Just got word and photos confirming all but one of these F40PHs are going to Larry's truck and Electric most likely for all thoes parts that can be used for GP and SD locomotives. Did any one even TRY to save them? IRM? Anyone? 409 is going to BUGX. I bet if these were foamer favorites like an RS3 there would be three threads on here and many inquiries but for the locomotive that moved America and set the standard passenger railroading the last part of the 20th century... NAH

Perhaps these 1970s passenger engines will fall into the category "I guess we should have preserved one in close-to-original condition, but actually nobody cares."

The turboliners, and a lot of other newer equipment, seems to fall into this category.

I guess it is not too late to try to save a shell from one of these engines, to maybe repower later. But who might go to all that effort?
I thought this was one path that might have had potential:
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35020

The Branson Scenic Railway has acquired three cars from Amtrak in its latest sale of retired equipment. They are Amtrak baggage cars 1204 and 1245, and dining car 8521. The two baggage cars were built by Budd in 1953 for Santa Fe as Nos. 3533 and 3534 respectively. They were assigned to general service on Santa Fe streamliners.

Dining car 8521, ex-Amtrak 8380(2), was originally Southern Railway 3306, a 48-seat diner built by Budd in 1949 for the Crescent, Southern’s flagship passenger train between Washington and New Orleans. It was also used on the Royal Palm, Southerner, and Tennessean services. It was acquired by Amtrak in 1979 when the railroad turned over its Southern Crescent to Amtrak and numbered 8880(2). It was rebuilt to head end power and numbered 8521 in 1984. In 2012 it received a major overhaul; it was retired in 2015. . . .

The two baggage cars were acquired for parts and storage.

Perhaps these 1970s passenger engines will fall into the category "I guess we should have preserved one in close-to-original condition, but actually nobody cares." [/url]

Not that we should be complacent but...

Some are running on heritage lines.
Some are in regular service.
Three are preserved- two at opposite ends of the country.

And to top it off, we can barely preserve the best of what we have much less what continues to “wait.”

Joshua