 |
Amtrak Motive Power Heritage Power |
New Orleans, La / Sep 1977 / Michael Palmieri 
Amtrak began operations on May 1, 1971. Needing to operate only half the train routes that had operated previously, Amtrak would lease around 1,200 of the best passenger cars from the 3,000 that the private railroads owned. All were air-conditioned, and 90% were easy-to-maintain stainless steel. When Amtrak took over, passenger cars and locomotives initially retained the paint schemes and logos of their former owners which resulted in Amtrak's running trains with mismatched colors – the "Rainbow Era". In mid-1971, Amtrak began purchasing some of the equipment it had leased, including 286 EMD E and F unit diesel locomotives, 30 GG1 electric locomotives and 1,290 passenger cars. By 1975, the official Amtrak color scheme was painted on most Amtrak equipment and newly purchased locomotives and the rolling stock began appearing.
from Extra 2200 South
magazine - Mar 1971 / collection
from Amtrak's History Through Its Equipment
by Brian Soloman (2025) / collection
New Orleans, La / Feb 1974 / Michael Palmieri
from Extra 2200 South
magazine - Nov 1973 / collection
Amtrak began operations in May 1971 with fleets of secondhand EMD E and F unit diesels dressed in the paint of the Class I railroads from which they were acquired. In their heyday, these handsome streamlined carbody diesels were among the finest passenger motive power in North America. However, by the time Amtrak assumed operation most units had rolled a million or more miles in service, many suffering from age and the effects of intense utilization. Although they were approaching the end of their service lives - and many were suffering from deferred maintenance practices of railroads that were trying to end passenger service and cut costs - Amtrak retained some of these antiques for another decade. The legions of Es and Fs diminished rapidly as new diesels eventually arrived in the form of EMD SDP40Fs and F40PHs and GE P30CHs. The E and F represented the of Amtrak for many early passengers, but by late 1978 just over 50 active units remained.
Brian Soloman / Amtrak's History Through Its Equipment / 2025
HawkinsRails thanks our good friend Michael Palmieri for use of his Amtrak heritage era photography
Amtrak #110
EMD FP7A (1953) / ex Southern Pacific
New Orleans, La / Dec 1973 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #113
EMD FP7A (1953) / ex Southern Pacific
New Orleans, La / Jul 1973 / Michael Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Apr 1974 / Michael Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Dec 1973 / Michael Palmieri
from The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide by Jerry Pinkepank (1973) / collection
New Orleans, La / Nov 1973 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #203
EMD E8A (1953) / ex Baltimore & Ohio
New Orleans, La / Feb 1974 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #208
EMD E8A (1953) / ex Baltimore & Ohio
New Orleans, La / Jun 1974 / Michael Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Sep 1973 / Michael Palmieri collection
New Orleans, La / Dec 1973 / Michael Palmieri collection
from The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide by Jerry Pinkepank (1973) / collection
Amtrak #368
EMD E8A (1950) / ex Union Pacific
New Orleans, La / Sep 1977 / Michael Palmieri
from Amtrak's History Through Its Equipment by Brian Soloman (2025) / collection
Amtrak #400
EMD E9A converted to fuel tender /
ex Baltimore & Ohio
New Orleans, la Feb 1979 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #402
EMD E9A (1955) / ex Baltimore & Ohio
New Orleans, La / Jul 1976 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #408
Meridian, Ms / May 1979 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #411
EMD E9A (1956) / ex Union Pacific
New Orleans, La / Mar 1979 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #418
New Orleans, La / Aug 1976 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #420
North Shore, La / Aug 1979 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #425
New Orleans, La / Feb 1979 /
Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #437
New Orleans, La / Jan 1977 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #436
EMD E8A (1952) / ex Illinois Central
New Orleans, La / Nov 1977 / Michael Palmieri
New Orleans, La / Jun 1974 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #440
EMD E8A (1953) /
ex Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac
New Orleans, La / Jan 1977 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #441
EMD E8A (1951) / ex Louisville & Nashville
New Orleans, La / Apr 1981 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #468
EMD E9A (1961) / ex Union Pacific
New Orleans, La / Oct 1985 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #470
EMD E9B (1955) / ex Union Pacific
New Orleans, La / Nov 1980 / Michael Palmieri
Amtrak #498
EMD E8A (1951) / ex Pennsylvania
New Orleans, La / Oct 1977 / Michael Palmieri
Links / Sources
- Railroad Picture Archives Amtrak roster model list
- Frank Wilner, The Amtrak Story (Simmons-Boadman Books, 1994) 61-68
- Brian Soloman, Amtrak's History Through Its Equipment (Firecrown, 2025) 66-81
