Passenger Trains > Amtrak Phases question

Hey guys, just wonder what the current phase is called now and if they still use other phases in the operating fleet. I know about the heritage units and history train. Is there any other locomotives or cars out there running in phase 4 or 5? IS 4b the current scheme? Thanks, Brent

blphoto Wrote:
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> Hey guys, just wonder what the current phase is
> called now and if they still use other phases in
> the operating fleet. I know about the heritage
> units and history train. Is there any other
> locomotives or cars out there running in phase 4
> or 5? IS 4b the current scheme? Thanks, Brent


I believe the current "wave" or "Shamu" scheme is considered Phase 5 and is the overwhelmingly predominant locomotive scheme, save perhaps for a few P32-8BWH (500-series former "Pepsi Cans") and P40-8 (800-series) units in Phase 4 and of course some MoW/switching engines. No active locomotives on the roster (other than Anniversary Units) that still wear earlier schemes that I know of.

Rolling stock, I believe the Superliners and Horizons are Phase 4 while the Amfleet are mostly Phase 5 or whatever the nomenclature is for what I would call the "Lava Lamp" decorations.

By the way, I don't know if a "Phase" designation was ever given to the "Pepsi Can" (or "Cutter") scheme.

Aside from rolling stock stored at Beech grove, heritage, or special cars, there is no active rolling stock currently in phase 3.

I believe even all the Superliners have gotten the new livery with none having the big "SUPERLINER" on the side.

Posted from iPhone

So, you are saying that the newest paint on the superliners is IVb and the newest locomotive scheme is phase Vb. However, there is the lava lamp phase V on the NEC trains. Is this correct? I saw this on Kato's website: Amtrak's most current paint scheme, the Phase VI (also known as "IVb"), which marries modern aesthetic simplicity with the traditional Amtrak red, white, and blue stripes. Im lost.

Amtrak's standard livery for locomotives is Phase V. (Some would call it Phase Vb, but there are no locomotives still wearing Phase Va so it's an unnecessary distinction at this point.)

All of the P42's and all of the P40's in road service are in Phase V (some of the P40's in storage at Beech Grove are still in Phase IV). As far as I know all of Amtrak's electric locomotives in road service are also in Phase V.

The only locomotives that are still in Phase IV that are used in road service are the P32's (at least two, but several have been repainted to Phase V.)

As for the passenger cars the standard livery is Phase IVb. I'm not aware of any cars on the active roster that are still in Phase IV or V. The Phase V "lava lamp" livery was only applied to a few Amfleet cars running in the northeast when the train was renamed the "Acela Regional." It didn't last very long.

That means that most Amtrak trains consist of a Phase V locomotive pulling Phase IVb cars.

There is one notable exception to this... the Acela trainsets. Acela has the only cars in the Phase V livery and the scheme on the power cars "inspired" the Phase V livery for the rest of the fleet.

Hope that clears up any confusion.

Ricky Courtney
Seattle, WA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/13 18:14 by rickycourtney.

LoadLimited Wrote:
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> Aside from rolling stock stored at Beech grove,
> heritage, or special cars, there is no active
> rolling stock currently in phase 3.

10405 buffer car (former baggage) is in Phase 3.