Nothing too serious here, but something just dawned on me.
Our (un)beloved current Phase V paint scheme is starting to look a little "long in the tooth" by Amtrak standards, at least when looking back through the history of the previous schemes and how long they were utilized. Actually, it is now the second-longest lasting scheme in Amtrak history, having been instituted in 2002! AFAIK, this is the timeline since "Amtrak Day" in 1971:
I in no way really think now is the greatest of times to suddenly up and re-brand the whole system with new paint schemes, but eventually Amtrak will redo their fleet again, and if history has anything to say about it, this will likely occur before 2020 (8 years from now, STRANGE to realize that fact!! ) Further more, if you really look at the core design differences between the last phase and the one now(4 and 5,) you could almost say that the two are in essence the same and thus both the longest-running and the most in need of updating! As such, in the spirit of good wholesome entertainment, just what might something look like for the inevitable Phase VI?
Aaaaaand..... GO!
Our (un)beloved current Phase V paint scheme is starting to look a little "long in the tooth" by Amtrak standards, at least when looking back through the history of the previous schemes and how long they were utilized. Actually, it is now the second-longest lasting scheme in Amtrak history, having been instituted in 2002! AFAIK, this is the timeline since "Amtrak Day" in 1971:
- Phase I = 1971 to 1975 (roughly 4 years)
- Phase II =1975 to 1979 (again, roughly 4 years)
- Phase III = 1979 to 1994 (about 15 years)
- Phase IV = 1994 to 2002 (just shy of 8 years)
- Phase V = 2002 to present (10 years and running!)
I in no way really think now is the greatest of times to suddenly up and re-brand the whole system with new paint schemes, but eventually Amtrak will redo their fleet again, and if history has anything to say about it, this will likely occur before 2020 (8 years from now, STRANGE to realize that fact!! ) Further more, if you really look at the core design differences between the last phase and the one now(4 and 5,) you could almost say that the two are in essence the same and thus both the longest-running and the most in need of updating! As such, in the spirit of good wholesome entertainment, just what might something look like for the inevitable Phase VI?
Aaaaaand..... GO!