Historic Amtrak Diesels Donated to Illinois Railway Museum

July 2, 2025

UNION, IL: Dynamic Rail Preservation (DynaRail) and the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) are pleased to announce that DynaRail has donated the two ex-Amtrak diesel locomotives under its care to IRM. The locomotives are Amtrak 231, an F40PHR built in 1977, and Amtrak 644/BNSF 6976, an SDP40F built in 1974. Number 231 is one of only two Amtrak F40PHR locomotives preserved intact, while 644/6976 is the only remaining SDP40F, making both engines nationally significant as representatives of early Amtrak motive power.

Amtrak 231, an F40PHR-type locomotive, with IRMX lettering prior to being moved to the Illinois Railway Museum for preservation“Having been involved in rail preservation for 25 years, and contemplating the future of the saved Amtrak locomotives, I am thrilled to see they have been accepted at IRM,” said Chris Fussell, DynaRail founder. “After attempting to find a home for them at three publicly run museums, the challenges the locomotives faced only served to prove that IRM, a privately operated organization, is a home that guarantees their preservation, plus the decades of work and donations that have gone into them will not be for naught. I have confidence in their organizational structure, security, and longevity for future generations; plus, the donation agreement assures that the DynaRail founders will still be fully involved in the ongoing care and operation of the locomotives, which was a critical component in the quest of finding a home. Thank you, IRM, for helping ensure 231 and 644’s preservation for generations to come!”

“IRM is extremely grateful to Chris and DynaRail, both for making sure these units were preserved in the first place, and of course for donating them to our organization,” said Jamie Kolanowski, Curator of the IRM Diesel Department. “These are our first Amtrak passenger locomotives, so as large as our diesel collection is, this was really something we were lacking. We’re thrilled to be able to give these two engines a permanent home.”

At IRM, the two locomotives join the nation’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historic diesel locomotives. The Museum intends to preserve the two locomotives and operate them on its five-mile demonstration railway. IRM is appealing for funds to help preserve, house, and restore these historic locomotives. CLICK HERE for information on donating to the preservation of Amtrak 231 and BNSF 6976: https://tickets.irm.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=cws&c=restoration

History of the Locomotives
Amtrak 231 was built in July 1977 by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors at its plant in La Grange, Illinois. Designated an F40PHR, it was one of 216 identical locomotives built for Amtrak between 1975 and 1988. The four-axle F40PH-type locomotive was a significant advancement for Amtrak, as it was the first passenger locomotive originally built for the system with head-end power (HEP) to generate electrical power for lights and HVAC in the train. This type of diesel was the mainstay of Amtrak long-distance passenger service for two decades and served across the country. Number 231 was retired in October 2001 and purchased by DynaRail’s founders in late 2002 for preservation. It has been restored to its late-1990s Amtrak appearance, including Operation Lifesaver emblems.

BNSF 6976, formerly Amtrak 644, an SDP40F-type locomotive, in Maersk Sealand livery with IRMX reporting marks prior to being moved to the Illinois Railway Museum for preservationBNSF 6976 was built in August 1974 by EMD at its La Grange plant and was originally numbered Amtrak 644. The SDP40F was a six-axle passenger locomotive designed in the early 1970s for Amtrak, and a total of 150 examples were built in 1973 and 1974. During 1975 and 1976, SDP40F locomotives were involved in a series of derailments attributed to the locomotive’s design. Amtrak retired these locomotives and replaced them with four-axle F40PHR locomotives. Number 644 was resold in 1984 to the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, which rebuilt it for freight service, including a conversion from hollow-bolster to standard trucks that eliminated the derailment issue. It remained in use until it was retired in 2002. This unit was unique in that shortly before it was retired in 2002, it was painted in a bright blue Maersk Sealand livery to celebrate the opening of a new port facility in Los Angeles. A DynaRail founder helped purchase the locomotive from BNSF Railway in 2003 and donated it to an Oregon museum organization until it was sidelined when various groups had to vacate the famed Southern Pacific Brooklyn Roundhouse. Following vandalism and an unknown future, DynaRail took possession of the engine in 2013 and relocated it to a safer place. It is preserved in its unique Maersk Sealand livery.


About the Illinois Railway Museum
The Illinois Railway Museum, a “Museum in Motion,” is the largest museum of its kind in the United States. The museum was founded in 1953 and is located 35 miles northwest of O’Hare in Union, McHenry County. It encompasses all aspects of railway history including steam and diesel locomotives, electric streetcars and elevated cars, and historic passenger and freight cars which are operated on the museum’s 150-acre site and 4.5-mile-long railroad. The museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization, is owned and operated by volunteers and relies entirely on visitors and donors to fund its preservation efforts. For more information on the Museum, visit http://www.irm.org.

About Dynamic Rail Preservation
The mission of Dynamic Rail Preservation is to dynamically preserve railroad equipment for display, education, and operation; and to enhance the public awareness of the historical, current, and future importance of such railroad equipment. The organization was founded in 2002 to save Amtrak locomotive 231 from imminent scrapping, which was a success, and it repeated the effort the following year by saving ex-Amtrak BNSF locomotive 6976. DynaRail is dedicated to the ongoing care, maintenance, restoration, and operation of these preservation efforts. For more information on DynaRail, visit http://www.dynarail.org.