The first 50th Anniversary P42 was this one, appearing in traditional Phase V paint. The uproar among the peanut gallery was quite impressive. "This is what we get after 50 years!?" "What a let down." "Horrible!" ...were just a few of the comments I saw online. The railfan community can be rather toxic at times. This locomotive represents the image of Amtrak for nearly two decades! It is an important part of the history, and was joined by four other P42s (two being forward looking and two being historic), plus an ALC-42 in the historic and often forgotten about Day 1 livery.
When I saw this photo today, being Thanksgiving and all, I wanted to share a few thoughts of thanks that go beyond friends and family. For a company that was expected to fail and serve as the "blameless death" of the passenger train in America, I'm thankful for those who believed in it and kept it going forward in the face of adversity, otherwise intercity passenger train travel would have likely been something I'd have learned about from books and documentaries. I'm also thankful to be part of a team that was able to find a way to honor the historic milestone in a fiscally responsible way during extremely challenging times, and last but not least I'm thankful for those who truly appreciate our effort. There are many wonderful fans, customers, and other supporters that make it worthwhile. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
