It is Hallowe'en, so perhaps it is fitting that Amtrak train 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, head ALC-42 301 on the headend, as it wears a unique paint scheme celebrating the carrier's 50th Anniversary in 2021. A costume, of sorts ... but not a scary one! There was only one other Amtrak locomotive to wear this scheme, and it was the very first locomotive to wear an Amtrak scheme: Amtrak E8A 4316. Or, was it Penn Central 4316, painted in a proposed scheme for the new passenger carrier?
Some sources I've located indicate that, when painted in the summer of 1971, several months after Amtrak's May 1, 1971, inauguration (despite many references to it being on display that day, more reliable sources indicate it was not), this locomotive was not yet officially an Amtrak locomotive, but was still a Penn Central diesel (PC 4316, née-PRR 5716A). However, that seems unlikely as well, as Amtrak did take ownership of most of the equipment it was using with by 04/01/71, or shortly thereafter. Plus, I have found photos of this locomotive in the later, official, Phase I paint scheme, still wearing number 4316 as late as July 1972. At some date after that, it was renumbered AMTK 322. It was later renumbered AMTK 461 (the second AMTK 461) in 1977, and eventually retired in July 1981.
Well, enough speculation about that original E-unit … What about AMTK 301? Built in Sacramento, California, by Siemens AG in March 2021 (according to the builder's sticker), this diesel became one of the carrier's 50th Anniversary locomotives and has seen service on a number of Amtrak long-distance trains, as well as some corridor trains. On Hallowe'en '25, it was leading the northbound Starlight bound for Seattle from Los Angeles, teamed with ALC-42 345, pulling 9 passenger cars. At this point, the train is about 400' (122 m) into its journey, as it has barely begun the trip, and it still on Union Station's Track 10. In an hour or so, its passengers will be enjoying coastal California's scenery as this train parallels the beaches and hugs the bluffs along the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
Running daily between Seattle and Los Angeles, this train offers running alongside the Pacific Ocean and through the Cascade Mountains. It has been one of Amtrak's long-distance success stories.
