We next entered Car Shop 2 which handles major rebuilding and wreck repairs to the passenger fleet.
Viewliner sleeper 62034 "Sea View".
Viewliner sleeper 62032 "River View".
Interior of Car Shop 2.
Superliner diner 38015/37001 undergoing conversion into a Diner-Lite lounge/diner. We toured this car undergoing its change.
New convection ovens installed in the future 37001.
New steam tables installed.
The upstairs undergoing its conversion awaiting its table, booths and service area with stools at the counter. We returned outside and I again drew a picture of the problems with that Amfleet Diner-Lite car for the shop foreman and then again for the designer of that car. They both agreed with my assessment of the seat design.
Superliner coach 34120 in for wreck repair.
Diner Lounge kits.
Wreck repairs of Superliner coach 34120.
Viewliner shower head kits.
The car's damaged ends being repaired.
Staff at work on Superliner coach 34018.
Superliner coach 31026 in for major wreck repair.
The Hammerhead Calypso water jet that can cut almost every kind of material that this shop needs.
The water jet at work.
It can cut almost any object into the right shape.
The pump unit for the water jet that can create over 60,000 PSI of water out of its nose when cutting.
Horizon car in Car Shop 2. We then left Car Shop 2.
At the back of Car Shop 2 used to be a building that was destroyed by a tornado. Behind that was a line of wrecked cars that most likely would never again see service. When Lew first arrived at the Beech Grove Shops, there was 3.5 miles of wrecked equipment. In 2007, there is now only half of a mile.
Amtrak 80 ton shop switcher 1100, ex. Amtrak 11, nee United States Air Force 1600 built by General Electric in 1951.
The transfer table.
More cars out in the dead line.
The AC Shop building built in 1910. Next we went inside the Trim Shop.
The Paint Shop was painting Viewliner hall panels.
Amtrak P42DC 113 in for sanding, which is all done by hand.
Amtrak P42DC 158 in the Paint Shop.
The locomotive through the plastic sheet. The paint shop now paints engines in just three days instead of four using quick drying Imron Paint.
In the rest of the Trim Shop the workers install windows, carpeting and seats.
Long and short-haul seats.
Viewliner 62016.
Superliner coach 34033 having its seats installed on this day.
Interior of the Trim Shop.
Convection ovens repaired and stored until needed.
Carpeting stored until needed in the Trim Shop. That was it for our visit to the Trim Shop and we returned outside with Lew explaining that it takes between 32 to 45 days to overhaul cars here. We then returned to the office.
The south side of the Beech Grove Shops.
Car Shop 2.
The Beech Grove transfer table.
Amtrak 80 ton switcher 1100.
Lines of cars waiting for repairs.
The Hoist Shop.
A baggage car sitting outside the shop building.
Outside the Forge Shop.
The Locomotive Shop.
We had returned to where we started out fantastic tour of the Beech Grove Shop, which was the cleanest shop in which I have ever been.
Line of cars waiting their turn. We went inside Lew's office and Chris Parker asked how many pieces of equipment does Amtrak own. Lew's response was 1,890, not including four inspection cars and the 71 California cars. We thanked him for the excellent tour and he said we could come back anytime we wanted. We said our goodbyes and left the Beech Grove Shops, completely in awe of what we had just experienced.
As we drove out of the complex, we pulled off on Emerson Boulevard for a few extra pictures.
The look into the Beech Grove Shops from along Emerson Boulevard.
Equipment awaiting their turn in the Beech Grove Shops.
At the far end of the shops was Amtrak P42DC 149 that had been wrecked. Chris and I proceeded to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Whitewater.
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