![]() This "Rainbow Era" was short-lived Amtrak began purchasing some of the leased equipment in mid-1971, setting the stage for wholesale repainting from 1972 to 1974 as the equipment was refurbished. Equipment was used nationwide and did not always stay on predecessor routes, resulting in trains with the mismatched colors of several predecessor railroads. Operating only 184 of the 366 privately operated trains, Amtrak was able to pick the 1,200 best passenger cars to lease from the 3,000 that the private railroads owned. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it inherited a collection of rolling stock from twenty different railroads, each with its own distinct colors and logos. ![]() Rainbow Era A "Rainbow Era" Amtrak train in 1971 When testing equipment from other railroads, Amtrak has mostly kept existing livery, though some longer-term tests used Phase schemes. Equipment has also been wrapped for advertising promotions. ![]() Amtrak has repainted equipment in unique livery for special uses, including its 40th anniversary in 2011 and to promote the Operation Lifesaver safety campaign. These include the three Amtrak California routes, eight Amtrak Midwest services, the Cascades, and the Piedmont. Some routes financially supported by individual states use service-specific liveries to provide a more regionalized distinction. Non-revenue equipment uses bright lime green or a variation of Phase V. A modified Phase III scheme was introduced for some equipment in 2013. Most current locomotives use the 2000-introduced Phase V, while passenger cars use the 2002-introduced Phase VI (or Phase IVb). Successive liveries are known as Phases and are sequentially numbered using Roman numerals – a nomenclature that began with model railroaders and was later officially adopted by Amtrak. To build the brand of Amtrak as a unified passenger railroad, the rolling stock was gradually repainted into a new system-wide livery starting around 1972. Since this resulted in trains with mismatched liveries, which contrasted with the previous coordinated liveries, that period was later known as the Rainbow Era. The company retained the equipment that it determined to be in the best condition, and elected not to keep the same rolling stock on the same routes. Phases primarily use geometric arrangements of red, white, and blue-the national colors of the United States-part of Amtrak's patriotic visual identity.Īmtrak began operations in May 1971 with a mixture of equipment still painted in the distinct colored liveries of the freight railroads that relinquished their passenger service to Amtrak. A series of seven schemes termed Phases, first introduced in 1972, have seen the widest use. The lead locomotive here is in Phase II livery, while the trailing locomotive is still in Phase I.Īmtrak has used a variety of paint schemes ( liveries) on its rolling stock since taking over intercity passenger rail service in the United States in 1971. ![]() History of paint schemes applied to Amtrak locomotives and rail carsĪmtrak's livery has included a variety of designs, most based on a red, white, and blue color scheme. ![]()
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