X2000 on display in Merced, Calif., 1993.
Color film slide showing the X2000 on display at the Amtrak station in Merced, Calif., during its national tour on July 12, 1993.
- Film Slide Details
-
- Date Archived:
- September 9, 2015
- Geography:
- California
- Decade:
- 1990s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Date Created:
- July 12, 1993
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
As Amtrak explored the development of high-speed rail in the early 1990s, it leased two European high-speed trainsets for testing: the Swedish X2000 and the German Intercity Express (ICE). Both trainsets were used in revenue service on the southern portion of the Northeast Corridor in 1993. The equipment was also put on display in cities across the country.
Designed and built by Asea Brown Boveri, Inc. for the Swedish State Railways, the X2000 shown above was tested by Amtrak because it could travel at higher speeds than conventional trains on existing main line track; unlike contemporary French and Japanese high-speed trainsets, it did not require new, dedicated tracks.
The image shows the X2000 on display at the Merced, Calif., station in July 1993. According to Ingwar Afeldt, an employee of Swedish State Railways sent to instruct Amtrak road foremen and engineers on the operation of the X2000, this display took place "on the Santa Fe sponsored day between Stockton and Fresno."
Photographer: Ingwar Afeldt. From the Ingwar Afeldt Collection.
