Nostalgia & History > Talgo Wows the Northwest in '94

Amtrak 243 leads the prototype Spanish-built Talgo trainset northbound across the Colunbia River Draw and into Vancouver, WA in June of 1994. I believe at this time the set had been in service for just a few weeks. This twelve car set proved the concept and paved the way for the newer generation of U.S. built Talgos that serve this corridor today.

An additional set was leased a couple of years later--were these off the shelf European sets that operated with an FRA waiver or did they meet all U.S. safety standards? What was their final disposition--possibly in service today in Europe or elsewhere?

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AMTK243 leads the trainset that started a revolution in Pacific Northwest rail travel at Vancouver, WA 6/94.

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Most of us in 1994 had never seen anything quite like this. Those of us who were skeptical were proven wrong.

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Even the tail end looked pretty cool.......

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On a trip to Europe this past June I saw a Talgo set similar to this one in Zurich, Switzerland. It was not in the same colors as I recall. There is a daily train from Madrid to Zurich using this equipment. Maybe just maybe the old Amtrak set makes the run to Zurich once in a while. The equipment looks small and flimsy behind a North American locomotive. I thought the same thing seeing it behind a Swiss Re 4/4.

Unfortunately I have no photo as the sighting was from a moving train as we departed Zurich.

cp1400

cp1400 Wrote:

> On a trip to Europe this past June I saw a Talgo
> set similar to this one in Zurich, Switzerland. [...]
> Unfortunately I have no photo as the sighting was
> from a moving train as we departed Zurich.

(Warning: scary non-trainorders "links")
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/es/car/Talgo-Trenhotel/pix.html

http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/traininfo.exe/en/641859/231125/30284/198811/95

I believe the trainset went to Uzbekistan in central Asia. Check the Talgo website. As a tall person I don't like the lack of legroom in the Talgos, its like being on a budget airline 737. I realize they were probably a good financial choice for the State of WA DOT budget. I think the CA Surfliners are about the best in comfort for a medium distance route.

shed47 Wrote:

> An additional set was leased a couple of years
> later--were these off the shelf European sets that
> operated with an FRA waiver or did they meet all
> U.S. safety standards?

I was under the impression that both the demos and the sets built specifically for the Cascades trains required an FRA waiver of the crush-weight standard. See:

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fra1600.htm
http://www.utu.org/depts/pr-dept/news/NDigest/2000/Sept2m/911/9110003.htm#911_60

That set was a pain in the rear for us freight train drivers when they were used on the Bellingham sub. If you were following him, the dispatcher would not let you follow him until he was beyond the next control point. I was told that the Talgo might not shunt the rails and the lead loco didn't have enough axles to insure that the blocks dropped behind it.

cool photos Bob. Very cool since I was just up there watching the beautiful Cascade Talgo sets work around the PNW. Looking at your photos in the pre-Cascade green test days of phase III F40's mixed with experimental passenger car sets, all I can think of to say is...

"WOW!"

GREAT photos shed47! THANKS! Our very FIRST Amtrak trip was in 1994 (Fullerton to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Portland on the Coast Starlight and on to Glacier National Park on the Empire Builder, then to Seattle via the Empire Builder, then to Portland via the NW Talgo!!!, then took the Coast Starlight to Emeryville and the California Zephyr to Denver, then flew home)

I remember fondly our short trip from Seattle to Portland on the NW Talgo. Maybe we are on board one of the Talgos in your photo. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!