of diesel locomotives at Erie, Pennsylvania, during the period 1993-2001. Amtrak purchased 44 P40's, 207 P42's, and 18 dualmodes (the latter with New York State support for Empire Services). They are now Amtrak's longest-serving diesels. Even the newest ones are now 20+ years old and are eventually due to be replaced by Siemens Chargers.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
For new viewers, perhaps if you just found this page, here is our mission: To track as well as possible the movements of Amtrak's ancient P42 Genesis locomotive fleet, along with those few even older P40's that are still active at Amtrak. From time to time we may also track passenger cars and/or have some general comments about the future of transportation in North America.
STORED UNITS GETTING TUNE UPS
Some of the ex-Michigan units previously stored at New Orleans are getting tune ups. There were two rows of them parked at NOUPT over the winter. The first row has been sending units to Chicago one at a time. Presumably all going to be needed to come back into service in June.
COUNTING THE DAYS
Three weeks now until the return to daily service after the 24th of the Zephyr, Eagle, Builder, and Starlight. Our understanding is the consists will still be shorter than they used to be, but daily flexibility is important on these routes. Finding working crews and equipment to run them may be difficult given the long dry spell since services were scaled back.
VIEWLINER SLEEPER CARS
The CAF viewliner II program is coming to a close (the 62500's). It has not yet been publicized as to whether options for more will be exercised, particularly due to the long delays and overbudget situation. Originally there were supposed to be five more Viewliner II sleepers than have been delivered so far. The 49 remaining in the original 62000 series are now getting close to retirement. We know at least one was totalled over the years (62012), but missing current information on some of the others.
Here are the nine viewliner I and one viewliner II low level viewliner sleepers that are currently unaccounted for:
62006 - College View / Catawba River - Not seen since August 2020 at NYP
62017 - Majestic View / Deep River - Last seen February at NYP
62019 - Metropolitan View / Elizabeth River - Beech Grove September 6, 2020
62026 - Ocean View / Hackensask River - Last seen February 22 in Chicago
62027 - Orchard View / Harlem River - Last seen February 22, 2021 at Hialeah
62036 - Skyline View / Kankakee River - Last reported Washington DC October 15, 2020
62038 - Spring View / Leaf River - Last report November 4, 2020 in Washington DC
62039 - Stream View / Maumee River - Last reported Chicago January 23, 2021
62040 - Summer View / Miami River - Last reported March 5, 2021
62048 - Wayside View / Patapsco River - Last reported February 5, 2021 at Hialeah
62503 - Rappahannock River - Last seen March 1, 2021 in Washington DC
62519 - Most Recent Factory Pickup 4-27-21 - Talapoosa River
62520 - To Be Delivered? - Tiffin River
62521 - To Be Delivered? - Tombigbee River
62522 - To Be Delivered? - Trout River
62453 - To Be Delivered? - Wabash River
62524 - To Be Delivered? - Westfield River
HEDGE FUND VS THE KCS
The same hedge fund that ruined JC Penney, moved Oreo cookies and other Nabisco products to Mexico, etc (at the cost of 1000's of US jobs), and brought Hunter Harrison and "PSR" (POS railroading, some would say) to the Canadian Pacific, is now attempting to take over the KCS. The obvious intent of the hedge fund will be to eliminate employees and cannibalize the railroad, as they have done with all previous aquisitions. It's almost too funny to hear the rhetoric coming out of CP regarding a competitive bid from CN. Will a merger trigger further consolidation in the railroad industry? Quite possibly it will. But railroads have been going out of business in North America for over 70 years. If a backbone system of railroads is important for the national security of the United States, it is time for the federal government to step up and protect it.
We hope no matter how emasculated the Surface Transportation Board may continue to be, that a serious look is taken at the proposed deal. It is time for government to reconsider its deregulatory stance in order to protect employee jobs and preserve service to customers. Excessive executive pay is something else to look at in cases where maintenance, safety, institutional knowledge, and job security of experienced employees is being compromised in order to foster ever-higher CEO compensation.
2021 RAILFANNING AT ESSEX MONTANA
Check out a camper at Essex, Montana near the Amtrak stop and Glacier east entrance. If interested in renting, please hit us up with a message from the green page link. Handy to Issac Walton Inn, trainwatching on the High Line, and of course Glacier National Park. The Empire Builder is returning to daily service. Comfortable unit in a nice commercial RV park with most amenities (including slow internet), operating for the season until September 2021.