A heritage fleet diner on a Lake Shore Limited train at Buffalo-Depew station in 2004. Click to enlarge.
This car was originally New York Central No. 452, part of a set of 17 grill-diners built by the Budd Company in 1947.
(Himsing at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
HERITAGE FLEET
Amtrak's Heritage Fleet consisted of the rolling stock provided to it when it assumed passenger service on commercial railroads. The name was applied to a program begun in 1977 to convert the older, mainly streamlined, cars from steam heating to head-end power. Head end power conversions were performed at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops, outside of Indianapolis. The program was completed by the mid-1980s. The fleet was fully retired by 2019. The last car was a former Great Northern Railway full-length dome car, which was manufactured in 1955 and retired in 2019 by Amtrak, due to the age and expense of maintaining the Great Dome Car.
History
The rebuild cost $300,000 per car. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway handled the conversion of the Hi-Levels in its Topeka, Kansas shops.
Heritage baggage and dining cars were used on the single-level trains serving the Eastern U.S. out of New York City through late 2017. The baggage cars from Amtrak's Viewliner II order, placed in 2010, fully replaced the Heritage versions: the last was delivered in December 2015. Twelve diners are also now in revenue service. In January 2018, due to high maintenance costs for the 60+ year old cars, Amtrak announced the retirement of the last five remaining "Pacific Parlor" Hi-Level lounge cars still in active service on the Coast Starlight, bringing an end to the era of Heritage Fleet equipment in regular revenue service. The last run using one of these cars was on February 4, 2018. The last remaining Great Dome car, Ocean View, was retired in 2019 by Amtrak, due to its age and maintenance expenses.
The interior of one of Amtrak's "Pacific Parlour" cars, an ex-Santa Fe Hi-Level Sky Lounge. Click to enlarge.
(donielle, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Roster
Fleet numbers / Type / Builder / Year built / Quantity / Notes
1000–1006 / Baggage / NSC / 1957–1958 / 7
1127 / Baggage / ACF / 1950 / 1
1126, 1128–1136, 1175–1177 / Baggage / P-S / 1947–1957 / 13
1137–1138 / Baggage / ACF / 1956 / 2
1139 / Baggage / StLC / 1962 / 1 / Wrecked in Big Bayou Canot rail accident in 1993.
1140–1158 / Baggage / ACF / 1946–1947 / 13
1159–1174 / Baggage / Budd / 1947–1953 / 16
1178–1195 / Baggage / StLC / 1952–1954 / 17 / Rebuilt from Baggage Dormitories and Lounges.
1203–1249 / Baggage / Budd / 1953–1957 / 46
1250–1272 / Baggage / ACF / 1950–1954 / 23
1350–1379 / Short Baggage / StLC / 1953 / 30
1450–1455 / Baggage Dormitory / StLC / 1952 / 4
1610–1617, 1628–1633 / Baggage Dormitory / StLC / 1952 / 14 / Some renumbered from 1400 series.
1618–1627 / Baggage Dormitory / Budd / 1946–1950 / 9
1700–1740 / Baggage Budd / 1950–1961 / 39 / Converted from 4000, 4600, 4700 series coaches
1750–1763 / Mail Car Budd / 1950–1961 / 14 / Converted from lower 1700 series Baggage cars.
2050–2056 / Slumbercoach (16 Single, 10 Double Slumbercoach) / Budd / 1949 / 7
2080–2097 / Slumbercoach (24 Single, 8 Double Slumbercoach) / Budd / 1956–1959 / 18
2220–2222 / Sleeper (11 Bedroom) / Budd / 1952–1956 / 3
2230–2235 / Sleeper (11 Bedroom) / P-S / 1956 / 6
2430–2482 / Sleeper (ADA 10 Roomette, 6 Bedroom) / Budd / 1948–1952 / 40
2500–2524 / Dormitory Lounge / Budd / 1949–1950 / 25 / Rebuilt from 2800-2900 series sleepers.
2871–2997 / Sleeper (10 Roomette, 6 Bedroom) / Budd / 1949–1950 / 36
3100–3105 / Lounge / StLC / 1954 / 6
3106–3127 / Lounge Budd / 1948–1952 / 20
4000–4023 / Coach (ADA 44 Seat) / Budd / 1950–1954 / 21
4600–4626, 4646–4647 / Coach (44 Seat) / StLC / 1960–1964 / 29
4627–4645, 4648–4649 / Coach (44 Seat) / Budd / 1950–1961 / 21
4700–4742 / Coach (48 Seat) / Budd / 1948–1953 / 43
7000–7007 / Coach (ADA 85 Seat) / Budd / 1952 / 8
7600–7629 / Coach (85 Seat) / Budd / 1952–1953 / 29 / Some cars rebuilt from 4700 series.
8500–8532 / Diner Budd / 1948–1958 / 32 / Some cars rebuilt from 8700 series.
8550–8559 / Diner Grill / Budd / 1948–1958 / 10 / Rebuilt from lower 8500 series.
8600–8603 / Table Car / StLC / 1960–1964 / 4 / Rebuilt from 4600 series.
8700–8716 / Cafeteria / Budd / 1950–1956 / 12
8750–8752 / Kitchen / Budd / 1949 / 3 / Rebuilt from 8500 series.
9300–9302 / Dome Lounge / Budd / 1955 / 3
9310–9312 / Dome Lounge / P-S / 1952 / 3
9400–9412 / Dome Coach / Budd / 1955 / 13
39900–39938 / Hi-Level Transition Coach Dorm / Budd / 1956–1964 / 37 / Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service.
39940–39964 / Hi-Level Coach / Budd / 1956–1964 / 20 / Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service.
39970–39975 / Hi-Level Lounge / Budd / 1956 / 6 / Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service.
39980–39985 / Hi-Level Diner / Budd / 1956 / 6 / Ex-Santa Fe, El Capitan service.
Overview
In service: All retired
Manufacturer: ACF, Budd Company, Pullman-Standard, St. Louis Car Company, National Steel Car,
Constructed: 1946–1964
Operator: Amtrak