Carman connecting heating elements, 1980.
Black and white photograph from the August 1980 issue of Amtrak NEWS.
- Photograph Details
-
- Date Archived:
- September 18, 2014
- Geography:
- Midwest
- Decade:
- 1980s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Date Created:
- 1980
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
On April 1, 1975, Amtrak purchased the Beech Grove, Ind., shops from the Penn Central Transportation Company. The need for a major repair facility that could accommodate all types of existing equipment—and the Amfleet and Superliner cars on order—was acute, and Amtrak immediately embarked on a five year, $22 million improvement plan to modernize the facility. In the late 1970s, Amtrak began a program to convert older cars purchased from the predecessor railroads from steam-power to electric head-end power (HEP).
Cars undergoing conversion were fumigated and completely stripped on the interior and exterior. In this image, carman Dave Kern connects heating elements along the floorboard of a car.
Photographer: Unknown for Amtrak.
