AMTRAK'S RED. WHITE and BLUE

DutchRailnut wrote:like its real cool to make the Amtrak trains look like US mail truck ???

Who said anything about that?

Station Aficionado wrote:

David Benton wrote:yeah , a $ 3 billion budget cant spare abit of paint .
All stainless is very 50's imho .

As one who was a child in NM in the '60's and saw (but, sadly, never rode) ATSF's trains, I can assure you that stainless never goes out style!

Not that I saw stainless steel trains as a kid aside from Amtrak, but yes, this. American Airlines recognizes the same principle with polished aluminum.

Amtrak has gone from portraying itself as a bright ultra-patriotic caricature (phase I and II), to wanting to be seen as a no-frills business (phase V). Both of those extremes are overly exaggerated, but there's no reason it can't live somewhere in the middle (phase III or IV) and remind its riders and taxpayers that it's something worth supporting with tax dollars and tickets. Hence the "America's Railroad" service mark, hence the phase IVb R/W/B stripes on its cars, hence the Great American Stations project. Maybe feedback on the ACS-64 proposed scheme will convince them to create a paint scheme that is a bit more proud of being American, without being undignified or clownish.

That's not to say I think they need to immediately repaint all of their locomotives and rolling stock - they look just fine - but they're not a conventional business and shouldn't need to portray themselves in the same drab corporate livery.

I surely do like the Phase IV scheme the best, and the Genesis engines that were repainted, particularly in the "retro" Phase III, look outstanding. I'd love to see more color on all of the locomotives whenever they get repainted as part of normal maintenance (like with the "vintage" locomotives).

The Phase IV is ok, but I'd definitely prefer more color.

Finding a good color scheme for stainless steel cars AND the locomotive wasn't a problem with the stainless steel Pioneer Zephyr, the Flying Yankee, etc. because the locomotive, or "power car" was also stainless steel. And with AmericanAirlines the whole plane is aluminum.

Later, some railroads (Burlington, Santa Fe, Rock Island) attached stainless steel sheeting or sheathing to their EMD streamlined diesel locomotives to partly try and match the cars.

Other railroads used stainless steel sheathing on their steam locomotives (Reading, C&O and once again, Burlington).

The current lack of color on Amtrak locos and cars dates back to some terrible decisions in the Worthington era. The funds paid to the marketing firm that chose the name Acela, came up with paint scheme and initiated that horrible ad campaign long before the Acela actually started to run is the biggest waste of money in Amtrak's history. Did Amtrak really need a new logo?
We're probably stuck with the Acela name (American Flyer was a much better option), but lets repaint those locomotives and cars as they come up for refurbishing. Of course the new locos and cars on order can come out of the shops in a fresh paint scheme.

i think you mean the Warrington era .

You're right. I did mean Warrington.

I'm all for a new brighter livery for Amtrak, but I don't think painting over perfect;y good and shiny stainless steel is needed. On the stainless steel cars, a new brighter livery near the windows should suffice. I'm more worried about the non stainless steel cars, old fashioned carbon steel and dull aluminum, including both cars and locomotives, painted with a very dull unattractive color of sliver gray.
Note how much better the California subsidized Superliner cars look than the standard Amtrak Superliner non colorful livery.

Capitol Corridor livery

Surfliner & Superliner liveries

So the OP is talking about going back to the Phase 3 era, under Graham Claytor stewardship. Everything looked uniformed and professional,it didn't hurt that the F40s wore the Phase 3 paint very well. What a shocking thought, a livery that the locomotive and pax cars share. Lets compare that to what we have today. Hmmm, The Surfliners,Cascades and Acelas look uniform. Outside of that we have locomotives wearing one scheme the pax cars wearing another. Pick on freaking livery,stick to it, and fire the consultants that got Amtrak in this mismatch corporate mess in the first place.

I know this isn't really a popular sentiment but I actually like the Phase V scheme. I have to agree with Suburban Station that the Phase III scheme looks a little retro. I'd like to know what what non-railfans think.