AMTK 2300  Contributor's Pick!       
Exact day of month not recorded. I could find no data on this car. Info please.
Date: 5/15/1972 Location: Ashland, VA Views: 2138 Collection Of:   Marty Bernard
Author:  Marty Bernard
AMTK 2300
Picture Categories: RollingStock This picture is part of album:  Railfan44's Amtrak Shots Including State Owned Trains
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Chuck Zeiler General Marty, this is sort of a mystery car. I have two books (Amtrak Car Spotter Guide 3rd Edition, and, Amtrak By The Numbers) that claim that Amtrak 2300 is an American Car & Foundry-built car, built in 1949 or 1950, ex-ACL number 6200, named Cape Fear River. As built it was a 14 roomette, 2 drawing room configuration. It was rebuilt in 1961 to seven double bedrooms and two drawing rooms, retaining the original ACL name and number. It went to SCL as number 6200 but was renamed Blue Bird. It then went to Amtrak, losing the name and renumbered to 2300, retired in May 1977. That said, it LOOKS like a Pullman-Standard-built car. This is the first stainless steel (sheathed?) ACF car I've seen. Possibly it was sub-contracted out to P-S for the rebuilding, I don't know. 1/18/2012 11:11:51 AM
Marty Bernard General Here is what Jerry LaBoda's site says about the car: AMTK 2300 - (ex-Blue Bird, exx-SCL 6200, exxx-ACL, nee-Cape Fear River) PS corrugated 7 DBR - 2 DR rblt. from 14 Rmt - 2 DR. 1/18/2012 11:42:28 AM
Ted Brumberg General There were 10 of these 14RM-2DR sleepers built in 1950 by AC&F in Lot #3091 to Plan #9006 for the CHAMPION (Madden lists the Plan as #9006, Randall lists the Plan as #6007). 6 were owned by ACL, 1 by RF&P, 2 by PRR, and 1 by FEC (the PANAMA, the only 1 of these 10 which did not have a RIVER-series name). In 1961, the 6 ACL-owned cars were rebuilt to 7DB-2DR (Plan #9018) with BIRD-series names, to SCL as #6200-#6205 (BIRD names retained), sold in 1971 to Amtrak as #2300-#2305. Randall lists that Amtrak retained the BIRD names, but as this photo from 1972 clearly shows, the names were removed upon repainting into Amtrak Phase I. As for the other 4 cars (which were not rebuilt): the 2 PRR cars, #8359 ANACOSTIA RIVER and #8360 HACKENSACK RIVER, were scrapped in 1966; the RF&P car, FAIRFAX RIVER, was transferred to MofW in 1968; and the FEC car was sold in 1968 to Jones Properties (to Mexico, perhaps). As for Amtrak #2300 (ex-BLUE BIRD), it was retired in 1976 and sold to Ampol Wreckin 2/13/2015 9:55:02 PM
Ted Brumberg General As for Amtrak #2300 (ex-BLUE BIRD), it was retired in 1976 and sold to Ampol Wrecking (based in Indianapolis, so likely scrapped onsite at Beech Grove). "Amtrak by the Numbers" lists the retirement date as May 1977, so this was probably when the car was cut up. 2/13/2015 9:55:35 PM
Ted Brumberg General I forgot to mention: during the SCL era, the 6 rebuilt cars were either owned by or operated by Hamburg Industries under lease by SCL (I'm not certain if these cars were actually owned by Hamburg or operated under lease after the operating side of Pullman folded in 1969). Hamburg also either owned or operated the 2 ex-ACL 4 section-4 roomette-5 double bedroom-1 compartment sleepers, the 8 ex-B&O 16 duplex roomette-4 double bedroom sleepers and the 3 ex-B&O, nee-C&O 5 roomette-1 single bedroom-3 drawing room dome sleepers. 2/13/2015 10:10:32 PM

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