ANOTHER good one Tom ! Having grown up as a "Lawn Guylander" there is just soething SO right about having an RS-3 at the head of a short passenger train. Looks like the Seldom Powered Vehicles have stuck again.
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I agree, a great and rare catch! How much longer did Amtrak have any RS-3s running? Amazing to see this in 1984. I'm assuming these dragons were by then were only used to switch passenger stations, do maintenance work, etc, except in emergencies such as this situation.
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Jim, you are quite right. Amtrak used their RS-3s for all sorts of "odd jobs." THeir primary functions were as station switchers at major terminals, power for work trains and especially for powering work trains that maintained the NE Corridor overhead electric catenary, as the power would have to be off in the section of wire that was being worked on. That being said, the RSs COULD and WERE drafted into filling almost any emergency need. A FEW were re-engined with EMD power and painted into Amtraks silver with R/W/B stripes. One of the silver units worked for a time as a station switcher at Washington DC.
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