Dynamic Rail Preservation announced last week that it was donating two ex-Amtrak locomotives that it had saved to the Illinois Railway Museum. The locomotives are Amtrak 231, an F40PHR built in 1977, and Amtrak 644/BNSF 6976, an SDP40F built in 1974. Locomotive 231 is one of only two Amtrak F40PHR locomotives preserved intact, while 644/6976 is the only remaining SDP40F, making both engines nationally significant as representatives of early Amtrak motive power.
“Having been involved in rail preservation for 25 years, and contemplating the future of the saved Amtrak locomotives, I am thrilled to see they have been accepted at IRM,” said Chris Fussell, DynaRail founder. “After attempting to find a home for them at three publicly run museums, the challenges the locomotives faced only served to prove that IRM, a privately operated organization, is a home that guarantees their preservation, plus the decades of work and donations that have gone into them will not be for naught. I have confidence in their organizational structure, security, and longevity for future generations; plus, the donation agreement assures that the DynaRail founders will still be fully involved in the ongoing care and operation of the locomotives, which was a critical component in the quest of finding a home. Thank you, IRM, for helping ensure 231 and 644’s preservation for generations to come!”
The two locomotives are currently at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. IRM reporting marks were recently added to the locomotives before their move east.
“IRM is extremely grateful to Chris and DynaRail, both for making sure these units were preserved in the first place, and of course for donating them to our organization,” said Jamie Kolanowski, Curator of the IRM Diesel Department. “These are our first Amtrak passenger locomotives, so as large as our diesel collection is, this was really something we were lacking. We’re thrilled to be able to give these two engines a permanent home.”
IRM plans to use both locomotives on its 5-mile demonstration railroad. —Justin Franz