By Railroad Model Craftsman Staff

On March 17, Amtrak announced that it will be unveiling six Amtrak locomotives in a variety of special paint schemes to honor Amtrak’s 50th Anniversary coming up on May 1, 2021.  

While the other older engines were already budgeted for overhaul and repaint, one locomotive is brand new –  Siemens ALC-42 Charger 301.  Charger 301 will be painted in Amtrak’s “Day 1” scheme – A historic homage to the unique design created for the first day of operations on May 1, 1971. This unique scheme was applied previously only once to the first locomotive ever painted for Amtrak – EMD E8A 4316.  Amtrak ALC-42 #301 is currently being manufactured by Siemens in Sacramento, California and is expected to be delivered in April to undergo testing in the Northeast Corridor before entering service on the national network.

Bachmann Trains will be producing highly-detailed replicas of this special Siemens Amtrak ALC-42 locomotive in HO scale. Each model features a long list of preinstalled details including metal handrails, separate brake and m.u. hoses, HEP receptacles, five-chime air horn and more. Every Bachmann ALC-42 will come equipped with full LED lighting for headlights, ditch lights, strobe lights and inside corridor lighting and sound provided by a TCS WowSound decoder pre-installed for operation over DC and DCC layouts.  The Bachmann ALC-42s are currently scheduled to arrive in Fall of this year. For pricing and further information, check with your favorite dealer or the Bachmann Trains website.  Reservations close March 31.

Bachmann Industries, Inc., 1400 East Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124; 215-533-1600; www.bachmanntrains.com