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Amtrak 503 on the Southwest Chief!

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  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Saturday, January 5, 2019 10:33 AM

Thanks for that, Yard Limit!

It's fun seeing one of the old "Pepsi-Cans" out on the mainline, even if it doesn't look like a Pepsi can anymore.

It was interesting see the "Road Runner" unit as well.  In a way I'm a little disappointed they didn't put the "Roadrunner" cartoon character on the locomotive, but on the other hand it certainly saves them from paying royalties to Warner Brothers.

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • 120 posts
Amtrak 503 on the Southwest Chief!
Posted by Yard Limit on Saturday, January 5, 2019 7:28 AM

The Southwest Chief is generally powered by P40's and P42's, but on January 4, 2019 we captured the eastbound Southwest Chief with Amtrak 503, a GE B32-8WH trailing Amtrak 13. 

A couple days earlier, a BNSF freight engine was substituted for one of the P42's that had traction motor problems, making the train very late into Los Angeles.  Unable to turn the train around quickly enough, a trainset from the Coast Starlight was substituted, which gave us the very rare opportunity to see a Dash 8 providing power and not deadheading. 

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