Here's some background:
- I'm modeling the LV's final years, 1971-1976. Amtrak was founded in 1971, the LV closed in 1976.
- I have an E8 in the Amtrak scheme right now but plan to do exactly what the real Amtrak did and buy an SDP40F.
- Walthers Proto Phase II Amfleet cars are too pricey for me, but the Walthers Mainline ones are not. They are in the Amtrak Phase III scheme.
So, my question is, was it possible by any stretch of the imagination for a train like the one I have described to be seen in the years I have mentioned?
Modeler of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Bethlehem PA, 1971 and railfan of Norfolk Southern's Lehigh and Reading Lines of the modern day.
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Yes. Those first three phases came through so quickly that it took a while to get everything unified. There were SDP40Fs in phase I and II past 1980, so it seems like an inevitable combination.
I have done some googling and I have found that you could run an SDP40F with amfleet I care in phase III, but it would be a bit of a stretch. Amfleet cars were introduced in 1975, near the end of your era, in likely phase II paint (introduced in 1974). Amtrak phase III paint was introduced in 1976, the very end of your era. So it is possible, but unlikely they would be in phase III by 1976.
However the biggest problem is SDP40F we’re equipped with steam generators for steam heated cars, while amfleets use HEP. This would make use of amfleets with E units or SDP40F near impossible.
Your best bet would be to use heritage cars with your E units/SDP40Fs. I have seen many of these models for relatively cheap prices, albeit not always accurate.
I hope that helps.
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
Hi everyone! Thanks for the info, it has been helpful. I opened a new discussion in the general forum that is more open ended.
Regarding the "Amfleet" cars --- I misspoke. I meant to say Budd cars. Sorry about the confusion.
Actually, in the opening of the 1979 ABC TV movie Disaster on the Coastliner, an E unit is seen pulling Amfleets.
Kevin
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chatanuga wrote: "Actually, in the opening of the 1979 ABC TV movie Disaster on the Coastliner, an E unit is seen pulling Amfleets."
When I was yet a young fireman, I recall working on the Shore Line between New Haven and Boston with E units and Amfleets.
Seems to me that the engine used in much of the movie was F40 213. I ran that numerous times after I got promoted (though not in the film). The scene where the guy goes off the engine into the water was done at Niantic ("Nan" bridge).
By the time I got there, the SDP40f's had been tried on the Shore Line and found wanting for being too rough on the track. The Amtrak shop in New Haven continued to rebuild them for service out west. I was only on one, had to move it while working as the hostler at Cedar Hill. Probably the most spacious cab I was ever in!
So E units must have been converted to HEP at some points...
I was not aware of that but it sounds quite reasonable, Amtrak was power short in early years. I do know early on in the amfleets lives they were pulled primarily by GE p30chs and EMD F40s, both delivered with HEP.
I would like to note that this 1979 e unit, amfleet combination is after the beginning of conrail, so what we need to know is when these e units were converted to HEP, and was it before 1976?
According to my Amtrak 1978-1979 Annual, Amtrak had a total of 198 E units. Only 5 were equipped with HEP generators numbers 495 to 499. 495 and 496 were assigned to New Haven and 497, 498, and 499 were assigned to Woodcrest. All five were ex Penn Central units and were rebuilt in November 1975.
So in the 1971-1976 era you could have an e unit pulling amfleet on the LV. So in response to the originators question, you couldn’t have an SDP40F pulling amfleet (it would pull heritage equipment), but you could use your E unit if it is one of the numbers mentioned above. You would more likely use a F40ph (of which there are many models in many price ranges.
However, there's still one problem.
The LV quit running passenger trains in 1961, essentially because other routes connected the same cities in much shorter distances. Amtrak has never run trains over former LV lines.
Eric