The three passenger cars and two locomotives that might be used on the Hoosier State got an inspection by Amtrak officials recently.
The equipment is owned by Iowa Pacific Holdings and stored in Bensenville, Ill.
Under a proposal being discussed by Amtrak and the Indiana Department of Transportation, Iowa Pacific would provide equipment and onboard services while Amtrak would continue to provide the operating crews.
Also joining in the inspection were officials of the Federal Railroad Administration.
The quad-weekly Chicago-Indianapolis train is underwritten by INDOT and many of the communities that it serves.
The IP equipment, which includes two coaches and a dome car, would provide enhanced business class and food service.
Currently, the Hoosier State typically operates with two Horizon fleet coaches and does not have food service.
About a dozen FRA and Amtrak inspectors were joined by a similar number of Iowa Pacific operations and mechanical personnel in making the inspection of the IP equipment.
The locomotives are GP40FH-2 Nos. 4135 and 4144, which formerly served New Jersey Transit. They are geared for a top speed of 102 mph, although no segment of the Hoosier State route has track maintained to that standard.
One of the two 44-seat coaches was built by Budd in the 1950s for Southern Pacific’s Sunset Limited. The other was built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1964 for Union Pacific.
Both are of former Amtrak heritage and during that time they were converted to head-end power and received accessible bathrooms
Iowa Pacific has used the cars on its Saratoga & North Creek subsidiary and reupholstered the Amtrak seats.
The cars will have 110-volt at-seat outlets installed and be equipped for Wi-Fi.
The full-with dome car was built for the Santa Fe and later ran on the original Auto-Train and Holland America Westours.
The car would provide upper level business class with hot meals prepared in a lower level galley and serve as a café car for coach passengers on the lower level.
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak's Hoosier State, Hoosier State funding, Iowa Pacific Holdings, Saving the Hoosier State
Amtrak in the Heartland 
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