#amfleet

[railwayhistorical]

Recently Published

I have two images in the current is of the Passenger Train Journal, June 2025. These images were chosen for the passenger cars depicted: the sturdy Amfleet cars made by Budd.

We first see a southbound Shawnee at Leverett Junction on the Illinois Central Mainline. This shot was taken on the Bicentennial, July 4th 1976. This was when the F40PHs were brand spanking new; the coaches were pretty new as well—and they are still a mainstay for Amtrak, fifty years later. The second shot shows a northbound Maple Leaf at Bannerman Castle on the Hudson River near Cold Spring, July 1989. This is on the former New York Central's Water-Level Route of course. That's an FL9 on point of the train: a unique unit designed for access to Grand Central Terminal.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken July 4th 1976 and July of 1989.

[supertrainstationh]

X X X

Ah, Amfleet.

Trying to hard to convince America that trains are actually airplanes.

In spite of how self-ashamed these coaches are, I love em, and love riding in em.

[2othcentury]

Alton, Illinois, 1979

[abuserfriendly]

Amtrak could seek Amfleet I replacements - Railway Age

The end may be in sight for an aged mainstay of the national passenger car fleet.

It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news that long last days of Amfleet might finally be here. It sure has been long enough with the first Amfleet order about to hit its 40th year in existence. Probably nobody who lives where it snows is going to miss the vestibules that turn into Hoth or the frozen air bellows that make can make them ride like boxcars at 120mph. For better or for worse, if Amtrak has an icon, its the tubular Amfleet cars. These were the last all-stainless cars made by Budd and they were made to survive a nuclear war (at least structurally- there’s a bit more controversy around the mechanicals). From the standpoint of Budd’s 1970s parts bin, the Amfleets are pretty straightforward: Metroliner car bodies riding on Pioneer III trucks which were state of the art for commuter cars at the time. Just about every kind of service Amtrak has ever offered has used this equipment. Among the oddities: a modified Amfleet coach with a couple of sleeping compartments for the Shenandoah, a predecessor to today’s Cardinal, and long-distance duty in the West equipping the Desert Wind in its early days.

[coaststarlight]

1kth Post. I didn't think Instagram would hold out against all the apps in the long run when smart phones first started to become common place, now it's even better for networking than fb ever was to me, didn't see that coming, 1st 4 Digit post: what was supposed to be The Great Dome's last revenue run, taken from inside Ocean View 10031 Domeliner, 10031 was built in 1955, and is still in service today. #1k #1000thPost #Instagram #Photography #California #F59PHI #EMD #Surfliner #Amtrak #OceanView #10031 #GreatDome #Amfleet #PacificSurfliner @amtrak #Trains #RailTravel #Railroad #Canon #RebelXT #🚂 #📷 (at Oceanside, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5PD3EnxY5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1po8wqldpbi5u

[trainmaniac]

The Marion County Metroliner (2 of 2) by Greg Brown Via Flickr: Following the derailment of Amtrak train 501 in DuPont, Washington on December 18, 2017 there have been changes made in the Amtrak Cascades service. No Talgo equipment is used south of Portland. The two Cascades schedules that operated through Portland now require cross platform transfers in the Rose City's Union Station. Stub trains covering schedules between Eugene and Portland are running with Amfleet equipment. I like to call the short trains "Marion County Metroliners." My daughter and I went to Oregon City today to shoot Saturday/Sunday/Holiday southbound Cascades train 513. Oregon City is the first stop fifteen miles out of Portland. We arrived a few minutes before the train was due. It arrived an hour late, most likely due to issues with the Steel Bridge over the Willamette River in downtown Portland. In this image, train 513 is departing Oregon City southbound for Salem, Albany and Eugene.

[railwayhistorical]

The Black Hawk

This is Amtrak number 372, heading for Chicago; it’s seen here crossing over the Rock River at Rockford, Illinois. This train service, operating on Illinois Central’s Iowa Division, was discontinued on September 30th 1981—the final day of the fiscal year for the U.S. government. Power for the train this day is GE P30CH number 701, which is a little over a year old when this image was made.

Timetable page: copyright by Amtrak, courtesy of timetables.org. One image by Richard Koenig; taken November 27th 1976.

[railwayhistorical]

Blue Water, Outbound

Here’s an eastbound Blue Water making its Kalamazoo station stop. Please note that this is a going-away sequence, as the train has a Siemens SC-44 on either end. The last image to shows a bit more of the wonderful former Michigan Central passenger station.

Three images by Richard Koenig; taken July 13th 2022.