I lived in South Carolina 1980-85 and enjoyed watching #81 sprint down the S Line at night with my local buddy. After watching F40s zip by in a sleek manner with Silver trains in the first 5 minutes of this video, the sight of P30s struggling with the Auto Train makes me think of the struggles that the nation’s passenger railroad company went through just to survive the often brutal Reagan/Bush years. Hats off to Mr Claytor and his team of dedicated men and women.
@@bobbybrisk643 Unfortunately I was a bit too late for the SDP40Fs, because I did not meet my railfan buddy until reaching 7th grade in 1983. But I got to see the last of Seaboard Coast Line’s GP7s on SBD’s Hartsville Subdivision , and enjoyed a ride from Savannah to Florence on train #90 in April 1985 before moving back to Japan. I do consider myself truly blessed.
The Amtrak trains in this video are quite impressive in length and equipment variety compared to today's consists. The Silver Service trains are mere shadow's of their former selves today.
We used to take the Slumbercoach dual-bunk pretty regularly between WADC and Orlando when I was a kid in the 80s. Perfectly good way to get a good night's sleep on the way down and the markup wasn't that much more than coach. The Viewliners are nicer but the markup is nuts. It would be great if Amtrak had a real business class/intermediate class like the airlines (or some trains in Europe) with lie-flat seats and dividers. The business class markup on some shorter-haul trains isn't much worth it, either, I'm looking at you Northeast Regional...
Thanks for putting this up. I too videotaped the RF&P in this era, and if I ever am able I will upload some of what I shot back then. I'm glad you were able to document an entire passenger car consist of the Auto Train while it was being put together at Lorton. About 20 years ago now they extended the A-T facility's siding lead so the entire train could be put together and get it's air test off the main.
Jack Carson's Rail Videos wow jack I didn’t know u had interest in the RF&P! U should come here and railfan (if u like gevos leading every single train)
That is generally the way the horns on the Poochs sounded in that era, a little sick. You always knew when the Auto Strange was coming from a distance by them.
In my Opinion Amtrack should have kept the EMD E & F units, as well as the EMD SDP40F and the GE P30CH. They could have fixed them up, modified them, and made them better, but no, they keep making new locomotives to replace the old ones.
My special needs son agrees with you on that completely! He thinks Progress Rail, Siemens, or any other company that builds railroad equipment should build full size working replicas of E units, F Units, SDP40F's, and P30CH's with modern features like recycled ♻️ aluminum bodies and frames, Plexiglas and/or safety glass windows 🪟, Cummins, Caterpillar, or Genset diesel motors that run on biodiesel or renewable diesel with mufflers and catalytic converters, LED headlights, ditch lights, taillights, strobe light, and rechargeable batteries 🔋for the electrical systems.
The problem with the SDP40 was it was a cheap build using a basic SD40 frame and trucks, they had problems with tracking at higher speeds. The P30s suffer the same but mainly issues-Mechanical. I felt the P30s were a good idea but if it was me I rebuild the 500s P32BHW.
The first three Viewliners (two sleepers and a dining car) were built in 1987-88 and were used on a trial basis early on. But then it took until 1995 for the main fleet to enter regular service.
This film turns 35 years old today.
I lived in South Carolina 1980-85 and enjoyed watching #81 sprint down the S Line at night with my local buddy.
After watching F40s zip by in a sleek manner with Silver trains in the first 5 minutes of this video, the sight of P30s struggling with the Auto Train makes me think of the struggles that the nation’s passenger railroad company went through just to survive the often brutal Reagan/Bush years.
Hats off to Mr Claytor and his team of dedicated men and women.
That means you got to see SDPs during 1980-82?
@@bobbybrisk643 Unfortunately I was a bit too late for the SDP40Fs, because I did not meet my railfan buddy until reaching 7th grade in 1983.
But I got to see the last of Seaboard Coast Line’s GP7s on SBD’s Hartsville Subdivision , and enjoyed a ride from Savannah to Florence on train #90 in April 1985 before moving back to Japan. I do consider myself truly blessed.
Ooooh, the early Viewliner! Coincidentally, the new Viewliners Amtrak is getting are using Phase III colors as well, and I am happy to see it return.
0:32-0:50 Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is how you use a healthy K5LA!
YES!
The doppler is great as well.
Its a shame we will never hear a horn like that on amtrak today
Raised letter ones shouldn't even be called K5LAs
Amtrak706 raised letter K5LAs sound better when not choked lol, but i prefer the 80s/90s K5LAs
Thank you for the slow roll by of the Auto Train; seven sleepers.
The Amtrak trains in this video are quite impressive in length and equipment variety compared to today's consists. The Silver Service trains are mere shadow's of their former selves today.
We used to take the Slumbercoach dual-bunk pretty regularly between WADC and Orlando when I was a kid in the 80s. Perfectly good way to get a good night's sleep on the way down and the markup wasn't that much more than coach. The Viewliners are nicer but the markup is nuts. It would be great if Amtrak had a real business class/intermediate class like the airlines (or some trains in Europe) with lie-flat seats and dividers. The business class markup on some shorter-haul trains isn't much worth it, either, I'm looking at you Northeast Regional...
Thanks for putting this up. I too videotaped the RF&P in this era, and if I ever am able I will upload some of what I shot back then. I'm glad you were able to document an entire passenger car consist of the Auto Train while it was being put together at Lorton. About 20 years ago now they extended the A-T facility's siding lead so the entire train could be put together and get it's air test off the main.
Yes, the Auto Train would tie up the main for quite a while before the siding was extended.
9:16 it’s the viewliner
omg the horns on these f40's are so amazing
They are not F40PH's... They are GE P30CH's.
AmCalJojo459 The first two are f40ph
Wow vintage and kool videos!
6:20 that’s rare.
4:15 is that a fouled rs3l or a rare rs3p, it sounds a lot like a rs3p yet it also sounds like a fouled rs3l from a distance,
William Oglebay Probably an RS3P or RS2M.
It sounds way to ugly to be a Leslie Rs2m.
Jack Carson's Rail Videos thank you.
Jack Carson's Rail Videos wow jack I didn’t know u had interest in the RF&P! U should come here and railfan (if u like gevos leading every single train)
That is generally the way the horns on the Poochs sounded in that era, a little sick. You always knew when the Auto Strange was coming from a distance by them.
Very cool stuff!
Where was this shot and who did the gray locomotives belong to?
Richmond fredricksburg and Potomac railroad
If Amtrak cuts long-distance service entirely that would be a real shame. I'd be glad I had the chance to ride these trains before they were gone. :(
Rf&P EMD GP38 And Chessie System GP9
Really? Prototype Viewliner?
Good old bells forward K5LA
I wished amtrak kept the p3och locomotives
Jmream2 Jmream they were pieces of shit tbh
The problem is that pretty much all of the units had suffered from mechanical problems and because of it most train engineers hated these locomotives.
Idc if that engine was a huge failure I just know that they had a good life
Man that horn you should be able to hear it from a mile away..
In my Opinion Amtrack should have kept the EMD E & F units, as well as the EMD SDP40F and the GE P30CH. They could have fixed them up, modified them, and made them better, but no, they keep making new locomotives to replace the old ones.
My special needs son agrees with you on that completely! He thinks Progress Rail, Siemens, or any other company that builds railroad equipment should build full size working replicas of E units, F Units, SDP40F's, and P30CH's with modern features like recycled ♻️ aluminum bodies and frames, Plexiglas and/or safety glass windows 🪟, Cummins, Caterpillar, or Genset diesel motors that run on biodiesel or renewable diesel with mufflers and catalytic converters, LED headlights, ditch lights, taillights, strobe light, and rechargeable batteries 🔋for the electrical systems.
The problem with the SDP40 was it was a cheap build using a basic SD40 frame and trucks, they had problems with tracking at higher speeds. The P30s suffer the same but mainly issues-Mechanical. I felt the P30s were a good idea but if it was me I rebuild the 500s P32BHW.
Didn’t know the Viewliners were that old
The first three Viewliners (two sleepers and a dining car) were built in 1987-88 and were used on a trial basis early on. But then it took until 1995 for the main fleet to enter regular service.
Yes, really.