In recent months, I have dug deep into the archives to find the shortest Amtrak trains of each decade. Since most of us modelers have limited layout space, if we still want to model prototypical passenger consists, these short trains are a perfect fit. Join me on a tour of Amtrak eras, this time exploring the 1990s.
The 1970s and 1980s introduced me to various trains that I have never heard of, such as the River Cities and the Black Hawk. The 1990s were no different. Instead of the Midwest dominating the small regional scene, the short trains of the 1990s operated in three distinct regions: the Gulf Coast, the Northeast, and New England. Equipment and paint schemes also varied, as this was the tail end of the Phase 3 era and beginning of Phase 4.
Starting out our tour, we have the Gulf Breeze. This train began in 1989 as a section of the Crescent and split off from the train in Birmingham, Ala. It would then stop at six intermediate stations before arriving in Mobile. On the return trip it would do the opposite. The Gulf Breeze typically consisted of a P40DC diesel locomotive, an Amfleet lounge car, and an Amfleet coach. Earlier consists of the train included an F40PH diesel locomotive instead of the P40DC. Operations ended in 1995. To model this train, I used an Athearn Phase 3 P40DC, WalthersMainline Phase 3 Horizon food service car, and a WalthersProto Phase 3 Amfleet coach.
Going up to the Northeast, we take a look at the Fast Mail. “Mail?” you say. Yes, mail! Amtrak’s Mail Express, later called the Fast Mail, was a train that carried mail for the United States Postal Service between Washington, D.C., Springfield, Mass., and Boston, Mass. Train No. 12, the northbound service, carried passengers and mail while the southbound, train No. 13, only carried mail. Mail was carried in high-speed boxcars called material handling cars and passengers in Amfleet coaches. The only accommodations were coach class and there was usually only one coach per consist. The number of material handling cars varied depending on how much mail needed to be transported. I have seen consists with two mail cars and one Amfleet coach all the way up to half a dozen or more mail cars. To model this train, I used an Atlas Phase 3 AEM-7, WalthersProto Phase 3 Amfleet coach, and two WalthersMainline MHC-2 material handling cars.
Finally, we end our tour in New England, more specifically Cape Cod. Amtrak’s Cape Codder took passengers to and from the Cape from 1986 to 1996. The train originated in New York’s Penn Station and ran to Hyannis, Mass. This is another train that had some interesting consists. Motive power was usually provided by an Electro-Motive Division F40PH, yet there are pictures of an ex-New Haven RS1 leading the train in 1990. The number of cars varied too. For weekend service, the trains had half a dozen or so Amfleet coaches and a lounge. However, as traffic numbers decreased towards the end of the service, many trains had less than 4 cars. I modeled this train during its 1996 season with a Kato Phase 3 F40PH, two WalthersMainline Phase 3 Amfleet coaches, and a Rapido Phase IV Horizon café car.
Hopefully these ideas can help improve the traffic variety on your 90s layout. Stay tuned for the 2000s, my favorite decade of short Amtrak consists!
