Amtrak Superliner II Cars

[Anonymous]

Hello from England, when where Amtrak's Superliner II Cars first introduced

[M636C]

This isn't going to be really helpful, but I think Superliner II cars were introduced in the Amtrak "Phase IV" colour scheme (wide blue stripe with narrow red stripes above) and I think I first saw them on the "Desert Wind" on Cajon Pass in 1994.

They must have been introduced about that time to be in that colour scheme, but it might have been a few years earlier. (I'm from Australia, and I was in LA for a conference, and had a free day!)

The main visible difference is the type of truck, an American "General Steel" equalised design compared to the German Minden Deutz type on Superliner I cars.

Peter

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that, did Amtrak then mix Superliners I & II with phases III & IV paint schemes or keep them in solid paint consists. Any idea when Amtrak rebuilt the heritage cars into Baggage cars?

[M636C]

Yes, they certainly mixed the types and colour schemes when the Superliner II cars were new. That was how I realised there were two types of cars as the train rolled past, quickly enough to photograph them. That was how I knew the trucks were different.

Again, I first saw the rebuilt baggage cars about that time, but some of them are in phase III colours, so must have been converted before the Superliners arrived.

I bought my own HO set in Phase IV because I like a matched train, but I certainly have photos of mixed cars. My recollection is that the locomotives I saw were a GE Dash8-32BWH and an EMD F40PH, GE in "Pepsi Can", EMD in phase III.

Peter

[Anonymous]

Amtrak Superliner II Cars were first delivered in the latter months of 1993 with the sleepers being first out of the Bombardier Plant in Vermont with production continuing through 1994. It was common in 1994 and onward for several years to see Superliner IIs intermixed in consists with Superliner I cars in Amtrak phase III paint.

The Amtrak Superliner I car delivery started roughly in 1979 with the Empire Builder being the first train equipped. These were delivered in Amtrak phase II paint. The phase II paint faded very quickly and Amtrak restriped these cars in the Phase III paint. So up until 1986 one could see consist of Superliner I cars in phase II and phase III paint schemes.

The baggage cars are more complicated depending on the number series as some were rebuilt with head-end power (HEP) capabilities in the late seventies to work in amfleet consists. Other cars were rebuilt with Amtraks general HEP rebuild program in 1979-1980. Yet others were aquired secondhand and from VIA in the 80s and rebuilt to Amtrak HEP standards and phase III paint.

The rebuilt baggage cars from former coaches occurred in 1995 when Amtrak surplused a few coaches and had the windows blanked out and roll up doors added.

RailThunder