I would like some info about early Amtrak paint scemes.

[JPS1]

HO Hobbyist

 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. The one I will purchase will be in the Phase II paint.

- 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? 

Here is a link that might be helpful:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak_paint_schemes

I have not read it, but it appears to have some pictures of the early paint schemes.

[Overmod]

I presume you have also posted this in the appropriate Model Railroader forums, but (as it turns out) the question is appropriate here (and could legitimately be raised on the Classic Trains forum as being "almost" within the nominal scope and completely within sensible timeframe.)

LV would have had nothing whatsoever to do with SDP40Fs, even if the LV in your alternate history continued mainline passenger service (as opposed to stuff like the Hazleton shuttle to nowhere that could be run with RDCs).  As I recall only the second batch (not even ordered until October 1973) of SDP40Fs was even run in the east, so your timeframe only extends from delivery, not before 1974, through Conrail Day, April Fool's Day 1976. Personally I'd think it highly unlikely that Amtrak would assign new power to any LV train (which would be comparatively short and light) so I wouldn't bother with anything but E8 schemes ... of which there are interesting variants and prototypes.

You should really forget Amfleet almost entirely.  The very first use of Amfleet outside the Northeast Corridor was in December 1975, months before your cutoff.  They would require what amounts to enormous modification to be run, as they needed either genset installation in the locomotives (which the SDP40Fs were not built with, although they were designed to accommodate them) or specialized power cars.  I doubt any LV service would have merited that level of adaptation, but there is no nominal reason why you couldn't model it.  Likewise, ASSuming release of a relatively large number of competent E units as the SDP40Fs were phased in in the West, LV might have been able to convince Amtrak to put in genset modifications at least similar to what NJT did only a few years later, in conjunction with some reliability and service improvements, and dedicate that pool of engines to the LV 'Amfleeted' trains.  I believe Walthers has detail parts that are suitable. 

 

Where the real fun in this exercise comes in is the 'alternate history' that would produce an Amtrak train running over LV in the first place.  Obviously that wouldn't be an 'end to end' train between New York and Buffalo, as the Water Level Route trains Amtrak already was running would handle that service much better.  The first thing an LV route would offer is 'default' connection directly to the NEC and through to Penn Station (via the Hunter Tower connection used by the legacy LV passenger trains); any use of, say, the then-superior Lackawanna Cutoff at least as far as Scranton and then Wilkes-Barre/Kingston where it could connect to the LV main) wouldn't involve easy access directly into Manhattan as the "Lautenberg" stuff in Secaucus wasn't there in that era.  (The time involved in either a ferry or B&O-like bus connection in those years would likely be minimal, but a relatively high additional expense not in Amtrak's 'core values' at that time).

You'd market access to the train similar to the argument made for "Metropark" in Iselin (or someplace like Sanford as an origin/destination point for the Auto Train): easy parking and relatively short transit time to be able to get on a train from most of the regions in (then) suburban New Jersey or (then) industrial Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton Pennsylvania.   Advantage, such as it is, for Amtrak is that all the NJT long-distance (subsidized) commuter service ran via other railroads like CNJ and wouldn't interfere.

My own opinion is that a much, much better solution to this service would be a train of converted RDCs like the Reading's final Wall Street/Crusader trains or the original plan for the B&O Daylight Speedliner.  Much more luxurious seating, really good snack and light meal service, good rebuilt interiors, some attention paid to the secondary suspension to give reasonable ride on LV's trackage without beating it too much more than it was already suffering.  This would, of course, be relatively ideal for a train of SPV2000s with their common-mode issues (easily) fixed ... but those cars are out of your timeframe (although close enough that you could get away with an alternate history that staved off Conrail for a few years, perhaps if Dereco propped up the post-Agnes EL a bit longer...)

[HO Hobbyist]

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. The one I will purchase will be in the Phase II paint.

- 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?