Amtrak Express Cars (MHCs)

[Allen Dee]

This afternoon, at approximately 2:00 PM, I saw one of the most unusual Amtrak trains that I have ever seen. The train was heading north (westbound) on UP rails. The ponies were a P-42 and a Dash 8 (in Pepsi-can colors), and they were followed by a mile-long string of MHCs, presumably empty.

I am sorry, I was unable to get the locomotive numbers, nor was I able to snap a photo of the train passing through Santa Barbara.

Does anyone on this forum have more information about this train. What was its origin? What is its destination?

 

[battalion51]

Most likely an origin of LA heading to Oakland area with the sale of the MHC's.

 

[Firebert]

Those were actually the Amtrak M&E boxcars, not the MHC fleet which was mothballed some time ago. They are headed for storage until they are eventually sold off. With a fleet like that I'm surprised Amtrak couldn't make a decent buck just leasing the cars out. Also, there are no more pepsi can dash 8s anymore. They are all phase 4 now.

-Firebert

 

[Trogdor]

This is what Gene Poon wrote on the All-Aboard Yahoo group:

For those who get Columbus Day off: Amtrak is planning to run anotherlong train of Express Boxcars from Los Angeles to Guadalupe and the

Santa Maria Valley RR on Monday, Oct. 11.

 

[Allen Dee]

This is what Gene Poon wrote on the All-Aboard Yahoo group:

For those who get Columbus Day off: Amtrak is planning to run anotherlong train of Express Boxcars from Los Angeles to Guadalupe and the

Santa Maria Valley RR on Monday, Oct. 11.

This was on Tuesday afternoon, not on Monday. I could not get a good view of the locomotives or cars because there was a cinder block wall between me and the train, so my report might not be 100% accurate. All I could see was the extreme tops of each pony and car. But what I saw was definitely a P-42, a Dash-8, and a large number of Amtrak box cars.

 

[Trogdor]

It's possible that the train was delayed by a day, or that they ran another train (the one mentioned in my previous post was the second such train), but in any event, that's what Amtrak is doing with the express fleet.

 

[Miami Joe]

We had a bunch of cars in Hialeah and the last three cars are going out on CSX.

There was an accident or derailment about a year ago and the express cars were blamed. During the investigation, there was a speed restriction on the cars and then they were removed from service.

If I remember correctly, the trucks were the problem and the speed restriction of 70 mph doomed the cars.

MJ B)

 

[Firebert]

Yeah, it had something to do with the trucks on the 1400 series MHC cars. The 1500 series cars used the standard Superliner/Viewliner style trucks, so they shouldn'thave had the speed restriction on them. I think CSX did it anyway and doomed the whole fleet. However, those were different from the M&E Boxcars that Amtrak is hauling off to storage these days. The ones they are getting rid of now are the 71000 series.

-Firebert