General consist question for NE Corridor, late 1970s

[Mike Calo]

I want to model the trains I watched as a teenager. I know the locomotive I want is the AEM-7 (intro 1976), but I need to know which diners and sleepers I can safely use with Amfleet II coaches, which - like the AEM-7 - were introduced in Phase III. Many thanks in advance for all help given.

 

[Steve4031]

In 1976 diners were steam heated. The amfleet equipment used electric HEP from the engine. At that point in time it would be highly unlikely for amfleet cars to be mixed with steam heated coaches, sleepers, lounges and diners.

in the following years Amtrak converted the steam heated cars into cars heated and cooled by HEP. These cars were called heritage fleet.

I am not sure of the exact timing. I recall riding the Panama Limited with amfleet coaches and dinette and a heritage 10/6 sleeper. This happened between 1978 and 1980.

I rode heritage fleet coaches for the first time in the spring of 1980 on the cardinal. The train used am amfleet car for food service.

 

[Palmland]

Here is a page from Amtrak’s fall 1976 timetable. As you can see there is a healthy mix of Metroliners, LD trains with heritage cars, as well as Amfleet consists. If you’re not too locked into a specific year, mix and match Amfleet and Heritage as much as you like. Important thing is just to enjoy it. When I rode the Star in 1980 it was one of the last steam heated trains. However, the good thing about 1976-78, you can model the Southern RY’s Southern Crescent too.

This page doesn’t include many of the other heritage consist trains going to Chicago or southern points. Lots of variety to model. And in those days the LD trains often had 12-15 cars. Check out a Walthers catalog for various types offered.

 

[west point]

You could make a very vintage train. Southern RR's Southern Crescent operation on the NEC was still being pulled by either a GG1 with a steam generator, an E-60 with a steam generator or a AEM-7DC with a steam generator car as motive power. Quite a variance ? The SOU had unpainted steam line equipped sleepers, coaches, and diners.

 

[ehbowen]

At the Galveston Railroad Museum we have a pair of ex-PRR Heritage Fleet coaches (I believe that they were from the big Senator/Congressionals order in the early 1950s) which were eventually updated with HEP and operated on Amtrak in the NEC into the mid 1990s, at least.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I want to model the trains I watched as a teenager. I know the locomotive I want is the AEM-7 (intro 1976), but I need to know which diners and sleepers I can safely use with Amfleet II coaches, which - like the AEM-7 - were introduced in Phase III. Many thanks in advance for all help given.

I'm pretty sure the AEM-7s weren't doing anything on the NEC in the 70s except testing.