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Amtrak Beech Grove Shop Tour 4/13/2007 Part 2



by Chris Guenzler

We next entered Car Shop 2 that handles major rebuilding and wreck repairs to the passenger fleet.





Viewliner Sleeper 62034 Sea View.





Viewliner Sleeper 62032 River View.





View inside Car Shop 2.





Superliner Diner 38015/37001 undergoing conversion into a Diner-Lite Lounge/Diner. We took a tour of this car undergoing its change.





New convection ovens installed in the future 37001.





New steam tables installed in the future 37001.





The upstairs undergoing its conversion awaiting its table, booths and service area with stools at the counter. We went back outside the 37001 and I again got to draw the problems with that Amfleet Diner-Lite Car for the Shop Foreman and then again for the designer of that car. They both agreed with my assessment of that seat design for that car.





Superliner Coach 34120 in for wreck repair.





Another view inside of Car Shop 2.





Diner Lounge Kits.





Wreck repairs of the Superliner Coach 34120.





Viewliner Shower Head Kits.





The car damaged ends being repaired.





Workers at work on the Superliner Coach 34018.





Superliner Coach 31026 in for major wreck repair.





The Hammerhead Calypso Water Jet that can cut almost every kind of material that this shop needs.





The Water Jet at work.





It can cut almost any object into the right shape.





The pump unit for the Hammerhead Calypso Water Jet that can create over 60,000 PSI of water out of its nose when cutting.





Horizon car in Car Shop 2. We then left Car Shop 2.





Out in back of Car Shop 2 there was a building once here that was destroyed by a tornado. Behind that was a line of wrecked cars that most likely would never see service ever again. When Lew first got to the Beech Grove Shops there was 3.5 miles of wrecked equipment. In 2007 there is now only .5 of a mile of wrecked equipment.





Amtrak Shop Switcher 1100.





The Transfer Table at the Beech Grove Shops.





More cars out in the dead lines of cars.





The AC Shop building built in 1910. Next we went inside the Trim Shop.





The Paint Shop was painting Viewliner hall panels.





Engine 113 in for sanding which is all done by hand.





Engine 158 in the Paint Shop.





Views of engine 158. The paint shop now paints units in just three days instead of four days using quick drying Imron Paint.





In the rest of the Trim Shop the workers put in windows, carpeting and seats.





Long and Short Haul Seats.





Viewliner 62016.





Superliner Coach 34033 getting its seats installed on the day of our shop tour.





Another view inside the Trim Shop.





Convection ovens repaired and stored until needed.





Carpeting stored until needed in the Trim Shop. That was it for our visit to the Trim Shop and we returned outside. It takes anyway from 32 to 45 days to overhaul cars at Beech Grove Shops. This shop is the cleanest shop that I have ever been in. We headed back to the office walking along the south side of the Beech Grove Shops.





The south side of the Beech Grove Shops.





Another view of Car Shop 2.





The Beech Grove Transfer Table.





Shop Switcher 1100.





Lines of cars waiting for repairs to be made.





The Hoist Shop.





A Baggage Car sitting outside the shop building.





The Car Shop 2 Building.





Outside the Forge Shop.





Pacific Parlor Car which will be returned to service in July.





Locomotive Shop.





We have returned to where we started out fantastic tour of the Beech Grove Shop.





Line of cars waiting their turn in the shops. We went inside of Lew's office and he answered Chris Parker's question of "How many pieces of equipment does Amtrak own?" Lew told us that Amtrak owns 1890 pieces of equipment not including four inspection cars and the 71 California Cars. We thanked Lew for the excellent tour and he said we could come back anytime that we wanted. We said our goodbyes to Lew and then left the Beech Grove Shops. We walked out to the car but could not leave because we were in amazement of what we had just seen. We finally left the Beech Grove Shops but had to pull off Emerson Blvd when we saw a chance for a few more pictures.





The look into the Beech Grove Shops from along Emerson Blvd.





Equipment awaiting their turn in the Beech Grove Shops.





Way out in back behind the Beech Grove Shops was P42DC 149 that had been wrecked. This ends our tour of Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops.



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