Passenger Trains > Amtrak heavyweight cars

When did Amtrak retire it’s last heavyweight cars?

When did the United States stop manufacturing heavyweight cars?

Are any of Amtrak’s business or executive cars heavyweights?
Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/22 17:44 by Sp1110.

When Amtrak took over GM&O's Chicago-St, Louis trains -- the GM&O ran quite a few very nice modernized heavyweight coaches and Parlor cars.

They looked like lightweight cars, with big windows, and a rounded off roof.  But, their heavyweight, 6-wheel trucks revealed their true identity.

I think Amtrak used them for one year--maybe two - 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/22 18:09 by ronald321.

Amtrak leased a heavyweight car from Bill Kratville of Autoliner in Omaha, NB.  It was a very comfortable and used by Amtrak presidents and other officers.  it appeared at almost all dedication ceremonies, as well as new service expansions.  If my memory is correct, it was numbered 10000.  

If I read between the lines, I may be wrong, but are you confusing the Heritage equipment (roughly 1935+) with Heavyweight (pre 1935)?

Posted from iPhone

I will yield to others on the Amtrak question but will add that the use of heavyweight cars lasted longer in both Mexico and Canada. Many cars were updated and some were akin to the lightweight cars in interior decor and, as mentioned with respect to the GM and O, modernized on the exterior also. The N and W did this as well.
I first rode in a classic 12 section 1 drawing room heavyweight from Mexicali to Mazatlan in 1970. Ice was poured into the roof to air cool the car. The original Pullman carpeting was in good shape. I am sorry I cannot recall the car name or number. I was 15 then and just getting into the railfan interests. The dining car was not as air cooled but good food and service in El Gourmet, a former ACL heavyweight diner. 
I am sorry I can't recollect heavyweight car names or numbers but in the late 1970s I walked through a few such cars on the Super Continental, Ocean and the train to Churchill on the Hudson Bay. I still enjoy riding heavyweights on tourist lines. As for Amtrak, I rode in many vintage lightweight cars (some dating to the late 1930s like Santa Fe's "Picuris" on the San Diegan). But there were only heavyweight baggage cars- not passenger cars. The private railroads would couple business cars from the heavyweight era- along with private car owners, but these were not Amtrak owned cars. 
 

10000 was the former Anheuser- Busch ADOLPHUS built at the WAB Decatur shops on a heavyweight frame. It still exists in Indiana. Rough shape.

Posted from Android

I believe Clockers carried P70s on the corridor for more than a few years, B60b baggage cars too. Definitely heavyweight era cars but not something that got three axle trucks.

Nick

Posted from iPhone

amtrak never ran Heavyweights, with a couple of leased exceptions,  leased  PC cars ran on the NEC mail trains, maybe some PC  baggage heavyweights came with the NEC for MOW  

Dude, you need this book;  https://www.amazon.com/Amtrak-Numbers-Comprehensive-Passenger-1971-2011/dp/1932804129

A new edition of this book is in porgress.  Still some months away.

The New York State funded Adirondack debuted in 1974 with D&H equipment. A couple of former Erie heavyweight coaches were included in that lot, although mostly used as backups while the newer ex-D&RGW cars were being rebuilt.  So not owned by Amtrak, but part of a scheduled Amtrak train in the mid 1970s.

Dave

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When Amtrak took over GM&O's Chicago-St, Louis
> trains -- the GM&O ran quite a few very nice
> modernized heavyweight coaches and Parlor cars.
>
> They looked like lightweight cars, with big
> windows, and a rounded off roof.  But, their
> heavyweight, 6-wheel trucks revealed their true
> identity.
>
> I think Amtrak used them for one year--maybe two
> - 
>  

I rode the Lincoln service quite a bit in the summer of 1988 between Springfield and Bloomington.  I drove most of the time but loved I could catch a train instead.  The trains had a couple of Amfleet cars and a couple Heritage cars in original condition.  Don't know the source of the cars in use (GM&O, IC, etc).  Trains were ligtly loaded, probably because of the numerous slow orders on the line since the tracks were in such bad shape, and most folks went to the new cars.  Not me, I loved riding in the old ones as it reminded me of the excursions I had taken a few years earlier.  Don't remember when they pulled those cars off that line as I switched jobs and didn't need to commute for a decade or more, and then it was to Chicago.

EX PC/PRR B60 Baggage Cars lasted through the end of steam heat era.  Used on National Limited and other trains.  P70's lasted on the NEC until beginning of Amfleet era, 1975/76.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> amtrak never ran Heavyweights, with a couple of
> leased exceptions,  leased  PC cars ran on the
> NEC mail trains, maybe some PC  baggage
> heavyweights came with the NEC for MOW  

Amtrak never owned heavyweights, but in the early years, a few ex-PRR baggage cars and even a few P-70s appeared in revenue service in Amtrak trains.

Art House

Don't forget that Southern Rwy heavyweight coaches ran to New York on connecting Amtrak trains for a few years into the "new era". Ultimately as several pointed out it does not appear that Amtrak ever owned any heavyweights.

I believe I am correct in saying that the GM&O coaches and parlors that were briefly used by Amtrak were not rebuilds but rather very late construction (I want to say 1938) heavyweights.  LW cars were already being built and these GM&O cars were built to the then-current LW profile. 
  -- Gordon