Amtrak Great Dome Schedule Sightings Status

[RMadisonWI]

I'll see if I can find the time to head down to MKA (Milwaukee Airport) and catch it as it speeds by. This is, of course, presuming that the dome will, in fact, be on the train.

If I am able to make it, I will definitely take (and post) photos.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Here we go!

http://trainweb.org/DOMEmain/picMILW53n.jpg

Thank you, Mr. Lurker for the site - Mr. Deasy for your photo

[RMadisonWI]

Train 7(11) passed MKA at 16:20, running about 50 minutes late. At the rear of the consist were the aforementioned dome, plus one additional private car whose identity I have not been able to determine.

Photos are online at webshots in the folder "More trains."

Also included in that folder are today's arriving Empire Builder (trains 8/28), plus the two Hiawatha trainsets (I rode down to the airport on 338 and up on 337).

Consists for the Hiawathas were:

338(11)
90208 - Cab car
54527 - remanufactured Horizon corridor coach (in phase III paint)
51001 - Horizon long-distance coach (phase IVb paint)
54523 - Horizon corridor coach
54521 - Horizon corridor coach
22 - P42 Genesis

337(11)
188 - P42 Genesis
54538 - Horizon corridor coach (in phase IVb paint, but I didn't look inside to see whether the car was remanufactured)
54557 - Horizon corridor coach
51501 - Horizon long-distance coach
54575 - Horizon corridor coach
201 - P42 Genesis

[orulz]

Thanks so much for the pictures, RMadisonWI. Almost brings a tear to my eye. That car's gone from NC, and it ain't coming back. Oh well; at least it's in good hands with the Friends of the 261. A very appropriate owner, since it's my understanding that the car was originally built for the Milwaukee Road.

[John_Perkowski]

I remember passing through Ogden or Denver one morning on the City of Saint Louis. One of these MILW super domes was there on the adjacent track, resplendent in Armour Yellow and Harbormist Gray.

A MILW car is going home to be hauled by a MILW locomotive.

GBN: Planning a fantrip?

John Perkowski

[AmtrakFan]

The other PV was Lambert's Point ex-NS.

[RMadisonWI]

Train 8(20) had the dome lounge 10031 on it, which was apparently added because the president of Amtrak (David Gunn) was riding.

I met the train at Glenview, where, unfortunately, Gunn didn't step onto the platform for even a brief moment.

I'll upload some photos whenever I get around to it.

[RMadisonWI]

I have uploaded a few photos on Webshots from this past weekend.

http://community.webshots.com/user/rmadisonwi


In the folder "More Trains," starting on page 4 you will find:
*Photos of RailCruise America's F9 #1010, which was on a special Chicago-Milwaukee-Chicago charter on Saturday for the National Restaurant Association (designated as Amtrak passenger extras 817 and 816)
*Photos of train 8(20), which included Dome-Lounge 10031 with David Gunn aboard
*Photos of train 7(23), with Cascades F59 #469 as the third unit.
*A few other photographs from my trip to Chicago on Sunday.

[jp1822]

So I presume Dome 10031 is either in Chicago, Beech Grove or some other Eastern location. Any idea what it is doing this far East? Where service is it destined to next? Or will it just be a business excursion car for Mr. Gunn?

What happened to having the Dome on that new Pacific Surfliner running from LA to San Luis Obispo. It saw limited service on that train!

[RMadisonWI]

I'm not aware of that car heading further east than Chicago. Doesn't mean it didn't, I just can't answer that question.

For those along the Empire Builder route (Whitefish and east...Sorry, Washington fans), apparently the 10001 Beech Grove business car will be on 7(31) and 8(1), for a pro-Amtrak whistle-stop tour in Montana on June 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I'll be unable to photograph those trains, as I'll be out of town as each of them passes through Milwaukee.

[Acela82]

Hi,

i would like to know when Amtrak last used Dome Cars and observation cars (with round end) in regular service. Walthers makes Phase 4 models of both types, but i have never seen any on images in the last years?

Thanks,

[Sam Damon]

Take a gander here.

There should be more pictures here of domes than you thought possible.

[hsr_fan]

I think Amtrak held onto one of their full dome cars (it's really a shame they didn't keep more of them), and it sometimes makes an appearance on the Surfliner route in California, or at least it has within the last couple of years.

North Carolina's Piedmont had a full dome until recently, but I think the lack of vestibule doors on either end led to its demise, as it didn't provide the emergency egress capability required by new codes.

[John_Perkowski]

The Piedmont used one of Mr Norman's favorite cars, the ex-MILW (and possibly ex-CN) Super Domes built by PS in 1950.

Mr Pismobum Ainsworth is the go-to man of record for info on domes. Mr Damon's post has the hyperlink.

John Perkowski

[JimBoylan]

when Amtrak last used observation cars (with round end) in regular service.

Probably when the last Florida train lost steam heat equipment about 1980. The last trip had an observation car, and I don't think any were converted to Head End Power.