Amtrak has returned one of its stored Viewliner I sleeping cars to service — and introduced a new passenger-car variant of the Phase VII locomotive paint scheme at the same time.
Sleeper No. 62032, the Iroquois River, was caught by photographer Nathan Richters on the southbound Floridian at Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Dec. 14. The car — which had been stored at Amtrak’s Beech Grove (Ind.) Heavy Maintenance facility since 2021, according to information obtained by Trains News Wire — was released and moved from Beech Grove to Chicago on the Cardinal on Dec. 12. It is believed to be the first of the Viewliner I cars to receive a full overhaul, since none were budgeted in fiscal years 2022-24. Sixteen of the Viewliner I cars were listed as inactive earlier this year [see “Amtrak may be planning to combine …,” Trains News Wire, July 10, 2024].
One down and fifteen to go. AMTRAK: let’s get a move on on this!!!