Hello There I am new to the forum so if I have posted in the wrong place please forgive me. I wonder if anyone can help me with any details about the age and origin of Model Powers Standard Coach in Amtrak colours, looks like something from the 1920s but I am wondering if Amtak realy ran these old beauties, if so when and for how long ?. Any help would be most appreciated. Regards David.
David, Welcome to Trainboard it is always good to have new members especially Aussies like me. If you need ant advice about the site feel free to ask away. I will move this topic to the N scale forum where hopefully your question can be answered.
No Amtrak heavyweight coaches THE quick reference is Amtrak Car Spotter, Robert J. Wayner, ed., New York: Wayner Publications, 1972. It is a number-by-number roster list of Amtrak cars which were previously/ originally used on the private railroads. Gives origin, date of construction. No heavyweight (i.e. "standard") coaches at all are listed. In general, when Amtrak was formed in 1971, private railroads were liquidating the passenger equipment which had come into less and less use during the 1960s. Amtrak could "pick and choose" the best equipment. I believe the Model Power "standard" (heavyweight) coach with long row of many narrow windows, riveted sides, raised clerestory roof, was based on Pennsylvania Railroad prototype. Pennsy merged with New York Central, I believe in 1965, becoming Penn Central, and I believe these cars continued in COMMUTER SERVICE into the early Amtrak era, marked either PRR or PC, but not Amtrak service.
The Model Power, former PMI, coach is indeed a fairly accurate representation of a PRR Class P70 coach, as first built prior to World War I. The end windows, the large door windows, and the six wheel trucks were all replaced by World War II. Many P70's were modernized and some survived into the Amtrak era, but none were conveyed to Amtrak. So, the car as made by Model Power and the paint scheme, were separated by at least a half century. :cat:
I may have found something for you... A few references state that Amtrak did not inherit heavyweights, but apparently (? according to a picture caption) Amtrak had a rule in the early days that if you were running your private cars in an Amtrak consist, it had to be painted in the Amtrak colors. Here's a pic of one such car: http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/otherPAS/CyrusKHolliday.jpg If anyone else has similar pics or info on this it sure would be interesting to have. Hope this helps, and welcome to TrainBoard! Regards, -Mike
This is a fascinating web site about N Scale passenger cars! http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/ Welcome to the Board!
The Penn Central merger was in 1968 with Amtrak taking over intercity passenger service nationally (with three exceptions) in 1971. Commuter service was still operated by Penn Central and later Conrail until the states began to fund it and eventually take it over in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There was a complete embargo on attaching private cars to Amtrak trains in 1972. From 1973 Amtrak allowed private cars to be attached provided they were painted in platinum mist (or stainless steel) with the Amtrak red, white, and blue bands along the windows. Here's a few more. http://www.pacificrailroadsociety.org/equipment/passenger/bird/bird.jpg http://www.pacificrailroadsociety.org/equipment/passenger/blackstone/blackstone.jpg http://www.trainweb.org/chris/AM17.jpg Amtrak eventually changed the livery policy in 1976 when they worked out they could earn more money that way. Provided you model the years 1973-76, any heavyweight, Pullman or Budd car in unprototypical Amtrak livery could be assumed to be a private car or owned by a historical society. The trick would be to paint out the Amtrak logo. Cheers David
There's a few others on the same site. http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/otherPAS/ICG1_NewOrleansUnion_May78.jpg http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/otherPAS/la104.jpg Cheers David
