Heritage Fleet
| Heritage Fleet | |
|---|---|
 Amtrak #8553, a former New York Central diner, on a Lake Shore Limited consist in 2004 | |
 | |
| In service | All retired |
| Manufacturer | Budd Company, Pullman-Standard, St. Louis Car Company |
| Constructed | 1946–1964 |
| Operators | Amtrak |
Amtrak's Heritage Fleet consisted of the rolling stock provided to it when it assumed passenger service on commercial railroads. The name was applied to a program begun in 1977 to convert the older, mainly streamlined, cars from steam heating to head-end power.[1] Head end power conversions were performed at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops, outside of Indianapolis. The program was completed by the mid-1980s, and the fleet was fully retired by 2019. The last car was a former Great Northern Railway full-length dome car, which was manufactured in 1955 and retired in 2019 by Amtrak, due to the age and expense of maintaining the Great Dome Car.[2]
History
The rebuild cost $300,000 per car.[3] The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway handled the conversion of the Hi-Levels in its Topeka, Kansas shops.[4]
Heritage baggage and dining cars were used on the single-level trains serving the Eastern U.S. out of New York City through late 2017. The baggage cars from Amtrak's Viewliner II order, placed in 2010,[5] fully replaced the Heritage versions: the last was delivered in December 2015.[6] Twelve diners are also now in revenue service.[6] In January 2018, due to high maintenance costs for the 60+ year old cars, Amtrak announced the retirement of the last five remaining "Pacific Parlour" Hi-Level lounge cars still in active service on the Coast Starlight, bringing an end to the era of Heritage Fleet equipment in regular revenue service. The last run using one of these cars was on February 4, 2018.[7] The last remaining Great Dome car, Ocean View, was retired in 2019 by Amtrak, due to its age and maintenance expenses.[2]
Roster
 |
| Fleet numbers | Type | Builder | Year built | Number built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000–1006 | Baggage | NSC | 1957–1958 | 7 | |
| 1127 | Baggage | ACF | 1950 | 1 | |
| 1126, 1128–1136, 1175–1177 | Baggage | P-S | 1947–1957 | 13 | |
| 1137–1138 | Baggage | ACF | 1956 | 2 | |
| 1139 | Baggage | StLC | 1962 | 1 | |
| 1140–1158 | Baggage | ACF | 1946–1947 | 13 | |
| 1159–1174 | Baggage | Budd | 1947–1953 | 16 | |
| 1178–1195 | Baggage | StLC | 1952–1954 | 17 | Rebuilt from Baggage Dormitories and Lounges |
| 1203–1249 | Baggage | Budd | 1953–1957 | 46 | |
| 1250–1272 | Baggage | ACF | 1950–1954 | 23 | |
| 1350–1379 | Short Baggage | StLC | 1953 | 30 | |
| 1450–1455 | Baggage Dormitory | StLC | 1952 | 4 | |
| 1610–1617, 1628–1633 | Baggage Dormitory | StLC | 1952 | 14 | Some renumbered from 1400 series |
| 1618–1627 | Baggage Dormitory | Budd | 1946–1950 | 9 | |
| 1700–1740 | Baggage | Budd | 1950–1961 | 39 | Converted from 4000, 4600, 4700 series coaches |
| 1750–1763 | Mail Car | Budd | 1950–1961 | 14 | Converted from lower 1700 series Baggage cars |
| 2050–2056 | Slumbercoach (16 Single, 10 Double Slumbercoach) | Budd | 1949 | 7 | |
| 2080–2097 | Slumbercoach (24 Single, 8 Double Slumbercoach) | Budd | 1956–1959 | 18 | |
| 2220–2222 | Sleeper (11 Bedroom) | Budd | 1952–1956 | 3 | |
| 2230–2235 | Sleeper (11 Bedroom) | P-S | 1956 | 6 | |
| 2430–2482 | Sleeper (ADA 10 Roomette, 6 Bedroom) | Budd | 1948–1952 | 40 | |
| 2500–2524 | Dormitory Lounge | Budd | 1949–1950 | 25 | Rebuilt from 2800-2900 series sleepers |
| 2871–2997 | Sleeper (10 Roomette, 6 Bedroom) | Budd | 1949–1950 | 36 | |
| 3100–3105 | Lounge | StLC | 1954 | 6 | |
| 3106–3127 | Lounge | Budd | 1948–1952 | 20 | |
| 4000–4023 | Coach (ADA 44 Seat) | Budd | 1950–1954 | 21 | |
| 4600–4626, 4646–4647 | Coach (44 Seat) | StLC | 1960–1964 | 29 | |
| 4627–4645, 4648–4649 | Coach (44 Seat) | Budd | 1950–1961 | 21 | |
| 4700–4742 | Coach (48 Seat) | Budd | 1948–1953 | 43 | |
| 7000–7007 | Coach (ADA 85 Seat) | Budd | 1952 | 8 | |
| 7600–7629 | Coach (85 Seat) | Budd | 1952–1953 | 29 | Some cars rebuilt from 4700 series |
| 8500–8532 | Diner | Budd | 1948–1958 | 32 | Some cars rebuilt from 8700 series |
| 8550–8559 | Diner Grill | Budd | 1948–1958 | 10 | Rebuilt from lower 8500 series |
| 8600–8603 | Table Car | StLC | 1960–1964 | 4 | Rebuilt from 4600 series |
| 8700–8716 | Cafeteria | Budd | 1950–1956 | 12 | |
| 8750–8752 | Kitchen | Budd | 1949 | 3 | Rebuilt from 8500 series |
| 9300–9302 | Dome Lounge | Budd | 1955 | 3 | |
| 9310–9312 | Dome Lounge | P-S | 1952 | 3 | |
| 9400–9412 | Dome Coach | Budd | 1955 | 13 | |
| 39900–39938 | Hi-Level Transition Coach Dorm | Budd | 1956–1964 | 37 | Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service |
| 39940–39964 | Hi-Level Coach | Budd | 1956–1964 | 20 | Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service |
| 39970–39975 | Hi-Level Lounge | Budd | 1956 | 6 | Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service |
| 39980–39985 | Hi-Level Diner | Budd | 1956 | 6 | Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service |
See also
References
- ^ Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MBI. ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.
- ^ a b "Amtrak's 'Great Dome' car has been retired". Times Union. 2019-08-30. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "From Ugly Duckling To Graceful Swan". On Track. 1 (1): 14. June 1981.
- ^ "Beech Grove HEP Conversion Program Results In Like-New Car For Passenges". Amtrak NEWS. 7 (7): 8. August 1980.
- ^ William C. Vantuono (July 24, 2010). "CAF kicks off Amtrak fleet renewal program". Railway Age. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ a b "Amtrak By The Numbers". White River Productions. January 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Coast Starlight Parlour Car Removed" (Press release). Amtrak. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
External links
Media related to Heritage Fleet at Wikimedia Commons