Amtrak’s Northeast Regional 2014-present

Fred Klein, 2016

Amtrak runs fast electric trains in the busy Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington DC at least every hour. The route has been busy since the Pennsylvania Railroad electrified the route between New York and Washington in the 1930s. Formerly called Metroliner service, the NE Regional trains have reserved seats, make limited stops, and compete favorably with the New York-Washington airlines.

 

The rebuilt Amfleet I cars with their rounded shape, first introduced in 1975, are used in the trains. The Amfleet I cars, with a door at each end are the principal cars for short distance trains like the regionals, and Amfleet II cars with a door at one end are sometimes used but are largely configured for longer distance trains. A café car is in every train usually in the middle. The last car of the train is business class with more comfortable seats. The coach cars look the same externally, though the Amfleet II cars have slightly taller windows, in addition to only one door.

 

In 2013 the new Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives (nicknamed cities sprinter) began replacing the older AEM-7 and Bombardier HHP-8 engines. In 2016, Kato offered an N scale version of the ACS-64 and newly-tooled matching Amfleet I cars. Thus you can run complete, prototypical NE Regional trains from Kato, a single, good manufacturer.

 

A NE regional train led by a Siemens ACS-64 on July 4, 2015. The location is near Martin State airport near Baltimore.

 

A train with Amfleet I cars (2 doors) in phase IVb (VI) paint.

 

A NE regional train in Maryland in 2014.

 

 

 

A Northeast Regional train in 2014

 

The locomotive is a Siemens ACS-64, which is replacing the older electric engines on the NE corridor. It is made by Kato. The next three Amfleet I coaches (2 doors each side) are the new 2016 Kato models that come as a set with the ACS-64. They are painted in the phase VI (IVb) scheme with the wave logo and a red line at the bottom of the car.

 

The middle of the train has a café car, here a Kato model of an Amfleet I car in phase VI paint. The last two cars are Kato models of Amfleet II (1 door) cars. Note the slightly taller windows in the Amfleet II cars. Typically Amfleet II cars are used in longer distance trains than the NE regionals.

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REFERENCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amfleet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Regional

 

Warner, David and Elbert Simon, Amtrak by the numbers, A comprehensive passenger car and motive power roster 1971-2011, White River Productions, 2011.

 

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