RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

Amtrak's 40th Birthday Train

Schedule
Historical
Pictures From Around the Country
In Lorton
In St Louis
 

RAILFAN GUIDES HOME
RAILROAD SIGNALS HOME


I've given the places I have visited their own pages in an attempt to keep this page from getting too large:

My Homepage for Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Train
The train in Baltimore MD  Most of the detail shots are on this page
The train in Perryville MD
The train in Strasburg PA at the Strasburg RR
The train in Harrisburg PA
The train in Scranton PA at Steamtown
The train in Jackson MI
The train in Ft Worth TX


Amtrak has done a most excellent job with this train,
You should make the effort to go see it!

Amtrak has also painted four P-42's in heritage paint schemes, as shown below.

http://amtrak40th.com/

If you get the chance, I highly recommend you visit the Birthday Train, for once it is gone, it is gone. 

Amtrak's marketing people have done a great job with the displays in each of the cars, and each car highlights artifacts from each of the decades: 70's, 80's, 90's, and the 2000's.  And speaking of the marketing people, they staff the train when it is open for touring and are there to answer your questions, and they are most pleasant to talk to.

You will see the uniforms used through the years, timetables, dining car tables complete with "China", books, flyers, posters, collectibles, police patches, and horn and signal displays.

And to boot, it's probably the cleanest engine and power car I have ever seen!

The schedule for the train has been moved from my homepage, and is below.

The train consists of:
     AMTK AMD-103 #822 Diesel Locomotive
     AMTK #406, HEP-40 power car (engine)
     AMTK
#10020, 10-6 Sleeper "Pacific Bend"
     AMTK #10093, 70's/80's Display Car
     AMTK #10094, 80's/90's Display Car
     AMTK #10095, 2000's Display Car
     AMTK #85999, Amfleet I food service and 40th Anniversary Store (souvenir sales) car

The train has visited selected stops on the east coast during the first phase of their tour, including three capital cities: Washington DC, Harrisburg PA, and Providence RI and TWO weekends at Strasburg!

For all ya'll in the mid-west, west, and south - don't worry, you will get your chance too.  The upper mid-west tour will conclude the weekend of October 15th and 16th with a visit to Milwaukee.... the following weekend, starting October 23rd, the train will be on the west coast in Seattle, and then work its way south.

The train schedule on their website will be updated on a quarterly basis.  I would like to thank Steve Ostrowski for this tidbit.  He is an engineer operating out of Albany NY, and is the 40th Anniversary Trainmaster.

If anyone has pictures from any of the places the train visits, please send them in to share.

I understand that a lot of the people involved with the preparation of the Anniversary Train did so on the their own time as volunteers, please thank the Amtrak folks you see on the train for their time and effort, they are all great!


Schedule
This Weekend:
February 18th & 19th - Tampa FL



** MARCH 2012 **
March 3rd and 4th - Richmond VA
March 10th and 11th - Raleigh NC
March 18th and 19th - Spencer NC at the Spencer Shops
 


Historical Info

  

 

 

The above pictures were acquired using Snagit
A few Amtrak PDF's touting the National Train Day celebrations are at:
www.railroadsignals.us/AMTRAK40th1.pdf
www.railroadsignals.us/AMTRAK40th2.pdf
www.railroadsignals.us/AMTRAK40th3.pdf
www.railroadsignals.us/AMTRAK40th4.pdf


Souvenirs

On the train, in the snack bar car, you will find all sorts of neat things to buy, including t-shirts, DVD's, books, mugs, caps, postcards, model trains, and other little cool things, all reasonably priced.  They even have a edible cookie available with the 40th logo on it.  One of the more unique things they have done, is to present an envelope for sale, cancelled with the location of the train.  They DID NOT make one available for Lorton, and someone in Harrisburg snapped them all up, so none were available at Strasburg.... look for them on EBay no doubt at an inflated price!

will add pictures later


Pictures From Around the Country

 
A couple of shots of #146 leaving Forth Worth TX on the head of southbound train #21 on February 11th, 2011.  Pictures by Ken Fitzgerald.  Nice looking, and I agree with Ken, they could leave it this way!  It was involved in an accident a few weeks later in San Antonio.  Let's hope it gets returned to service quickly.  More pictures here

       
A few pictures of #156 in Ft Worth TX from Ken.... Nice shots!  Thanks Ken!

Your photos could be here, please send them to: toddgp30@yahoo.com


the Train in Lorton VA

This picture is from the Amtrak 40th Birthday page, the photo is by M Donnelly.


The Train in St Louis
Pictures from Amtrak's website

         


For Reference: Where the Train Has Been


** MAY **
7, Washington Union Station
14-15th, Lorton Auto Train Terminal
21-22nd, Baltimore Penn Station
28th-29th,  30th St. Station - Philadelphia
** JUNE **
4th-5th, Perryville MD MARC Station
11th-12th, Harrisburg PA Amtrak Station
18th-19th/25th-26th Strasburg Railroad/RR Museum of PA
** JULY **
9th-10th,  Springfield MA  Amtrak Station
16th-17th,  New Haven Union Station
23rd-24th,  New London Union Station
30th-31st,  Providence RI Amtrak Station
** AUGUST **
6th-7th, Boston MA
13th-14th, Freeport ME
20th-21st, Burlington VT
27th-28th, Albany-Rennselaer NY
** SEPTEMBER **
3rd-4th, Scranton PA
10th-11th, St. Louis MO
16th, Beech Grove IN (the Amtrak Shops)
(Employees and Family Only)
24th-25th, Galesburg IL
** OCTOBER **
1st-2nd, Chicago IL
8th-9th, Jackson MI
15th-16th, Milwaukie WI
22nd-23rd, Seattle WA
29th-30th, Portland OR
** NOVEMBER **
5th-6th, Sacramento CA
12th-13th, Oakland CA
19th-20th, Bakersfield CA
** DECEMBER **
3rd-4th, San Diego CA
10th-11th, Los Angles CA
 


This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here.

NEW 6-1-2011
Last Modified 19-Feb-2012