AEM-7 locomotive No. 929 at the Wilmington Shops, 2014.
Color digital image showing the interior of the locomotive shop at the Amtrak Wilmington Shops; image dates to November 2014.
- Digital Image Details
-
- Date Archived:
- April 25, 2016
- Geography:
- Northeast
- Decade:
- 2010s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Date Created:
- November 13, 2014
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
The Wilmington Shops have an especially rich history that dates back more than a century. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) completed the new maintenance facility northeast of downtown Wilmington, Del., in 1904 since a track realignment project and construction of a new passenger station had necessitated removal of the old shops along the Christina River. Amtrak gained control of the Wilmington Shops in 1976.
Today, the Wilmington Shops remain the primary facility for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of electric locomotives used on the NEC, including the Amtrak Cities Sprinters (ACS-64s) that entered revenue service in 2014 and the high-speed Acela Express power cars. Skilled employees perform truck repair, wheel work, HVAC work, traction motor repairs and component repair and remanufacturing work.
AEM-7 locomotive No. 929 seen above was manufactured by the General Motors Corporation's Electro-Motive Division (EMD). Based on a lightweight, high-speed Swedish design, the AEM-7 was produced from 1978 to 1988, and could reach speeds up to 125 mph.
Photographer: Chuck Gomez for Amtrak. From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.
