Amtrak power!


malletman

malletman

Alcohaulic
One of my pet projects is a model of the Amtrak train I rode when I was 7, which would have been the summer of 1980. We boarded in Peru, IN and rode to Chicago. We had a lone F40ph, and 3 Amfleets(coach/cafe/coach). Picked this old girl up for $125 from Brasstrains.com Runs smooth and quiet, directional headlight and its fitted with twin 1.5v bulbs(previous owner added, not factory) for the twin strobes. Need to find one of the pre DCC track powered circuits to fire them(anybody had one in their stuff??). I did email Jim Hinds about a new circuit with LED strobes as he does circuits that do not require DCC. Enjoy! Mike the Aspie
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This was what I remember. I have no desire to model today's Amtrak with butt arse ugly P42's and such. The F40ph was the modern day F unit or as close as we could get in that era of railroading. I am thinking ESU Loksound is the way to go and am looking for an installer to put it in with a keep alive(only 4 wheel power pickup on these) along with retaining and using the micro bulb lighting and strobes. ESU has a nice F40ph specific sound file now.
 
Rapido and Kato did nice F40's but now are hard to come by. You can find the Spectrum ones but they are worse looking than this old late 80's brass model. Hopefully with Walther's announcement of a fresh run of Amtrak stuff and Athearn hinting that something is coming in 2020 for Amtrak modelers that Rapido or Kato might consider another run in 2021. There is another one of these on brasstrains.com but nearly double the price I paid for this one. Mike
 
The Walthers Amtrak stuff is in one of the new flyers that you can look at on their webpage. Looks like more F40's in Amtrack, GOtransit and the current ViaRail scheme. Along with material handling cars, Horizon coaches ect. No Superliners or Amfleets from the look of things. No clue when Horizon/Athearn will release details on what they are planning this year for Amtrak modelers. Good looking GE's Mike
 
Hey a friend is selling two of those locos but they’re undecorated Atlas dual mode models.
I think his plan was to paint in that scheme, I have them here in my to-go box.
 
I never care much for the Amtrak locomotives until I started taking the Amtrak from Milwaukee to Chicago for business meetings and I could see the locomotives up close and personal when at the stations. And, I too like the Phase III.

That Union Station in Chicago is amazing with at the turnouts and dwarf signals. Taking the train really beats driving in Chicago traffic.

Greg
 
I've been in Union Station in Chicago. We were on vacation when the kids were still in school and that is a beautiful station. that was around 20 years ago already as they've been out of HS 15....man I'm getting old.
 
I model late 70's thru early 80's so yes, I need Amtrak power. One of the trains will be the 70's San Francisco Zephyr which was pulled by EMD SDP40F's. Athearn Genesis recently released those with the ice breakers and with road numbers used by the SFZ. Rapido has plans to offer the F40PH's in the ultimate HO version this fall, plan on getting those for a early 80's Amtrak Superliner CZ.
 
I saw that Walthers has put out some more Amtrak stuff for those that like their stuff. And Athearn is saying they have some supprises in store for the Amtrak modelers this year. I just plan to pick up a short consist of brass coaches, either PFM Superliners or GHB Amfleets when money and models turn up. Mike
 
The Walthers stuff I saw in the recent flyer/catalog unfortunately isn't any thing I need. There is a high demand for the Budd 73' baggage, especially in phase 3, so they really need to re-run those. I'd also like to see them to the ex-El Capitan bi-level coach step down in phase 3 paint. Those were regulars on the Amtrak CZ Superliner train.
 
Been years since I was in Union Station. First time, I remember was during or just after WWII, when my Mom and I were going to see her folks in Qunincy, Illinois, while Dad was in the Army. I remember two things: One was a guy selling gyroscope toys, and the other was a bunch of aircraft silhouette models hanging from the ceiling. Last time was about ten years later. That was before they remodeled it extensively. Time sure flies...!
 
Last time I was at Union Station when I still lived IL just outside of Chicago was 1967 when the draft board mailed out tickets to ride the train to Union Station then walk to go through the physical. Still had C&NW an E8 in yellow and green pulling C&NW passenger cars. Never cared for Amtrak it did not exist that I know of then. FP40's are ok yet I never cared for the wide nose or safety cab look. Give me E7's or 8's or EMD F units any day also Alco FA units.
 
The labor to hand form/build those beautiful "bulldog" noses is what did in the F and E units. Along with the body being structural part of the frame. Granted the Genesis series went back to that years later. Should be interesting to see how these new Charger series locomotives hold up long term. With Cummins QSK series prime movers. They are sharp looking, Amtrak went back to the twin white xenon strobes as well, and the head & ditch lights are LED's. Mike
 
Kinda of a coincidence, these 3 showed up today. I needed something that fits 80's to 90's. There are 2 powered and one dummy.

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Nice Jerome, I never was a fan of the P40/P42's, but they are part of Amtrak history. The new Charger locomotive that is replacing the GE's as we speak is intersting looking though. They have gone back to the twin clear strobes on the roof like the F40phs had, along with a yellow or red one like Metra uses for a layover alarm light(I am guessing here). I hope to get some PFM Superliners for it to pull one of these days. Trying to find a non DCC track powered lighting circuit for the headlights and strobes.
 
Here's a better picture of my "Pepsi can" with DCC and ditch lights etc. I bought this because believe it or not UP borrowed these GEs units in the 90's. When I lived in Arkansas during the mega mergers or UP acquisitions of SP, CNW and so on. They were power hungry. I actually have pictures of these units in the UP consists. Going through Little Rock down to Pinebluff then on to Texas and back pulling freight.
 

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