New York

Delaware & Hudson
Binghamton, New York
April 2, 1977




In 1967 the Delaware & Hudson's Laurentian was in danger of discontinuance, when instead the D&H's new president Frederic C. Dumaine decided to purchase four of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe's PA-1s formerly used on the Super Chief, as well as coaches from the Denver & Rio Grande Western. The PA-1s were repainted in the D&H's blue, yellow and silver, but retaining the basic lines of the Santa Fe warbonnet paint scheme. Although Amtrak omitted the Laurentian from its initial timetable, it returned the equipment to service in 1974 after rebuilding by Morrison-Knudsen for its Adirondack service to Montreal. In 1977 the PA-1s were withdrawn from service and sold to the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México the following year. Although two (nos. 17 and 19) eventually ended up in Mexican museums, nos. 16 and 18 returned to the U.S. in 2000. Plans for no. 16 are to restore it to Santa Fe warbonnet colors and display it at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Here no. 16 poses in perfect sunlight at the road's Binghamton, New York engine facility.




This page posted 1/1/2019. Text and photo ©2019 Lamont Downs.