Could Kato make an Amtrak train using Olympian Hi cars?

[u18b]

FOUND ONE!!!  How 'bout an Amtrak consist with an EMD E7A and MILW cars (coaches and a food service car)... IT DID HAPPEN!!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/39864353962

What a great find.

Thanks

[wcfn100]

Yet another reason for Kato to make an E7. 

Jason

[jmlaboda]

A lot of folks forget that both GM&O and SCL E7s saw use the first 6 months to a year in Amtrak service.  Not nearly as well covered was SCL's remaining EMC shovel-nosed motor car also saw some use on the West Coast train in Florida for about the same period... some of the best railroading that could be found during the Rainbow era!!!

[learmoia]

Odd timing:
GM&O 'Amtrak' E7 in Milwaukee.. Thanks to Tom Farence
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/648598/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/648625/

He notes use of Milwaukee, CNW and GMO E7s.. Not sure what the time frames were of the 3... Some may be pre-amtrak..

Then there is this on the North Coast..   
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/648314/

~Ian

[wcfn100]

Then there is this on the North Coast..   
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/648314/

That photo should be scrubbed from the internet forever.

Jason

[CBQ Fan]

That photo should be scrubbed from the internet forever.

Jason

I agree, I just threw up a little in my mouth. 

[learmoia]

I agree, I just threw up a little in my mouth.

 

~Ian

[nkalanaga]

I doubt that those two units went past the Twin Cities.  E units simply weren't used west of there on the BN, as the GN found that they didn't like the Rocky Mountains, and the NP never tried them.

That said, I'm sure I saw an E unit on the westbound EB in Pasco once, but since it was mid-winter, and I was on the 3rd floor of the junior high, about 3 blocks from the tracks, it was hard to tell.  January 28, 1972, at 0820, the train was rather late.  It looked like a GN unit, but since all they had were E7s, I don't know why Amtrak would be running them, as they preferred E8/9s.  I have never seen, or heard, any mention of BN/GN E7s being used by Amtrak.  I missed the lead unit(s), so don't know if it was another E or the usual F(s).  It was a shorter than usual train. 

[nickelplate759]

Amtrak converted at least one E8(?)B unit to a steam generator car.  Could that have been what you saw in the winter?

[nkalanaga]

No, this was an A unit, and appeared to be in GN green and orange, so probably hadn't been converted to anything.  It was also probably NOT a GN unit, but I don't know what else it would have been.  It may not even have been an E unit, since I didn't get that good a look at it, but it seemed noticeably longer than the usual Fs.

The Empire Builder in the early years often had steam cars, especially in the winter, but they were the ex-GN "B unit" cars.  Six of them were bought by Amtrak, and repainted, although they were common sights for the first few years in GN paint. 

I also saw an E A unit converted to a steam car, after the F40s took over.

[CBQ Fan]

No, this was an A unit, and appeared to be in GN green and orange, so probably hadn't been converted to anything.  It was also probably NOT a GN unit, but I don't know what else it would have been.  It may not even have been an E unit, since I didn't get that good a look at it, but it seemed noticeably longer than the usual Fs.

The Empire Builder in the early years often had steam cars, especially in the winter, but they were the ex-GN "B unit" cars.  Six of them were bought by Amtrak, and repainted, although they were common sights for the first few years in GN paint. 

I also saw an E A unit converted to a steam car, after the F40s took over.

Any chance it was an FP unit?  That would account for a longer appearance in the consist and maybe some of the confusion.

[CBQ Fan]

 

~Ian

A penncentral E unit leading any passenger train west of Chicago is enough to make any passenger fan of that areas stomach turn.  Black paint, boring scheme, and bankrupt PC, yuck!

[nkalanaga]

Brian:  It could have been an FP, but not a GN FP, as they never owned any.  The NP did, but there's no way an NP, or BN, unit could be mistaken for a GN.

Also, the FP is only 4 feet longer than a regular F, while an E is about 20 feet longer.  Looking out the window, during class, at a moving train, I doubt that I would have noticed 4 feet difference.  An E unit would have been almost as long as some of the baggage cars used during that period.

I suspect that it was an E unit, and the distance, along with less than perfect visibility, affected the way I saw the colors.   Unless someone can find a consist, or a photo, of that particular train, I doubt that I'll ever know what I saw.

[milw156]

FOUND ONE!!!  How 'bout an Amtrak consist with an EMD E7A and MILW cars (coaches and a food service car)... IT DID HAPPEN!!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/39864353962

That would have been the Abraham Lincoln, Milwaukee to St Louis via Chicago, which, I thought early in this thread we had decided was the only train to regularly have leased Milwaukee equipment assigned to. Cool find tho Jerry!

[CBQ Fan]

Brian:  It could have been an FP, but not a GN FP, as they never owned any.  The NP did, but there's no way an NP, or BN, unit could be mistaken for a GN.

Also, the FP is only 4 feet longer than a regular F, while an E is about 20 feet longer.  Looking out the window, during class, at a moving train, I doubt that I would have noticed 4 feet difference.  An E unit would have been almost as long as some of the baggage cars used during that period.

I suspect that it was an E unit, and the distance, along with less than perfect visibility, affected the way I saw the colors.   Unless someone can find a consist, or a photo, of that particular train, I doubt that I'll ever know what I saw.

The only reason an FP unit came to mind is that with photos of E & FP units they den to blend inmore then a normal Funit but still don’t look quite right.