AASHTO Journal - Amtrak Unveils First of Six Commemorative Locomotives

National passenger rail operator Amtrak recently put the first of six different commemorative locomotives into service – trains painted to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary.

[Above photo by Matt Donnelly for Amtrak.]

“We chose locomotives already budgeted for new paint as part of our life cycle preventative maintenance program and used the opportunity to celebrate this significant milestone on the most iconic component of our business,” said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s president, in a statement.

“The locomotive designs uniquely honor our heritage and our vision of connecting communities, economies and families nationwide,” he added.

The commemorative locomotive list includes:

P42 #46 in Phase V 50th – The standard Amtrak livery for the past two decades with its “Connecting America for 50 Years” slogan including a large golden yellow 50.
P42 in Midnight Blue: An all-new one-of-a-kind paint scheme celebrating the dedication and commitment of Amtrak employees moving people around the clock and across the nation.
P42 in Phase VI – The first adaptation of the latest Amtrak livery phase on a P42.
P42 in Phase I – A rendition of Amtrak’s first livery phase dating back to 1972.
P42 in Dash 8 Phase III – The livery designed for the Dash 8 locomotive fleet in the early 1990s, adapted for the first time to a P42 locomotive.
ALC-42 #301 in Day 1 scheme – A historic throwback to the unique design created for the first day of operations on May 1, 1971, applied to Amtrak’s newest locomotive.

Each P42 locomotive is being painted and overhauled at the Amtrak Beech Grove shops in Beech Grove, IN, the railroad operator said, and will enter service across Amtrak’s national network over the next several months.