A Swedish locomotive loaned to Amtrak, which led to the eventual creation of the AEM-7 electric, has been restored to its mid-1970s appearance in Europe. 

Electric locomotive Rc4 1166 was sent to the U.S. and used on the Northeast Corridor in 1976 and 1977. After a successful series of test runs, Amtrak decided to order an electric locomotive similar to the Rc4. Between 1978 and 1988, General Motors Electro-Motive Division and Allmanna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget built 65 AEM-7 locomotives, 54 for Amtrak and 11 for MARC and SEPTA. The locomotives remained in service well into the 2010s. The locomotives earned the nickname “Swedish Meatballs.” 

The demonstrator, X995, returned to Sweden in the late 1970s and eventually ended up with the locomotive lessor Nordic Refinance. Recently, a Nordic Refinance employee recognized the importance of the locomotive’s history, and the company decided to repaint it in Amtrak colors as it appeared in the 1970s. While the lettering isn’t entirely correct and it lacks an American knuckle coupler, X995 looks nearly identical to how it appeared on the Northeast Corridor. European outlet Rail Color News was the first to report on the repaint. —Justin Franz 

X995 is seen leading a train on the Northeast Corridor in the late 1970s. Photo by Jim Boyd.