Ok I’m the new kid on the block, however I would like to open a decision on the CONO. My family and I boarded it in a freight yard at Fulton, KY at a white trailer with an Amtrak logo and 3 dogs sleeping inside with no door at Oh Dark Thirty in May 1994 for New Orleans. My Son was 6 and just fascinated. The cars I believe were Heritage and had a dome car that he and I stayed in nearly the whole day after the sun rose. There was no dinner and a snack bar in the smoking car. ( on the return we brought a bucket of KFC with us. 
)
Declaimer:
After that trip I joined a Model Railroad club in Paducah, and we had a member who didn’t work and lived with his mom. He was I guess you could call a full time Rail Fan hanging out at the VMV Shops and P & L yards and the Grand Rivers Terminal up at KY Lake ( coal to barges ). And KNEW ALL, we all know this guy. He told me up North of Carbondale there was a tunnel on some farmers land and he wouldn’t allow IC to “day light” it for higher car passage was the reason Superliners were not used on the CONO, later in time he amended that to the farmer had passed and his 3 daughter took IC money and it was day lighted.
I remember the trail power was a GP-40-2 in Amtrak makings. Driving by VMV one day I notice about 6 or 8 in latch string in their operation yard, the other side of the complex were locomotives to be scrapped.
Declaimer:
He told me that Amtrak was “power poor” and they leased these units from VMV to fill the gap. The the gearing and traction motors were configured operate with the F-40PH fleet ?
Any rate I took some picture and kit bashed a Athearn dummy for my Superliner train I had later on.
Please comment as I don’t really know the TRUTH to any of this he told me
{ don’t be ugly now :lol: …. I’m being honest and really don’t know truth from fable }
)Declaimer:
After that trip I joined a Model Railroad club in Paducah, and we had a member who didn’t work and lived with his mom. He was I guess you could call a full time Rail Fan hanging out at the VMV Shops and P & L yards and the Grand Rivers Terminal up at KY Lake ( coal to barges ). And KNEW ALL, we all know this guy.
He told me up North of Carbondale there was a tunnel on some farmers land and he wouldn’t allow IC to “day light” it for higher car passage was the reason Superliners were not used on the CONO, later in time he amended that to the farmer had passed and his 3 daughter took IC money and it was day lighted. I remember the trail power was a GP-40-2 in Amtrak makings. Driving by VMV one day I notice about 6 or 8 in latch string in their operation yard, the other side of the complex were locomotives to be scrapped.
Declaimer:
He told me that Amtrak was “power poor” and they leased these units from VMV to fill the gap. The the gearing and traction motors were configured operate with the F-40PH fleet ?
Any rate I took some picture and kit bashed a Athearn dummy for my Superliner train I had later on.
Please comment as I don’t really know the TRUTH to any of this he told me
{ don’t be ugly now :lol: …. I’m being honest and really don’t know truth from fable }
