Amtrak paint schemes (officially termed "Phases") are a series of liveries applied to the outside of Amtrak rolling stock in the United States. The livery phases appeared as different designs; most use a red, white, and blue (the colors of the United States Flag) palette. Some state-sponsored trains, as well as limited-duration test trains and advertising schemes, have used different colors.
Amtrak began operations in May 1971 with a mixture of equipment from its predecessor railroads, much of which was painted in a variety of railroad-specific paint schemes. This era was later referred to as the Rainbow Era, due to the mix-matched colorful trains Amtrak used. Amtrak elected not to keep the same rolling stock on the same routes and it was not unexpected to find rolling stock from anywhere in the US on any train. To build the brand of Amtrak as a unified passenger railroad, the equipment was gradually repainted into system-wide Phases starting around 1972 with Phase I.
The phases are referred in numerical sequential order, usually in Roman numerals. Phases were painted on all equipment, with locomotives and passenger cars often painted in different styles of the same Phase. Since 2000, Amtrak has started splitting phases up between equipment; most locomotives are in Phase V and most passenger cars are in Phase IVb, also known as Phase VI. A modified Phase III scheme was introduced for some equipment in 2013.
Video Amtrak paint schemes
Rainbow Era
When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it inherited a collection of rolling stock from twenty different railroads, each with its own distinct colors and logos. Needing only to operate 184 of the 366 trains that had been run by the private railroads, Amtrak was able to pick the 1,200 best passenger cars to lease from the 3,000 that the private railroads had owned. This equipment was haphazardly mixed to form consists, resulting in trains with mismatched colors of several predecessor railroads. This "Rainbow Era" was short-lived; Amtrak began purchasing some of the leased equipment in mid-1971, setting the stage for wholesale repainting from 1972 to 1974.
Maps Amtrak paint schemes
Phase paint schemes
Phase I
Introduced in 1972, Phase I was the first paint scheme to be implemented system-wide on Amtrak's trains. Except for a small number of locomotives that had been painted into experimental and promotional paint schemes, it was the first new paint for most equipment under Amtrak.
Locomotives were painted a light gray ("Platinum Mist") with a black roof, "Pointless Arrow" chevron logo on the side, and a red nose (which led to a "Bloody Nose" nickname). Passenger cars were silver (or left bare stainless steel), with a red and bright blue stripe (bracketed by thin white stripes) at window level and the chevron logo at one or both ends. A number of variants were made for non-revenue locomotives, GG1 locomotives, Turbotrain and Turboliner trainsets, and self-propelled RDC and Metroliner railcars.
Phase II
The Phase II paint scheme was introduced in late 1974 with the arrival of the new GE E60 locomotives. The red nose and chevron logo on locomotives were replaced with stripes similar to passenger cars. Most passenger cars were essential unchanged from Phase I, except for the removal of the chevron logo; new Sightseer Lounges had a higher stripe with an angled transition on each end.
Phase III
Phase III, introduced in 1976, is still used on some equipment. On both passenger cars and locomotives, the outer white pinstripes were replaced while the inner stripe was widened, resulting in red, white, and blue stripes of equal width. Turboliners and the LRC test train were painted in white, with the stripes at the bottom of the train.
Several types of locomotives that were acquired later were given variations on Phase III. AEM-7 locomotives had the blue stripe expanded to cover the entire lower part of the body. On Dash 8-32BWH locomotives, a deeper blue and red was used; the stripes had additional pinstripes and angled upward across the middle of the body. The similarity to the Pepsi logo led to the units being nicknamed "Pepsi Cans". P40 and P32AC-DM locomotives had a lighter roof and narrower white stripe; the stripes angled downward on the sloped nose, and faded towards the rear. That variant was created by industrial designer Cesar Vergara, who also designed the angular bodies of the locomotives.
In October 2013, Amtrak introduced a new variant of Phase III with the production of the new Viewliner II cars, the first of which entered service in 2015. The Viewliner cars have some changes from previous Phase III passenger cars, including a red reflective stripe at the bottom. In January 2016, Amtrak revealed a P32AC-DM was repainted into Phase III, similar to that of the heritage units Nos. 145 and 822, but featuring modern logos and "Empire Service" emblems on the sides. All P32AC-DMs will be repainted into this scheme, with costs shared between Amtrak and New York.
Phase IV
Beginning in 1993, Phase IV was introduced as a striking departure from the traditional red, white, and blue style seen previously. Brought into service with the delivery of the newer Superliner II cars, Phase IV has two thin red stripes and a thick dark blue stripe. In 1997, Amtrak extended the scheme to locomotives, initially GE P42DC diesel locomotives on Northeast Corridor services. Small variations were applied to equipment depending on their use, such as NortheastDirect logos on P42DC locomotives and Amfleet cars used for those services, and window stickers with a star field for Viewliner sleepers used on theTwilight Shoreliner.
Phase V
Phase V was introduced with the arrival of the Acela Express high-speed train sets in 2000 and is used on most locomotives. Locomotives are painted light gray, with a blue stripe (darker than Phases I-III, but lighter than IV) at the top and a thin red reflective stripe at the bottom. The blue stripe has a wavy bottom on Genesis locomotives and a flat bottom on other locomotives and ex-F40PH non-powered "cabbage cars". The Amtrak "Travelmark" logo is painted near the front or rear of the unit. SC-44 locomotives used on Midwest routes have a variant of Phase V with a blue front and a halftone transition into the grey side. Non-passenger cars like Auto Train autoracks are all-gray except for the logo and red stripe; Express Box Cars had blue stripes on top and bottom.
Acela Express trainsets have grey and stainless steel bodies with the lower red stripe, with the wavy blue roof and Acela logo on the power cars only. The Acela passenger cars have no blue stripe; colored blobs called "mobiles" are used to indicate the type of car (Business Class, Cafe Bistro, or First Class). When the Acela Express was introduced, regional trains on the Northeast Corridor were briefly designated Acela Regional. Amfleet coaches for these trains received "Capstone" livery, which had a window stripe with various patterns of blue, light blue, and green to indicate the type of service. Rebuilt Turboliners had a similar variant of the Capstone livery.
Phase VI (Phase IVb)
Phase IVb, or Phase VI, introduced in 2002, is used on most passenger cars. It is often referred to as Phase IVb due to its similarity to Phase IV. It is less often referred to as Phase VI due to introduction after Phase V. It retains the same stripe style as Phase IV - wide window stripes on single-level cars, and narrow stripes on Superliners. The red reflective stripe and mid-tone blue on Phase V are used. Single-level cars have white logos within the blue stripe, while Superliners have blue logos below the stripes.
Route-specific paint schemes
Five state-funded corridor routes are operated by Amtrak using equipment that is largely owned by the states and painted in custom schemes. Several other route-specific paint schemes have been used in the past.
Amtrak California
The three routes under the Amtrak California branch - the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, and San Joaquin - use equipment painted in several custom schemes. The Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin largely use California Cars and F59PHI locomotives painted in the state colors of blue and yellow. Locomotives are grey with a navy blue underside, yellow bottom stripe, black roof, and navy blue cab area; Caltrans and Amtrak California logos are prominent. The California Cars are stainless steel with a black upper window stripe, a navy blue lower window stripe with a yellow pinstripe, and orange triangles next to boarding doors. Newer SC-44 Charger locomotives have navy blue curved shapes on the front and rear with yellow accents, a black cab area, and Amtrak California logos on the front and sides. Single-level Comet IB rail cars used on the San Joaquin have a yellow bottom stripe and a navy blue window stripe with orange, turquoise, and light blue accents. Several NPCUs used for the service are grey with turquoise and light blue stripes and curve towards the top rear of the locomotive, red chevron stripes on the front, and yellow grab bars.
The Pacific Surfliner uses F59PHI locomotives and Surfliner cars in a deep blue and gray paint scheme. The upper half of the passenger cars are deep blue with a white pinstriping, plus a white pinstripe on the bottom of the cars. The stripes continue onto locomotives, with the blue stripe narrowing and curving under the black-painted cab area. Lettering is white and placed in the blue stripe. Amtrak wrapped F59PHI No. 457 in a special scheme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Pacific Surfliner and the train's ridership surpassing 25 million. The locomotive's new scheme was released on May 8, 2010 for National Train Day.
Amtrak Cascades
The Cascades service uses seven Talgo trainsets, F59PHI and SC-44 Charger locomotives, and ex-F40PH NCPUs painted in a brown, light tan, and dark green scheme - the only revenue equipment not painted in a blue-and-gray-based palette. The five older Talgo VII trainsets have the passenger cars split evenly between tan on top, brown in middle, and dark green on bottom. The transition baggage cars at the end have the green curve above the other colors, where it matches with a green curve on the older locomotives and NPCUs. On the newer SC-44 Charger locomotives, the green stripe is narrower and runs along the top and over the cab. One trainset was originally painted in blue, silver, and white for a Los Angeles-Las Vegas service that was never implemented. In 2016, one NPCU, #90250, was wrapped in Seattle Seahawks livery for several months. The newer Series 8 trainsets are painted similarly to the older sets. One end has a cab car, where the brown and green stripes come to a point, with the top of the cab also painted green.
Other routes
- From its 1974 introduction until 1977, the Adirondack used Delaware and Hudson Railway-owned equipment painted in the railroad's blue and gold scheme.
- In the late 1990s, the Adirondack and the Vermonter each had a baggage car painted with a mural dedicated to the route.
- The single RTL Turboliner rebuilt in the 1995 for Empire Service had a one-off paint scheme with grey sides, a red stripe below the window, and white fronts.
- Two Talgo Series 8 trainsets were bought for use in Wisconsin on the Hiawatha Service, but never operated. They were painted white with red stripes to match the signature colors of the Wisconsin Badgers sports teams.
- The state-owned equipment used on the Piedmont is painted in North Carolina state colors, with wide blue stripes on the passenger cars and blue fronts on the locomotives.
Special paint schemes
Promotional A-day livery
EMD E8 No. 4316 and coach 1589 were painted for display in New York when Amtrak began service in May 1971; they saw later use on the Broadway Limited. The locomotive was painted black; the Chevron "pointless arrow" logo on each side wrapped around the front with blue and white safety stripes.
Operation Lifesaver livery
In late 2008, Amtrak wrapped F59PHI No. 455 in an Operation Lifesaver paint scheme to promote a Caltrans safety campaign. The wrap featured a surfer with a surfboard standing in the middle of railroad tracks during a sunset. The words "Stay off, stay away, stay alive" were printed on both sides. The locomotive was restored to its original livery in 2010. Other locomotives painted for Operation Lifesaver have included F59PHI No. 2007 in a yellow paint scheme with several printed slogans and No. 457 in a blue scheme with a pattern of handprints and the words "BE TRACK SMART".
40th anniversary livery
For Amtrak's 40th anniversary in 2011, four P42DC locomotives received a special version of Phase I through Phase IV paint schemes. From January through April 2011, Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops outside Indianapolis repainted the units and sent them north on the Hoosier State to Chicago, where they were cycled into regular service on other routes. The Anniversary locomotives were selected from units scheduled for repainting or recent wreck rebuilds. The first repainted locomotive was No. 145 in Phase III paint, which led the Capitol Limited on January 30, 2011. Three other locomotives followed: Nos. 156 in Phase I, 66 in Phase II, and 184 in Phase IV. P42DC No. 130 was painted in the Phase II livery after No. 66 was damaged beyond repair.
The 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train consisted of P40DC locomotive No. 822, NPCU No. 406, modified Budd 10-6 heritage sleeper/Crew Dorm No. 10020 Pacific Bend, three heritage baggage cars used as exhibit cars, and reconfigured Amfleet cafe car No. 85999. The whole train was painted in Phase III.
ACS-64 promotional livery
The first three ACS-64 units released from Siemens in 2013 received a special variation to the regular Phase V paint scheme. Locomotive Nos. 600 and 601 received a large American flag on the sides as well as smaller logos for Siemens & Amtrak. Locomotive No. 602 had a special "Reliability - Efficiency - Mobility" infographic on the sides. All three were later repainted with a conventional Phase V scheme before entering service.
Veterans units
In June 2013, P42DC #42 was painted in a red, white, black, and dark blue scheme with a large logo on the side saying "America's Railroad Salutes our Veterans". A blue band near the wheelbase contains 50 white stars. ACS-64 Nos. 642 and NPCUs Nos. 90208 and 90221 received similar paint schemes in 2015 and 2016.
Non-revenue equipment
Beginning in 1976, Amtrak work train equipment was painted safety orange with black undersides. Light grey livery with a red bottom stripe, similar to Phase V non-passenger cars, was introduced for work train cars in 2004. Safety yellow livery was introduced for maintenance of way equipment and roadway vehicles in 2001; it was replaced with a pale lime around 2004, and a brighter lime around 2013. Non-revenue locomotives typically use variations of the Phase paint schemes to make them visually distinct from revenue locomotives while maintaining consistent styles.
In 1997, Amtrak bought 50 rebuilt 50-foot (15 m) boxcars to supplement its newly-built 60-foot (18 m) Express Box Car fleet. The rebuilt cars arrived in their original Southern Pacific Olive Green paint scheme, rather than the Phase V scheme of the newer cars, though some were later repainted.
Advertising
Since the late 1990s, Amtrak has occasionally rented advertising space on the exterior of its passenger equipment. The ads sometimes take the form of wraps rather than true paint schemes. Customers have included fast food restaurants, auto manufacturers, television networks, and politicians. In some cases, the advertisements were on equipment rented for private use, rather than on equipment in normal revenue service. Notable temporary advertisements have included:
- In 1999 and 2000, a four-car train including P42DC locomotive No. 100, a baggage car, a 1926 railway post office car, a business car, and an exhibit car was used for the United States Postal Service's "Celebrate the Century Express Educational Train Tour". The scheme consisted of a very elaborate collection of enlarged stamps and postmarks from 1900 to the 1990s.
- In October 2003, P42DC No. 203 and five Amfleet cars were wrapped in a scheme featuring Monopoly game pieces and money. The train was used as the "Reading Railroad", a special train from Chicago to Atlantic City, New Jersey upon which the first rounds of the 2003 U.S. National Championship were held.
- In August 2004, presidential candidate John Kerry traveled on the "Kerry-Edwards Special", which used P42DC No. 138 wrapped with a "BELIEVE IN AMERICA TOUR" as the lead unit.
- In November and December 2007, a full Acela Express trainset was wrapped to promote The History Channel's show "1968 With Tom Brokaw". The wrap was criticized by passengers for impeding the view from inside the train. A similar wrap was used in 2010 to promote the TLC show Cake Boss.
Test train schemes
Amtrak has tested a number of types of off-the-shelf equipment on the Northeast Corridor and short corridors. Some of these have been painted fully in Amtrak livery:
- The Rohr Turboliners and Bombardier LRC cars received a variation of the phase III scheme; where the striping runs along the bottom of the train with the blue strip striping wrapping around the bottom. The Turboliners have recently been painted into a variation of the Acela scheme. A similar paint scheme was worn by the AEM-7s which omitted the white paint above the stripes, instead the locomotives sides were left in an unpainted stainless steel. The roof and cabs of these AEM-7s were painted black.
Other equipment largely retained their paint schemes from usage elsewhere:
- A Siemens ICE 1 trainset and a Kalmar Verkstad X2000 trainset were tested on the Northeast Corridor and several other routes in 1992 and 1993. The X2000 retained its Statens Järnvägar livery of silver with blue stripes, although it did receive Amtrak lettering; it was pulled by Amtrak diesels on non-electrified routes. The ICE 1 retained its Deutsche Bahn livery of white with a two-tone red stripe, again with Amtrak lettering. On non-electrified routes, it was pulled by two Siemens F69PHAC diesel locomotives and a baggage car, all painted in the same red-on-white scheme.
- After non-revenue testing on the Northeast Corridor in 1988, a Talgo 200 trainset was tested in revenue service between Portland and Seattle in 1994 as the Northwest Talgo. The AVE paint scheme of white with a thick blue window stripe was modified with a thin Phase II red, white, and blue stripe below the windows.
- In 1996, two Adtranz IC3 "Flexliner" trainsets were tested on several Amtrak routes in California, as well as the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line. They retained their Israel Railways livery of white with red, black, and blue sections, with some Amtrak lettering added.
References
External links
Media related to Amtrak paint schemes at Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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