "What's that?" and maybe they'll Google and figure out that it's Amtrak.

I agree that Amtrak needs more awareness but I'm not sure that reviving a clumsy Uncle Sam Bicentennial style paint scheme from the 1970's is the best way to achieve that. If we don't mind risking a bit of garishness on our quest for attention then why not do it in a more modern style like WN?

I'd be cool with something more dramatic too. Purple with green polka dots?

 

[neroden]

NS has an order for new locomotives although we're not sure if it will be Tier 4's or a Tier 3 as part of some kind of add on to the recent order of GE Tier 3's with some kind of contract. Not really sure though. Or if it'll be GE or EMD. We shall see.

Doesn't it *have* to be Tier 4? Any locomotive manufactured new from 2015 onward has to be Tier 4 by law.

(Remanufactured locomotives only have to meet the Tier for their original year of manufacture, though Tier 0-2 were tightened somewhat for post-2010 rebuilds. This probably accounts for why NS is doing so many rebuilds.)

 

[Devil's Advocate]

NS has an order for new locomotives although we're not sure if it will be Tier 4's or a Tier 3 as part of some kind of add on to the recent order of GE Tier 3's with some kind of contract. Not really sure though. Or if it'll be GE or EMD. We shall see.

Doesn't it *have* to be Tier 4? Any locomotive manufactured new from 2015 onward has to be Tier 4 by law.

(Remanufactured locomotives only have to meet the Tier for their original year of manufacture, though Tier 0-2 were tightened somewhat for post-2010 rebuilds. This probably accounts for why NS is doing so many rebuilds.)

Yet another wide open gaping loophole in our regulatory structure. Who'd have guessed. Best government money can buy.

 

[Amtrak Master 145]

If they change everything to this phase 3b scheme I will be sad

 

[TylerP42]

Odd thing about 704... It has the Empire Service sticker, but I have yet to see it on an Empire Service route. I've seen it on the Maple Leaf and today it's on my Lake Shore Limited.

 

[PVD]

Both originate at NYP and always have a DM at least through Albany, at Albany the LSL goes to a P42, not 100 sure of the Leaf, I think I've been on it when it switched, and a couple of times when it didn't.

 

[niemi24s]

For an up-to-date paint job, why not park (in turn) each piece of motive power and rolling stock in some dark corner of a big-city freight yard and let the graffiti artists in the gangs have a go with their cans of spray paint? ^_^