AMTRAK SALES OFFER – INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
Project: Sale of Various MOW & Passenger Cars
Sales Offer No.: 2025-43
Sales Offer Date: March 18, 2025
Bid Closing Date: April 7, 2025

Material Classification: Various Rolling Stock, AmFleet’s, Horizon Super-Liner, Material Handling Cars, Turbo-Liners (Sets) & Cab-Car Baggage (NPCU)

Asset Recovery Contact: Gary Iden (445-248-0663) gary.iden@amtrak.com & AssetMgmtTeam@amtrak.onmicrosoft.com
All questions pertaining to the actual cars (conditions) , please contact your site coordinators listed below.

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The list I got includes:

2 Amfleet coaches
2 superliners
1 Horizon coach
1 cab baggage
5 material handling cars
2 Turboliner sets sold as sets of five car sets (thought those were dead already!)

The cabbage is 90208, the F40 "Salute to Veterans" one with a crumpled nose.

I believe these would be two of the three Turboliners that were rebuilt, albeit poorly, into RTL-IIIs by Super Steel Schenectady and never saw use. As far as I know, the four unrebuilt sets were owned by the state of NY and were sold off and scrapped about a decade ago.

Yes. The one is shown as rebuilt by Super Steel and is in Schenectady, the other...isn't.

But in terms of railway preservation, I've seen stranger things saved. Fails are still landmarks. Or non-rail adaptation..... I'd rather see that made into a restaurant rather than cut up a perfectly good Budd.

Any idea what types and conditions of the Amfleet cars are up for auction? I'm guessing some might be wreck-damaged and my understanding was that for some reason they had a surplus of cafe cars, which would be an interesting acquisition, if you were able to get the auxiliary support items to make it functional (coffee makers, microwave and convection ovens, and food modules with the black plastic trays and security bars for the refrigerators especially). It would be great if you could get one in as-delivered configuration, with only coach seats and no tables, as well as the original security shields (but those were changed out after about 1990) if there are any left that weren't converted to having tables. Even for display-only, having a complete car would be useful for interpretation. I spent 14 years working those cars, so I know.

Isn't Amtrak chronically short of Superliners for its long-distance routes, especially with CN trolling them and requiring empty Superliner cars on the Salukis for grade-crossing activation? Either the two cars are wrecks, or Amtrak is making a strange decision to sell them.

I'll send you the packet if you PM me. Or you can use those contact emails above. It does help to belong to the 'junk of the month' club with Amtrak. No fee.

I suspect they are sincerely in the 'next to scrap' range or at least well cannibalized.

Does anyone know who purchased the GE 80 ton shop locomotives in the recent Amtrak auction?

Thanks;
James Kopkey

Addendum just released.... lots more detail BUT....

"AMTRAK HAS REMOVED FROM THIS SALE, TURBOLINER 2273,2276,2389,2143,2150

AMTRAK HAS ALSO REMOVED CAR NUMBER, 34054 SUPERLINER COACH AND 90208 BAGGAGE CAB CAR"

Speculate away, I have no facts on why. But like I said, it's really easy to get on this list yourself as you're just as likely to find a truckload of napkins from 1980, an entire passenger car, or a batch of Budd door latches from 1954 in the original box. They are under orders to liquidate the obsolete parts inventory from the Budget Office.

Maybe they're going to tow the Turboliner set around to fill in for the equipment shortage caused by the Horizon cars being parked. (This is a joke.)

On Amtrak discussion boards it is being seriously suggested that some old Budd SPVs that are now de-powered coaches in Vermont be leased, but they're pretty much throwing any idea against the wall and seeing what will stick.