GEC's roster thread

[Green_Elite_Cab]

If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it?



.....yes.

Anyways, I'll just add photos of equipment on my roster every once in a while, usually in sections (today's roster, Amtrak). This will cover most of my working equipment and projects nearing completion, and interesting history if there is any.

Anyway, today we will feature my roster of Amtrak equipment

First up, the only Amtrak diesel i own, P42DC #111, "Northeast Corridor". All other equipment is Electric. This unit is special, because it can be MUed with electric locomotives (not surprising at all for my roster). This engine has extra controls in it so that an engineer can control the electric locomotive from the cab of the P42DC. As such, these are usually run as rescue engines and occasionally power back up (there is a video on youtube with an E60MA and this locomotive MUed together on a snowy day). It also has a special version of the Phase IV paint that matched the AEM7s with the Phase IV paint on the Northeast Corridor.

The Genesis engines are Amtrak's primary diesel locomotive. these engines have 4,200 HP, with some of it going towards HEP. These locomotives are also interesting for their single piece bodies. Rather than having metal supports behind a cowl, the Genesis engines whole shell is weight bearing. This creates a lighter locomotive that is also very structurally sound.



The Venerable GG1 made its last stand on local commuter roads and Amtrak. #917 was one of the original GG1s to be sent to Amtrak from Penn Central. The Amtrak GG1s actually created an issue with the numbering. Initially, Amtrak believed it could remove the “4” from the GG1’s road numbers, (the passenger units being in the 4900 series) however this left many gaps, so Amtrak just renumbered all GG1s into the 900 series, regardless of their original numbers. This further created issues with Penn Central, since a black Amtrak GG1 and a Black Penn Central GG1 may look the same, so Penn Central renumbered its GG1s so that the last two digits were different than any Amtrak GG1, to prevent confusion. This resulted in the highest numbered PC GG1 having a higher number than the original PRR number series.



Here is a representative example of my fleet of Metroliner Electric Multiple Unit cars. these cars were the PRR's response to the Japanese Shinkansen. Though PRR Keystones had been applied to some cars, Most did not arrive on the system until Penn Central came to being. They later went to Amtrak and were rebuilt and repainted several times. Though not always reliable, their brand new interiors made them preferable to older equipment.



Next are my Amtrak E60 series of locomotives. Intended as replacements for the GG1, They were initially ordered with Steam Heat equipment (E60CP), but after only 7 units, the order was changed to carry Head End Power (E60CH). In the mid 1980s, the Amtrak E60s were either sold to NJ transit or Rebuilt into E60MA units.

E60CH #968 and E60MA #610 are both American GK kits. These featured special frames with Athearn style drive components. Walthers later bought the American GK tooling and continued to use Athearn parts. Sadly, Walthers broke the tooling accidentally, which is why an E60 has not since been released by them.





The Bachmann E60CP is incorrectly numbered, as #971 is an “E60CH”. I plan to re-number this #951, which is easier than kit bashing into a E60CH variant.



AEM7 908 and 911 In phase III paint. These represent the AEM7 as delivered in 1979. These little boxcabs are based on the Swedish RC4, and are the primary motive power on the Northeast Corridor. These little units boasted extraordinary horsepower, (7,000 HP continuous), and were the first new successful passenger electric since the GG1. When the AEM7s arrived in 1979, they were numbered in the 900 series. Amtrak shifted its surviving GG1s to its own “4900” series, adding a 4 to the Amtrak 900 numbers (these numbers are not the PRR’s original numbers).



#921 represents the short lived Phase IV of the late 90s.



#907 and 914 represent the early 2000a paint scheme of the AEM7 (the “three sheets of the wind” logo is now on the nose and cab sides of these locomotives). The prototype #914 has been rebuilt into an AEM7-AC, and so the model does not really represent it (rebuilding the model to match isn’t hard but would ruin the pain t on the roof). 907 however is still in its original condition.



The Modern Day successor of the Metroliner MU (that is to say equipment, not the train) is the Acela Express. These six car train sets feature tilting technology (the model also does this), and is amtrak’s latest attempt at a high speed train. While its prototypical success is debatable, the model looks cool on the club layout at speed.



HHP-8 #664 represents the spiritual successor to the E60MA. These High Horse Power locomotives can carry the long haul trains with only one locomotive that would normally require two un-rebuilt AEM7s. In fact, the HHP-8 is the most powerful locomotive in North America.