Amtrak paint schemes
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
has used a variety of paint schemes (more properly called liveries) on its
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
since taking over intercity passenger rail service in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1971. A series of seven schemes termed ''Phases'', first introduced in 1972, have seen the widest use. Phases primarily use geometric arrangements of red, white, and blue—the national colors of the United States—part of Amtrak's patriotic visual identity. Amtrak began operations in May 1971 with a mixture of equipment still painted in the distinct colored liveries of the freight railroads that relinquished their passenger service to Amtrak. The company retained the equipment that it determined to be in the best condition, and elected not to keep the same rolling stock on the same routes. Since this resulted in trains with mismatched liveries, which contrasted with the previous coordinated liveries, that period was later known as the Rainbow Era. To build the brand of Amtrak as a unified passenger railroad, the rolling stock was gradually repainted into a new system-wide livery starting around 1972. Successive liveries are known as Phases and are sequentially numbered using Roman numerals – a nomenclature that began with model railroaders and was later officially adopted by Amtrak. Most current
locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...
use the 2000-introduced Phase V, while passenger cars use the 2002-introduced Phase VI (or Phase IVb). A modified Phase III scheme was introduced for some equipment in 2013. Non-revenue equipment uses bright lime green or a variation of Phase V. Some routes financially supported by individual states use service-specific liveries to provide a more regionalized distinction. The three routes under the
Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
branch—the ''
Capitol Corridor The ''Capitol Corridor'' is a passenger train route in Northern California operated by Amtrak between San Jose, in the Bay Area, and Auburn, in the Sacramento Valley. The route is named after the two points most trains operate between, San J ...
'', ''
Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...
'', and '' San Joaquin''—use equipment painted in several custom schemes, as do the '' Cascades'' and ''
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
''. Locomotives for the eight Amtrak Midwest services also use a custom scheme, with a matching scheme planned for under-construction passenger cars. Amtrak has repainted equipment in unique livery for special uses, including its 40th anniversary in 2011 and to promote the
Operation Lifesaver Operation Lifesaver is the largest rail safety organization in the United States. It was founded by the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1970s. History In 1972, the Idaho State Highway Patrol, then-Governor Cecil Andrus and the Union Pacifi ...
safety campaign. Equipment has also been wrapped for advertising promotions. When testing equipment from other railroads, Amtrak has mostly kept existing livery, though some longer-term tests used Phase schemes.


Rainbow Era

When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it inherited a collection of rolling stock from twenty different railroads, each with its own distinct colors and logos. Needing only to operate 184 of the 366 trains that had been run nationwide by the private railroads, Amtrak was able to pick the 1,200 best passenger cars to lease from the 3,000 that the private railroads had owned. This equipment was haphazardly mixed to form consists, resulting in trains with the mismatched colors of several predecessor railroads. This "Rainbow Era" was short-lived; Amtrak began purchasing some of the leased equipment in mid-1971, setting the stage for wholesale repainting from 1972 to 1974.


Phase paint schemes

The Phase paint schemes have been used on most passengers equipment – locomotives, passenger cars, and trainsets – as well as some non-passenger cars and non-revenue equipment. Phase schemes generally have red, white, and blue on the sides of equipment, with black or gray sections around the wheels and roof to hide grime.


Phase I

Introduced in 1972, Phase I was the first paint scheme to be implemented system-wide on Amtrak's trains. Except for a small number of locomotives that had been painted into experimental and promotional paint schemes, it was the first new paint for most equipment under Amtrak. The scheme was part of Amtrak's larger move to a visual identity featuring the national colors of red, white, and blue. Amtrak did not assign nomenclature for its livery; model railroaders began referring to this first paint scheme as Phase I and numbering all subsequent phases sequentially using Roman numerals. Amtrak later made the Phase numbering scheme the official terminology. Locomotives were painted a light gray ("Platinum Mist") with a black roof, the Amtrak "Pointless Arrow" chevron logo on the side, and a red nose (which led to a "Bloody Nose" nickname). Passenger cars were silver (or left bare stainless steel), with a red and bright blue stripe (bracketed by thin white stripes) at window level and the chevron logo at one or both ends. A number of variants were made for non-revenue locomotives, GG1 locomotives,
Turbotrain The Turbotrain was any of several French high-speed, gas turbine trains. The earliest Turbotrain entered service in 1967, for use on France's SNCF intercity lines. There were four versions in total, with the last exiting service in 2005, and it ...
and
Turboliner The Turboliners were a family of gas turbine trainsets built for Amtrak in the 1970s. They were among the first new equipment purchased by Amtrak to update its fleet with faster, more modern trains. The first batch, known as RTG, were built by ...
trainsets, and self-propelled RDC and Metroliner railcars. File:Amtrak San Francisco Zephyr.jpg, An EMD FP7 and two
EMD SDP40F The EMD SDP40F was a six-axle C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973–1974. Based on Santa Fe’s EMD FP45, EMD built 150 for Amtrak, the operator of most intercity passenger tra ...
s in 1975 File:Ann Arbor AMTK May 1975 5-19.jpg, A Turboliner trainset in 1975 File:Amfleet postcard, circa 1975.jpg, A circa-1975 postcard of an
Amfleet Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Metroliner electric multiple unit. An in ...
I passenger car File:Broadway Limited at Harrisburg, January 26, 1978.jpg, A GG1 locomotive in 1978 File:PASSENGERS OF THE SOUTHWEST LIMITED STROLLING BESIDE THE AMTRAK TRAIN AT ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, AS IT HALTS FOR... - NARA - 555985 (cropped).jpg, Hi-Level passenger cars in 1974 File:Amtrak RDC 15 on the Black Hawk, July 1975.jpg, Rail Diesel Cars in 1975 File:Turbotrain on the Yankee Clipper at Stonington, November 1974.jpg, TurboTrain in 1974 File:Amtrak Metroliner train, November 17, 1975.jpg, Metroliners in 1975


Phase II

The Phase II paint scheme was introduced in late 1974 with the arrival of the new
GE E60 The GE E60 is a family of six-axle C-C electric locomotives made by GE Transportation Systems (GE) between 1972 and 1983. The E60s were produced in several variants for both freight and passenger use in the United States and Mexico. GE designe ...
locomotives. The red nose and chevron logo on locomotives were replaced with the same stripes found on passenger cars, which wrapped around the nose of the locomotive. Locomotive roofs remained black. Most passenger cars were essentially unchanged from Phase I, except for the removal of the chevron logo; new Sightseer lounges had a higher stripe with an angled transition on each end. File:Amtrak 957 leading a northbound train through Bowie, December 1980.jpg, GE E60 locomotive in 1980 File:Southbound Amtrak Metroliner with cab car 880 at Bowie, December 1980.jpg, Metroliners in 1980 File:AMTK 303 with the Train 6, the California Zephyr in January, 1985 (28882632954).jpg, Superliner passenger cars in 1985


Phase III

Phase III, introduced in 1976, is still used on some equipment. On both passenger cars and locomotives, the outer white pinstripes were removed while the inner stripe was widened, resulting in red, white, and blue stripes of equal width. Turboliners and the LRC test train were painted in white, with the stripes at the bottom of the train. This scheme was introduced "for safety, graphic aid and saving money", as the white band was highly reflective and provided a place for car information, and the standard widths made better use of raw material. Several types of locomotives that were acquired later were given variations on Phase III.
AEM-7 The EMD AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axle B-B electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and ASEA between 1978 and 1988. The locomotive is a derivative of the Swedish SJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in the United States. The ...
locomotives had the blue stripe expanded to cover the entire lower part of the body. On Dash 8-32BWH locomotives, a deeper blue and red was used; the stripes had additional pinstripes and angled upward across the middle of the body. The similarity to the
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...
logo led to the units being nicknamed "Pepsi Cans". Genesis locomotives had a lighter roof and narrower white stripe; the stripes angled downward on the sloped nose, and faded towards the rear. That variant was created by industrial designer Cesar Vergara, who also designed the angular bodies of the locomotives. In October 2013, Amtrak introduced a new variant of Phase III with the production of the new Viewliner II cars, the first of which entered service in 2015. The Viewliner cars have some changes from previous Phase III passenger cars, including a red reflective stripe at the bottom and a newer ("Travelmark") logo. In January 2016, Amtrak revealed a P32AC-DM that was repainted into Phase III, similar to that of the heritage units 145 and 822, but featuring modern logos and "
Empire Service The ''Empire Service'' is an Inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service ...
" emblems on the sides. All P32AC-DMs were repainted into this scheme, with costs shared between Amtrak and the state of New York. File:AMTK P30CH 700 built Aug. 1975 at Autotrain facility Lorton, VA on November 13, 1987 (22849741311).jpg, P30CH locomotive in 1987 File:Desert Wind at Las Vegas, October 1992.jpg, P32-8BWH locomotive in "Pepsi Can" livery in 1992 File:Amtrak Empire Corridor Turboliner (cropped).jpg, Class RTL Turboliner trainset in 1984 File:Amtrak 943 with a Metroliner at Seabrook, MD, November 12, 1987.jpg, AEM-7 locomotive in 1987 File:Auto Train leaving Lorton, October 1993.jpg, P40DC locomotive in 1993 File:AMKT 107 at Sanford, FL on February 6, 1987 (22712695802).jpg, RS3M work locomotive in 1987 File:Amtrak Ocean View on the Downeaster, September 2016.JPG, Heritage Fleet dome car "Ocean View" in 2016 File:Albany-Rensselaer Rail Station - Amtrak 710 at Platform 01.jpg, P32AC-DM locomotive in 2017 File:Viewliner diner Atlanta on the Capitol Limited, November 2017.jpg, Viewliner II diner in 2017


Phase IV

Beginning in 1993, Phase IV was introduced as a striking departure from the traditional red, white, and blue style seen previously. Brought into service with the delivery of the newer Superliner II cars, Phase IV has two thin red stripes and a thick dark blue stripe. In 1997, Amtrak extended the scheme to locomotives, initially
GE P42DC General Electric Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, then a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001, a total of 321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro ...
diesel locomotives on Northeast Corridor services. File:19980321 07 Amtrak Galesburg, IL (6355692509).jpg, Superliner passenger cars in 1998 File:Hiawatha Service in Chicago, September 2001.jpg, P42DC locomotive in 2001 File:Amfleet cars in Harrisburg.jpg, Amfleet I passenger cars in 2002 File:Amtrak NortheastDirect train at Wilmington, 1990s.jpg, ''NortheastDirect'' branding in the 1990s File:Amtrak downeaster ocean park 2005 cropped.jpg, NPCU in 2005


Phase V

Phase V was introduced with the arrival of the ''
Acela Express The ''Acela'' ( ; originally the ''Acela Express'' until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C. and Boston via 13 intermediate stops, inclu ...
'' high-speed train sets in 2000 and is currently used on most locomotives. Locomotives are painted light gray, with a blue stripe (darker than Phases I–III, but lighter than IV) at the top and a thin red reflective sill stripe at the bottom. The blue stripe has a wavy bottom on Genesis locomotives and ''Acela Express'' power cars, and a flat bottom on other locomotives and ex- F40PH non-powered control units (NPCUs). The Amtrak "Travelmark" logo is painted near the front or rear of the unit. ''Acela Express'' trainsets have grey and stainless steel bodies with the lower red stripe, with the blue roof and Acela logo on the power cars only. The Acela passenger cars have no blue stripe; colored shapes called " mobiles", based on the shape of the Acela logo, are used to indicate the type of car (Business Class, Cafe Bistro, or First Class). A similar scheme was created for Amfleet coaches used on the '' Acela Regional'', with a window stripe (light blue for Coach Class and baggage cars, blue for Business Class and cafe cars) and mobiles to indicate the type of service. The rebuilt Turboliners also had a version of the Phase V livery, with similar window stripes and mobiles. Non-passenger cars like ''
Auto Train ''Auto Train'' is an scheduled daily train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando). ''Auto Train'' is the only motorail service i ...
'' auto racks are all-gray except for the logo and red stripe; Express Box Cars had blue stripes on top and bottom. File:ACELA Express.JPG, ''Acela Express'' trainset in 2012 File:Hhp8 661.jpg, HHP-8 locomotive (with Acela logo) and Amfleet I passenger cars in Phase V livery in 2002 File:Amtrak 181 with the Capitol Limited at Martinsburg, July 2007.jpg, P42DC locomotive in 2007 File:Amtrak 605 on northbound Northeast Regional at Wilmington.JPG, ACS-64 locomotive in 2014 File:AMTK71103 ExpressBoxcar LakeSt Chicago 20010600D20060520P0009.jpg, Express Box Cars in 2001 File:Amtrak 592 at 14th Street Coach Yard, October 2018.jpg, MP14B switcher in 2018


Phase VI (Phase IVb)

Phase VI (Commonly referred to as Phase IVb) was introduced in 2002, and is currently used on most passenger cars. It retains the same stripe style as Phase IV: wide window stripes on single-level cars, and narrow stripes on Superliners. The red reflective sill stripe and mid-tone blue on Phase V are used. Single-level cars have white logos within the blue stripe, while Superliners have blue logos below the stripes. Five of the first six Siemens Charger ALC-42 locomotives will have the Phase VI scheme consisting of a mostly blue body with red and black around the windshield, and a red and silver
chevrons Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock l ...
at the rear. File:Auto Train lounge.jpg, Superliner I dining car in 2006 File:Eastbound Keystone Service train stopped at Paoli station, July 2007.jpg, Amfleet I passenger cars in 2007 File:Amtrak Viewliner Sleeping Car 62044.jpg, Viewliner I sleeping car in 2008 File:Siemens ALC-42 Union Station.jpg, alt=, Siemens ALC-42 locomotive in 2022


Phase VII

Phase VII was introduced in 2022 as the new livery for most Amtrak equipment, with the new Siemens Charger ALC-42 units being the first to wear the paint scheme. The scheme retains the same red, blue, and dark blue colors seen on earlier liveries, separated by curved white lines. File:ALC-42 309, the first Phase VII unit for Amtrak, followed by ALC-42 308, the last Phse VI unit for Amtrak.jpg, alt=Two blue, red, and white diesel locomotives passing through a train station., ALC-42 locomotives in 2022


Route-specific paint schemes

Thirteen state-funded corridor routes — eight Midwest routes, three
Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
routes, and the '' Cascades'' and ''
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
'' — are operated by Amtrak using equipment that is largely owned by the states in which they operate, and painted in custom schemes that deviate from the national Amtrak livery. Several other route-specific paint schemes have been used in the past.


Amtrak California

The three routes under the
Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
branch — the , , and — use equipment painted in several custom schemes. The ''Capitol Corridor'' and ''San Joaquin'' largely use California Cars and F59PHI locomotives painted in the state colors of blue and yellow. Locomotives are grey with a navy blue underside, yellow bottom stripe, black roof, and navy blue cab area; Caltrans and Amtrak California logos are prominent. The California Cars are stainless steel with a black upper window stripe, a navy blue lower window stripe with a yellow pinstripe, and orange triangles next to boarding doors. Newer Siemens Charger SC-44 locomotives have navy blue curved shapes on the front and rear with yellow accents, a black cab area, and Amtrak California logos on the front and sides. Single-level Comet IB and Horizon cars used on the ''San Joaquin'' have a yellow bottom stripe and a navy blue window stripe with orange, turquoise, and light blue accents. Several NPCUs used for the service are grey with turquoise and light blue stripes and curve towards the top rear of the locomotive, red chevron stripes on the front (a nod to a 1985
Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a California commuter rail line serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose at Tamien station with weekday rush hour service running as fa ...
paint scheme), and yellow grab bars. The ''Pacific Surfliner'' uses Charger SC-44 locomotives and Surfliner cars in a deep blue and gray paint scheme. The upper half of the passenger cars are deep blue with a white pinstriping, plus a white pinstripe on the bottom of the cars. The stripes continue onto locomotives, with the blue stripe narrowing and curving under the black-painted cab area. Lettering is white and placed in the blue stripe. The Charger locomotives are painted in the same shape as the Northern California units but using the ''Pacific Surfliner'' color scheme. Amtrak wrapped F59PHI 457 in a special scheme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ''Pacific Surfliner'' and the train's ridership surpassing 25 million. The locomotive's new scheme was released on May 8, 2010, for National Train Day. File:Capitol Corridor Pinole.jpg, ''Capitol Corridor'' train in Amtrak California livery in 2011 File:Amtrak surfliner santa barbara.jpg, ''Pacific Surfliner'' train in 2006 File:AMTK 90225 Caltrain927.jpg, NPCU and Comet IB passenger cars in 2013 File:Amtrak locomotive 2102.jpg, Charger SC-44 locomotive in Amtrak California livery in 2019 File:CDTX 2116 with the Pacific Surfliner at San Diego, March 2019.jpg, Charger SC-44 locomotive in Amtrak Pacific Surfliner livery in 2019


Amtrak ''Cascades''

The '' Cascades'' service uses seven
Talgo Talgo (officially Patentes Talgo, SAU) is a Spanish manufacturer of intercity, standard, and high-speed passenger trains. Corporate history TALGO, an abbreviation of Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol (English: ''Lightweight articulated tr ...
trainsets, F59PHI and Charger SC-44 locomotives, and ex-F40PH NPCUs painted in a brown, light tan, and dark green scheme – the only revenue equipment not painted in a blue-and-gray-based palette. The five older Talgo VI trainsets have the passenger cars split evenly between tan on top, brown in middle, and dark green on bottom. The transition baggage cars at the end have the green curve above the other colors, where it matches with a green curve on the older locomotives and NPCUs. The scheme was created by industrial designer Cesar Vergara, who also styled the
GE Genesis General Electric Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, then a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001, a total of 321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro- ...
locomotive. Amtrak Airo trainsets for the ''Cascades'', expected to enter service in 2026, will have a primarily dark green paint scheme. The trainsets will have brown and white sill stripes and window accents, plus graphics of Mount Rainier and Mount Hood. On the newer Charger SC-44 locomotives, the green stripe is narrower and runs along the top and over the cab. One trainset was originally painted in blue, silver, and white for a Los Angeles-Las Vegas service that was never implemented. In 2016, one NPCU, #90250, was wrapped in Seattle Seahawks livery for several months. The newer Series 8 trainsets are painted similarly to the older sets. One end has a cab car, where the brown and green stripes come to a point, with the top of the cab also painted green. File:AmtrakCascadesEdmonds.jpg, ''Cascades'' trainset with NPCU in 2006 File:Union Station (12209479843).jpg, Cab end of a Series 8 trainset in 2012 File:Amtrak Cascades 1401 - Siemens Charger engine at King Street Station, Seattle, WA - 02.jpg, Charger SC-44 locomotive in 2018 File:Amtrak Cascades at Eugene station, May 2008.jpg, F59PHI locomotive in 2008


Amtrak Midwest

The Charger SC-44 locomotives used on the eight Amtrak Midwest routes (, , , , , , , and ) have a blue front with a halftone transition into the gray side, with a red sill stripe.
Siemens Venture Siemens Venture (also branded as Amtrak Airo) is a type of locomotive-hauled passenger railroad car built by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. The cars are derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adapta ...
passenger cars for the services have a matching gray scheme with halftone blue transitions at the end of the window level, with a wider red sill stripe. File:Illinois Zephyr and Lincoln Service trains at Chicago Union Station, December 2018.JPG, Charger SC-44 locomotives in 2018 File:Siemens Venture Union Station.jpg,
Siemens Venture Siemens Venture (also branded as Amtrak Airo) is a type of locomotive-hauled passenger railroad car built by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. The cars are derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adapta ...
cars in Chicago in the Midwest paint scheme


''Piedmont''

The state-owned equipment used on the ''
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
'' is painted in North Carolina state colors, with wide blue stripes on the passenger cars and blue fronts on the locomotives. File:City of High Point with the Piedmont at Salisbury, August 2016.jpg, ''Piedmont'' train in 2016 File:Piedmont arriving Raleigh 1.jpg, ''Piedmont'' refurbished passenger cars in 2019


Other routes

* From its 1974 introduction until 1977, the '' Adirondack'' used Delaware and Hudson Railway-owned equipment painted in the railroad's blue and gold scheme. * In the late 1990s, the ''Adirondack'' and the '' Vermonter'' each had a baggage car painted with a mural dedicated to the route. * The single RTL Turboliner rebuilt in 1995 for the ''
Empire Service The ''Empire Service'' is an Inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service ...
'' had a one-off paint scheme with grey sides, a red stripe below the window, and white fronts. * Two Talgo Series 8 trainsets were bought for use in Wisconsin on the ''Hiawatha Service'', but never operated. They were painted white with red stripes to match the signature colors of the
Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...
sports teams. File:Amtrak Adirondack at Rouses Point 1974 postcard.jpg, ''Adirondack'' with Delaware and Hudson Railway equipment in 1974 File:Adirondack baggage car at Albany-Rensselaer station, December 2004.jpg, ''Adirondack'' baggage car in 2004 File:Amt Turboliner-2139.jpg, RTL-II trainset in 2006 File:Eastbound Talgo Special in Shawnee, Kansas (5), February 2018.jpg, Talgo Series 8 trainset in 2018


Special paint schemes


"Day 1" livery

EMD E8 No. 4316 and coach 1589 were painted for display in New York when Amtrak began service in May 1971; they saw later use on the ''
Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago. It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central ...
''. The locomotive was painted black; the Chevron "pointless arrow" logo on each side wrapped around the front with blue and white safety stripes. Amtrak has retroactively referred to this paint scheme as the "Day 1" livery.


40th anniversary heritage units

For Amtrak's 40th anniversary in 2011, the railroad painted four P42DC Genesis locomotives with special heritage unit liveries honoring the Phase I through Phase IV paint schemes. From January through April 2011, Amtrak's
Beech Grove Shops The Beech Grove Shops is a railway maintenance facility in Beech Grove, Indiana, outside Indianapolis. Beech Grove is Amtrak's primary maintenance facility. It also contains a very large freight yard. History The shops were originally constructe ...
outside Indianapolis repainted the units and sent them north on the ''
Hoosier State Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
'' to Chicago, where they were cycled into regular service on other routes. The Anniversary locomotives were selected from units scheduled for repainting or recent wreck rebuilds. The first repainted locomotive was No. 145 in Phase III paint, which led the ''
Capitol Limited The ''Capitol Limited'' is a daily Amtrak train between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, running via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's ''Capitol Limited'' which ended in 197 ...
'' on January 30, 2011. Three other locomotives followed: Nos. 156 in Phase I, 66 in Phase II, and 184 in Phase IV. P42DC No. 130 was painted in the Phase II livery after No. 66 was damaged beyond repair. The 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train consisted of P40DC locomotive No. 822, NPCU No. 406, modified Budd 10-6 heritage sleeper/Crew Dorm No. 10020 ''Pacific Bend'', three heritage baggage cars used to house exhibits, and
Amfleet Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Metroliner electric multiple unit. An in ...
cafe car No. 85999, used as a gift shop. The whole train was painted in Phase III. File:The Coast Starlight Train 11 (12136773554).jpg, P42DC 156 in Phase I paint File:Amtrak - GE P42DC - Heritage Phase III Livery.JPG, P42DC 66 in Phase II paint File:Amtrak 145 Phase III Paint Scheme (6121792457).jpg, P42DC 145 in Phase III paint File:Amtrak 406 F40PH Phase III Paint Scheme (6121785963).jpg, NPCU 406 in Phase III paint File:Amtrak 184 in Phase IV heritage paint scheme, October 2015.jpg, P42DC 184 in Phase IV paint


Veterans units

In June 2013, P42DC #42 was painted in a red, white, black, and dark blue scheme with a large logo on the side saying "America's Railroad Salutes our Veterans". A blue band near the wheelbase contains 50 white stars. ACS-64 No. 642 and NPCUs Nos. 90208 and 90221 received similar paint schemes in 2015 and 2016.


50th anniversary heritage units

On March 16, 2021, Amtrak announced the release of six heritage paint schemes, all with an "Amtrak 50" logo on the side, to be applied to five Genesis locomotives and one Charger ALC-42 locomotive. The liveries include heritage versions of the black "Day 1" livery on ALC-42 No. 301, a Phase I livery on P42 No. 161, a Phase III "Pepsi Can" livery on P42 No. 160, a Phase V livery on P42 No. 46, and a Phase VI livery on P42 No. 108 that is similar to the first ALC-42 units. The sixth scheme was "Midnight Blue," a dark blue livery on P42 No. 100 celebrating employees who "keep passengers moving across the nation all throughout the night". On December 9, 2021, Amtrak announced that ACS-64 locomotive No. 662 had been wrapped in modified Phase III livery as a promotion for Train Sim World 2.


Other special paint schemes

* The Amtrak California routes have wrapped locomotives to promote the
Operation Lifesaver Operation Lifesaver is the largest rail safety organization in the United States. It was founded by the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1970s. History In 1972, the Idaho State Highway Patrol, then-Governor Cecil Andrus and the Union Pacifi ...
safety campaign. The decals featured bright designs with slogans about being safe around railroad tracks. * The first three
ACS-64 The Siemens ACS-64, or Amtrak Cities Sprinter, is an electric locomotive designed by Siemens Mobility for use on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and the Keystone Corridor in the northeastern United States. The design was based on locomotives Sie ...
units released from Siemens in 2013 had special decals applied. Locomotive Nos. 600 and 601 received a large American flag on the sides as well as smaller logos for Siemens & Amtrak. Locomotive No. 602 had a "Reliability - Efficiency - Mobility" promotional graphic on the sides. All three were later repainted with a conventional Phase V scheme before entering service.


Non-revenue equipment

Beginning in 1976, Amtrak work train equipment was painted
safety orange Safety orange (also known as blaze orange, vivid orange, OSHA orange, hunter orange, or Caltrans orange) is a hue. Safety orange is used to set objects apart from their surroundings, particularly in complementary contrast to the azure colo ...
with black undersides. Light grey livery with a red bottom stripe, similar to Phase V non-passenger cars, was introduced for work train cars in 2004. Safety yellow livery was introduced for
maintenance of way Maintenance of way (commonly abbreviated to MOW) refers to the maintenance, construction, and improvement of rail infrastructure, including tracks, ballast, grade, and lineside infrastructure such as signals and signs. Track The most fundamen ...
equipment and roadway vehicles in 2001; it was replaced with a pale lime around 2004, and a brighter lime around 2013. Non-revenue locomotives typically use variations of the Phase paint schemes to make them visually distinct from revenue locomotives while maintaining consistent styles. In 1997, Amtrak bought 50 rebuilt boxcars to supplement its newly built Express Box Car fleet. The rebuilt cars arrived in their original Southern Pacific Olive Green paint scheme, rather than the Phase V scheme of the newer cars, though some were later repainted.


Advertising

Since the late 1990s, Amtrak has occasionally rented advertising space on the exterior of its passenger equipment. The ads sometimes take the form of wraps rather than true paint schemes. Customers have included fast food restaurants, auto manufacturers, television networks, and politicians. In some cases, the advertisements were on equipment rented for private use, rather than on equipment in normal revenue service. Notable temporary advertisements have included: * In 1999 and 2000, a four-car train including P42DC locomotive No. 100, a baggage car, a 1926
railway post office In Canada and the United States, a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly tr ...
car, a business car, and an exhibit car was used for the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
's " Celebrate the Century Express Educational Train Tour". The scheme consisted of an elaborate collection of enlarged stamps and postmarks from 1900 to the 1990s. * In October 2003, P42DC No. 203 and five Amfleet cars were wrapped in a scheme featuring
Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
game pieces and money. The train was used as the "Reading Railroad", a special train from Chicago to Atlantic City, New Jersey upon which the first rounds of the 2003 U.S. National Championship were held. * In August 2004, presidential candidate John Kerry traveled on the "Kerry-Edwards Special", which used P42DC No. 138 wrapped with a "BELIEVE IN AMERICA TOUR" as the lead unit. * In November and December 2007, a full
Acela Express The ''Acela'' ( ; originally the ''Acela Express'' until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C. and Boston via 13 intermediate stops, inclu ...
trainset was wrapped to promote
The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's show ''1968 with
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
''. The wrap was criticized by passengers for impeding the view from inside the train. A similar wrap was used in 2010 to promote the
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
show ''
Cake Boss ''Cake Boss'' is an American reality television series, which originally aired on the cable television network TLC. The series premiered on April 19, 2009, and has spawned four spin-offs: '' Next Great Baker'', ''Kitchen Boss'', ''Bake You Ric ...
''.


Test train schemes

Amtrak has tested a number of types of off-the-shelf equipment on the Northeast Corridor and short corridors. Some of these have been painted fully in Amtrak livery: * Bombardier LRC cars received a variation of the Phase III scheme very similar to the RTL Turboliners. * The Swedish
Rc4 In cryptography, RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4, also known as ARC4 or ARCFOUR, meaning Alleged RC4, see below) is a stream cipher. While it is remarkable for its simplicity and speed in software, multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in RC4, ren ...
(numbered X995) and the French CC 21000 (X996), used for testing during the design of the
AEM-7 The EMD AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axle B-B electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and ASEA between 1978 and 1988. The locomotive is a derivative of the Swedish SJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in the United States. The ...
locomotives in the late 1970s, used a Phase II scheme similar to the E60 locomotives the AEM-7 would replace. Other equipment largely retained their paint schemes from usage elsewhere: * A Siemens
ICE 1 The ICE 1 is the first batch-produced German high-speed train and one of six in the Intercity Express family. Revenue service at speeds up to started in 1991. It was raised to in May 1995 and temporary reduced to again, as a result of ...
trainset and a
Kalmar Verkstad Kalmar Verkstad AB (''KVAB'') was a Swedish train and automobile manufacturer in Kalmar, Sweden that made the Tjorven and Terminal. KVAB was founded in 1902 and closed in 2005 by Bombardier. History and products KVAB's core business was trai ...
X2000 trainset were tested on the Northeast Corridor and several other routes in 1992 and 1993. The X2000 retained its
Statens Järnvägar The Swedish State Railways ( sv, Statens Järnvägar) or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board ( sv, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden. It was created i ...
livery of silver with blue stripes, although it did receive Amtrak lettering; it was pulled by Amtrak diesels on non-electrified routes. The ICE 1 retained its Deutsche Bahn livery of white with a two-tone red stripe, again with Amtrak lettering. On non-electrified routes, it was pulled by two Siemens
F69PHAC The EMD F69PHAC was an experimental locomotive built in 1989 in a joint venture between EMD and Siemens. It was designed to test AC locomotive technology. Only two examples of this locomotive were made. The engine used the same carbody as the EM ...
diesel locomotives painted in the same red-on-white scheme. * After non-revenue testing on the Northeast Corridor in 1988, a Talgo 200 trainset was tested in revenue service between Portland and Seattle in 1994 as the '' Northwest Talgo''. The
AVE ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
paint scheme of white with a thick blue window stripe was modified with a thin Phase III red, white, and blue stripe below the windows. * In 1996, two Adtranz IC3 "Flexliner" trainsets were tested on several Amtrak routes in California, as well as the Metrolink
Antelope Valley Line The Antelope Valley Line is a commuter rail line that serves the Northern Los Angeles County area as part of the Metrolink system. The northern segment of the line is rural in character because it travels through the sparsely populated Soledad C ...
. They retained their
Israel Railways Israel Railways Ltd. , dba Israel Railways ( he, רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Rakevet Yisra'el''), is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Isra ...
livery of white with red, black, and blue sections, with some Amtrak lettering added.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paint Schemes Rail liveries Amtrak rolling stock