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Passenger Trains > Amtrak heavyweight carsDate: 01/26/22 17:43 Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: Sp1110 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. Date: 01/26/22 18:07 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: ronald321 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. Date: 01/26/22 18:30 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: MEKoch 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.
Date: 01/26/22 18:45 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: PE-717 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 Date: 01/26/22 19:08 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: jeffgeldner 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. Date: 01/26/22 19:56 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: NKP779 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 Date: 01/26/22 20:16 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: NGotwalt 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 Date: 01/26/22 20:18 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: dan 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
Date: 01/27/22 00:03 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: mp51w Dude, you need this book; https://www.amazon.com/Amtrak-Numbers-Comprehensive-Passenger-1971-2011/dp/1932804129
Date: 01/27/22 01:02 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: mundo A new edition of this book is in porgress. Still some months away.
Date: 01/27/22 04:00 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: DavidP 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 Date: 01/27/22 06:06 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: rustys6004 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. Date: 01/27/22 08:19 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: rkennedy2 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.
Date: 01/27/22 09:20 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: aehouse 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 Date: 01/27/22 11:27 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: crusader5619 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.
Date: 01/27/22 19:25 Re: Amtrak heavyweight cars Author: gbmott 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.
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