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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:22 #49765 | |
GeoffM
6376 posts |
Thanks to the IRSE (North American section) I and about a dozen others visited Amtrak's Beech Grove workshops just outside Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Amtrak operates all the long haul and much of the shorter passenger routes in the US and operates mostly on freight lines. Nearly all the long haul routes only operate once per day in each direction, or even only 3x per week in each direction. Beech Grove maintains all the diesel fleet and can do heavy overhaul of pretty much anything on the rails, not just Amtrak, though that is the majority of their work. Some of the buildings here are over 100 years old:  When cars arrive for work, their trucks (bogies) are removed and temporary ones put on which make it easier to move them around the workshops:  There is an equipment bay at each end of the car, sitting above the trucks and below the second floor of the carriage. These house a 10-tonne air conditioning unit, water heater, electrical, and other equipment: 
Post has attachments. Log in to view them. SimSig Boss Last edited: 04/10/2013 at 04:17 by GeoffM Reason: Clarification Log in to reply The following users said thank you: BarryM, maxand, Steamer |
| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:28 #49766 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
A Superliner car hoisted with all its equipment removed: Coupling knuckles:  Hard to do this justice. All I can say is that it was taken at my 5'7" eye level! 
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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:32 #49767 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
Accident-damaged loco. This hit something, probably at a grade (level) crossing, and then rolled on to its side: Shiny new driving axles:  Traction motor: 
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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:38 #49768 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
A truck (bogie) stripped down to its bare frame. This one is over 60 years old, and the pink dye is used to check for cracks: This Viewliner car is being converted to an office car with a glass rear end. No ordinary passenger will ever get to use this unfortunately. No expense spared for railroad management!  End of the line for these vehicles. Though it's hard to see, each of these is damaged beyond economic repair in some way. Sombre to note that people may have lost limbs or their lives in some of these cars. 
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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:42 #49769 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
New seats for this car: (Apologies for the awful quality - it's the only one I took inside the car) This car is days away from revenue service again, with a refurbished interior:  Toilets with the comfortable bit removed:  And new comfortable bits ready to go in: 
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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:45 #49770 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
This refurbished car will go off to California for commuter service: The interior:  Even a simple passenger carriage has lots of electrical gubbins: 
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| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 22:50 #49771 | |
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GeoffM
6376 posts |
Many of the vehicles overhauled here don't have spare parts. What they can't obtain through recycled parts or Home Depot (like B&Q, Homebase etc), they manufacture themselves or have custom built by external contractors. They have a vast pool of resources, both mechanical and people. Very impressive stuff. Apologies for the lack of quality of the photos - they were taken with a mobile phone. My thanks to the staff of Beech Grove, and to the IRSE for organising this. SimSig Boss Log in to reply The following user said thank you: BarryM |
| Amtrak's Beech Grove Workshops 03/10/2013 at 23:47 #49772 | |
dmaze
88 posts |
Sadly none of what you show will run near me, except maybe that P42. The Superliner cars don't run on the Northeast Corridor, or the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited, or the Downeaster. Amtrak can be very weirdly political, but I guess it's sufficiently independent to still be running this week, in spite of our...little political issues. Log in to reply |