The recent (and never ending) discussion about GG1 preservation made me wonder about AEM-7's. Built 1978-88, they will start to be replaced in 2013.

The toasters aren't nearly as pretty as a GG1, but have been in service nearly as long and represent a generation of power on the NEC.

Any museums who now have GG1's (or anyone else) have any plans/budget to acquire an AEM-7? Anyone know if any units have been reserved by Amtrak for preservation?

Thanks,

Bob

As far as I know, none have been earmarked for preservation, by Amtrak or anyone else.

At the risk of opening a can of worms, we may want to also consider reserving some Amfleet cigar tubes to go with an AEM-7 or two; as noted, they are part of Amtrak and America's heritage, were common enough to be a significant part of rail travel, were built by Budd, and have (or had) Budd's distinctive and stylish builder's plate in the vestibule.

I'm going to venture to say there is not one railroad museum anywhere with empty indoor display space and a budget waiting around to collect any equipment.

When I look into my crystal ball, and think of museums I would expect to have a AEM-7, I envision the RRMPA...after all, they have a GG1, the E60...it would be natural for them to have one.

I'm not going to say that it's urgent to have preserve one, but maybe in 15-20 years and wallets willing...

Do they really need replacing?

Steve

The word on the street here in Wilmington is the HHP-8 have turned out to be dogs and they might be done before the last AEM-7 retires. Does anyone want to save one of those?

As a general rule, you don't preserve "failures", the cult status of such things as the Concorde (not duplicated, and kept flying for political reasons and not market reasons), the PRR T1, and the Edsel and Tucker notwithstanding.

I would NOT expect the RR Museum of Pa. to reach for an AEM7. They got the E60 in part because it was built in Erie, unlike an F40PH that was available around the same time. Also, AEM7's seem to run to Harrisburg almost by accident, not as a matter of course like the Metroliners did for years in the 1970s and 1980s.

POSSIBLE homes in the future: Museum of Transport, IRM, any New Jersey group if enough acts get together (and they have NJ Transit electrics to go after), any Connecticut group?

Waaait a minute!

The BODIES for the AEM-7s were built by BUDD! Would be a nice representation of the last of the Budd production along with a Metroliner and/or Amfleet coach.

Alexander,
The AEM7s run to Harrisburg daily. They are all we get here except for the Pennsylvanian, which is diesel hauled. Also, the Metroliners are still running here as cab cars.
:)
Russ

As major motive power upon what used to be the Pennsylvania Railroad and not just some far off segment but the mainline which was the pride and joy of the company, serving its headquarters city, I would think it would be appropriate and of interest to a museum which is

Devoted to preserving and interpreting the broad impact of railroad development on society,

and which

Recognizes that railroad history is alive and continues being made in this new millennium.

(Quote from their web site.)

Certainly a very worthy successor to the GG-1. Maybe we are all a still a bit surprised about that. Heheh.

Steve

You know you are getting older when railroad rolling stock that was new in your adulthood is being retired, or talked about being retired. While the "Meatballs" would never top any list of the most attractive locomotives ever built, they, along with the F40's, are generally thought of as motive power that rescued Amtrak from an early demise. I think if you were to ask Paul Reistrup about them, he would tell you that ordering those locomotives were among his proudest accomplishments as Amtrak President. I also think if you want to tell the continuing story of passenger railroading in this country, you MUST include an F40, an AEM-7, and a representative sampling of Amcans (straight coach, cafe, club, etc.) A real prize would be getting 9800, the conference car, although that was a one-off and really never was all that successful.

Realizing that Amtrak cannot outright donate equipment because of it's Congressional budgetary restrictions, and that just about every museum in this country is overwhelmed already, none of that is probably going to happen. It's too bad that Budd is out of business, and GM no longer owns EMD, they might have been willing to help underwrite the cost of preserving a couple of examples.

Amtrak has all but donated equipment before they sold some F40's for $1.00 to a few museums.

Do you have a cite on this? As far as I know, the only pieces that come anywhere close to "donation" by Amtrak in recent years were transferred to STATE agencies--California, N.C. (F40PH's), and Pennsylvania (Metroliner and E60CP), where $1 is a token "sale" price representing inter-agency transfer. I seriously doubt any private 501(c)3 non-profit (say, the Illinois Railway Museum) or for-profit (Grand Canyon RR, a broker, etc.) will get that $1 price.......

(The previously-mentioned sale of PRR GG1's by Amtrak to "qualified non-profits" was for $5,000 FOB Wilmington in 1981 or so....)

(EDIT: North Carolina's was a $1 sale arranged through the office of Elizabeth Dole, says a source that was involved in the transaction...)

As was discussed elsewhere in this forum, Chris Fussell paid $20,000 of borrowed money to save F40PHR 231. And that was after, reportedly, the price was knocked down on account of this being a purchase for preservation.

I do not recall the original asking price but I'm sure parting out the components of an xx40 of any sort that's in generally decent operating condition (it only needed installation of the newly replaced but not quite installed HEP generator) plus scrap value of what's left would bring in a lot more than that.

Steve

It's getting closer than you think.

AEM7's 930 and 922 being scrapped at Wilmington the other day(s):

http://p5b4702.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=3220930

http://p5b4702.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=3222938

http://p5b4702.rrpicturearchives.net/sh ... id=3222945