Amtrak sent a special 40th anniversary train
around the country in 2011 to spend weekends in dozens of Amtrak cities. Three
display cars were converted from 70’ Budd baggage cars and were filled with
historical exhibits. There was also an amfleet café
car outfitted as a store for visitors to buy souvenirs after seeing the
displays. A crew car converted from a Budd 10-6 sleeper was in the train but
was not open to the public.
Power for the train was a P42 diesel decorated in the phase
III anniversary paint scheme. All cars in the train were painted in phase III
paint, which is perhaps the most recognizable scheme for being historic,
without seeming ancient. An unpowered control car made from a F40PH locomotive
was part of the train for flexibility in making reverse moves. It could be in
the lead, on the end or in the second position.
All of the cars in the train have been made in N scale. A special P42 in phase III paint was made by Kato for the anniversary,
though the road number of my model is for general service and differs from the
locomotive on the anniversary train I saw. The locomotives have “1971 2011”
which is available on a microscale decal sheet.
Unfortunately the car names like “display car” are not yet available as decals.
I applied phase III decals to a Con cor 10/6 sleeper:
this is very close to the crew car but the windows are a little different,
perhaps reflecting different models or modifications. Exact models of the
display and store cars are available in phase III paint, but the lettering must
be changed. Except for lettering and minor window changes, an exact anniversary
train can be made in N scale.
|
prototype car |
proto# |
maker |
model car |
model# |
prototypl? |
|
P42 diesel, phase III anniv |
AMTK 822 |
Kato |
P42 diesel, phase III anniv |
AMTK 145 |
yes |
|
F40 unpowered control cab |
AMTK 406 |
Kato |
F40 diesel |
AMTK 376 |
yes |
|
crew car (ex 10/6 cal zeph) |
AMTK 10020 Pacific Bend |
Concor-custom |
10-6 sleeper |
AMTK Pacific Gardens |
very close |
|
display car (ex baggage) |
AMTK 10093 |
Kato |
70' baggage car |
AMTK 1206 |
yes |
|
display car (ex baggage) |
AMTK 10094 |
Kato |
70' baggage car |
AMTK 1206 |
yes |
|
display car (ex baggage) |
AMTK 10095 |
Kato |
70' baggage car |
AMTK 1206 |
yes |
|
40th anniversary store |
ex amfleet café 85999 |
Bachmann |
amfleet café |
AMTK no # |
yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amtrak’s 40th anniversary exhibit train, 2011. Control car in the lead. Photo from Amtrak’s website, taken at Lorton station Virginia by Matt Donnelly.
Anniversary train at Oakland,
California, Jack London station on Nov 12, 2011. Photo by Fred
Klein.
Anniversary
train at Oakland, California, Jack London station on Nov 12, 2011. The train shares a track with the
Amtrak California San Joaquin train that terminates here in Oakland, and the
Capitols train is on the far track. Photo by Fred Klein.
This power
for the train is the P42 diesel painted in the phase III anniversary scheme.
The next car in the prototype train is actually a control car that occupies
different positions as needed for reverse moves, but is modeled with a Kato
F40PH. Fortunately it speed matches the P42. The 10/6 crew
sleeper was the first passenger car of the train. Its door must be positioned
next to the first baggage/display car because that is where visitors entered
the train.
Next are
the 3 display cars converted from 70’ Budd baggage cars.
These are Kato models of the original baggage cars, and only new decal
lettering and a change in door vent is needed to make them prototypical for the
anniversary train. The anniversary store is a converted amfleet
café car. This a Bachmann model with body-mounted couplers.
Display car at the Oakland station,
Nov. 12, 2011. Photo by Fred Klein.
http://www.amtrak40th.com/blogs/blog/amtrak-40th-anniversary-exhibit-train
