Let me start by saying that April fool's day isn't untill wednesday. I was on my way to work yesterday, sunday, morning, and while crossing the MO river bridge in Hermann MO, as usual I glanced down at the tracks and saw the morning Amtrak train departing. It was train # 311 the Kansas City mule, ten minutes or so late, also as usual, but something seemed off, causing me to take a second, closer look, and what did I see.... wait, that's not possible.... No it really is..... a F40PH in phase three paint pulling the train!!!! Well by the time I could pull over, grab my camera, dodge traffic to get to the other side of the bridge, the loco had just run behint a stand of trees along the river bank, so no pics, and I couldn't even make out the road number. As for as I know, I thought that Amtrak didn't have any F40's left other than for commuter service, and as the cabbage conversions, but none in frontline service. So did I see a Ghost?....., does Amtrak still have a couple of these stationed aroud as emergency power? Does anybody know? I promise, I was not out drinking Saturday. night!!!!
Amtrak's F40PH cabbages can lead or be lead, they're just not powered, as I'm sure you know. The Fort Worth/ Oklahoma City "Heartland Flyer" had a F40PH cabbage in Phase 3 Paint until very recently. In the last month or so, it struck a city water truck in a grade-crossing incident, and was sent up to Amtrak's Chicago shops via the Texas Eagle. You may be seeing this one, I'm not sure. :-/
I didn't know that! I thought Amtrak sold them off because they were too loud for passenger service. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak sold away the Dash 8's they own. They are loud and have constantly throbbing engines, just like the F40's. However, F59's are quite good locos.
Could you have seen a Cab-conversion F40PH and here was another loco behind it or on the far end of the train pushing? Kevin
I saw a lease unit F40PH with AAR marks MRLX but still in Amtrak colors, though heavily weathered, at BNSF's yard in Willbridge.
