Amtrak FL-9s

Did Amtrak run the FL-9s all the way to Chicago or no? Where did Amtrak run them out of NYP? What was the furthest they pulled a revenue train to?

The Amtrak FL-9's were normally kept between Albany and New York City(GCT or NY Penn) after rebuilding,
before rebuilding the Amtrak FL-9's went no farther than Croton-Harmon.
There were reports of the FL-9's heading to New Haven or Boston at times.(from Albany)

NJTRailfan wrote:Did Amtrak run the FL-9s all the way to Chicago or no? Where did Amtrak run them out of NYP? What was the furthest they pulled a revenue train to?

The FL9’s were based at Albany-Rennselaer, and they liked to keep them close to base. Saw a photo once of FL9s kept on an Empire Service train all the way to Niagara Falls once, but I forget what the reason was. Normal assignments were CRT-GCT and ALB-GCT. I imagine they did the run into NYP over the Empire Connection until they were bumped by new Genesis engines in the 1990s...

-otto-

When the P32's came, a pair of FL9's was kept as a protect set for a few years in Penn Station until they were retired.

Otto Vondrak wrote: The FL9’s were based at Albany-Rennselaer, and they liked to keep them close to base. Saw a photo once of FL9s kept on an Empire Service train all the way to Niagara Falls once, but I forget what the reason was. Normal assignments were CRT-GCT and ALB-GCT. I imagine they did the run into NYP over the Empire Connection until they were bumped by new Genesis engines in the 1990s...

-otto-

That is correct. I recall a Pentrex videotape "Along the Hudson Division" that begins with a cab ride in an Amtrak FL-9 from Penn Station, through the Empire Connection tunnel, up to ALB.

The FL-9 locomotives, which replaced the P-2b box-cab motors in Amtrak Empire Service in 1974, allowed Amtrak to eliminate the cost & time of a locomotive change at Croton-Harmon.

Backshophoss wrote: There were reports of the FL-9's heading to New Haven or Boston at times.(from Albany)

Back when Amtrak had a diesel shop at New Haven, Amtrak FL9s went there for major service, typically moving to Boston from Albany behind the road power on the Lake Shore and then via a corridor train to New Haven. But that was never a regular revenue service assignment for them.

Right around the time of their final withdrawal from service a back to back pair of FL-9's went to Toronto on 63 and back the next day on 64. I was working and met them on the road way west in New York State, I remember the trip well because at that point I wasn't sure whether there were any still running or not. Unfortunately I do not have the date but maybe somebody else on here remembers that happening.
Noel Weaver

Photo of Amtrak FL-9 489 with an Amtrak special train at Hyannis MA for a Cape Cod Railfan Day, July 1997.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=262808

Photo of Penn Central FL-9 locomotives 5053 and a second unit (possibly PC 5013) preparing to pull an Amtrak Metroliner EMU trainset west from New Haven on 11/17/1974, due to catenary maintenance or problems.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=185197

Video of FL9 cab ride to NYP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7EblXyJh2g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Maine Eastern has both of their FL9s, 488 and 489
running pull-pull on their Brunswick-Rockland Mid-Coast
Flyer. Thanks to Brandon Kulik for the photo.
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... age=6&key=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

jhdeasy wrote:Photo of Amtrak FL-9 489 with an Amtrak special train at Hyannis MA for a Cape Cod Railfan Day, July 1997.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=262808

Photo of Penn Central FL-9 locomotives 5053 and a second unit (possibly PC 5013) preparing to pull an Amtrak Metroliner EMU trainset west from New Haven on 11/17/1974, due to catenary maintenance or problems.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=185197

Note the rust spot under the number board on the left front: they all seemed to have that, and I wondered why until one day at New Haven I saw a car inspector take down the blue flag and give two taps with his hammer exactly where that rust spot is. Maybe they should have put a stainless-steel plate there.

Regarding the Amtrak FL-9's, they did go west to NFL on #281 and #283 a few times when F-40's were not available. The FL-9's also made a few trips to Montreal (Central Station), with special permision from CNR, account being restricted to certain tracks in Central Station (could not go on tracks that had overhead catenary and could not run through to opening of tunnel at north end of station account turnouts, to make a reverse move to the "pocket track" outside the station, as the F-40's did on arrival).
Early in the 70's they were sent to Boise,ID for rebuilding. They were sent west on #49 (dead in tow), then forwarded to Boise. When they came back from Boise, they went Chicago-Detroit-Buffalo-Albany, or Chicago-Cleveland-Buffalo-Albany, and there is an old TRAINS magazine from the 70's (1977???) that shows a rebuilt FL-9 leading #64 out of Detroit. Some came thru Detroit, but the others came east on #48, sometimes leading, some in trail. I was working the 3:59 PM Albany "Depot" job at the time.
I don't remember any FL-9's being sent to New Haven for servicing from Albany, the FL-9's Amtrak used before rebuilding, were sent (and stationed) to the old NYC Harmon Electric Shops. Amtrak used E-8's before the rebuilt FL-9's replaced them. When the Amtrak shop opened in Rensselaer in 1978 (for the Rohr Turbos), they also started working on the FL-9's.
Toward the end of the Amtrak FL-9 era, we did send a "back-to-back" set to NYP for protection of Empire trains, also in the winter we sent one to NFL for "protection". Amtrak FL-9's operated into New York GCT, and also into New York Penn Station at the start of service in 1991. The FL-9's, as far as my knowledge did not go to Toronto on 63, but P-32's have.
I was the Conductor on #283 (Sat, 4/5/91?), the last NYG-NFL train the on last day of intercity service at GCT, and the power was an FL-9 (don't remember eng #), NYG-ALB.

I want to say a FL-9 did go to Toronto once in special circumstances...