Turboliner#RTL

Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. Amtrak retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before.{{cite web | url=http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/06/amtraks-beginnings | title=Amtrak's beginnings | work=Classic Trains | date=June 5, 2001 | access-date=September 13, 2016 | author=Kelly, John | archive-date=October 15, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015103725/http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/06/amtraks-beginnings | url-status=dead }} To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric and diesel) and 1,190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.{{Harvnb|Simon|Warner|2011|p=108}}

Amtrak acquired the Turboliners with multiple goals in mind. The Turboliners were expected to cost less to operate than a comparable diesel locomotive with conventional cars while having a higher operating speed, though this would be constrained by track conditions. Amtrak also hoped that introducing new equipment would generate favorable publicity. Two years into its existence, Amtrak was fighting the perception that it was making "cosmetic changes to hand-me-down equipment". New gas turbine trainsets could change that perception.{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|p=227}}

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw several countries experimenting with gas turbine trains. The UAC TurboTrain had been in revenue service in the United States and Canada since 1968, with mixed results.{{Harvnb|Pinkepank|Marre|1979|pp=83–84}} British Rail began testing the APT-E in 1972; for a variety of reasons, British Rail did not pursue gas turbine propulsion.{{Harvnb|Duffy|2003|p=403}}

{{Infobox train

| background =

| name = RTG Turboliner

| image = LAST MINUTE CHECK OF THE ENGINE OF THE AMTRAK TURBOLINER PASSENGER TRAIN IS MADE BEFORE DEPARTURE FROM ST. LOUIS... - NARA - 556059 (enhanced).jpg

| imagealt = An RTG Turboliner at Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri in 1974

| imagesize = 300px

| caption = An RTG Turboliner at Union Station in St Louis, Missouri in 1974

| interiorimage = CONDUCTOR MAKES HIS ROUNDS TAKING TICKETS AS THE TURBOLINER MAKES ITS WAY BETWEEN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND CHICAGO... - NARA - 556061 (enhanced).jpg

| interiorimagealt = A conductor collects tickets aboard a Midwestern Turboliner in 1974.

| interiorcaption = A conductor collects tickets aboard a Midwestern Turboliner in 1974.

| service = 1973–1994

| manufacturer = ANF

| factory =

| family =

| replaced =

| yearconstruction = 1973–1975

| yearservice =

| refurbishment =

| yearscrapped =

| numberconstruction =

| numberbuilt = 6 trainsets

| numberservice =

| numberpreserved = 0

| numberscrapped = 6

| formation = Five cars

| fleetnumbers = 58–69

| capacity = 296 passengers

| operator = Amtrak

| depots =

| lines =

| carbody =

| trainlength =

| carlength = {{convert|86|ft|1|in|m|2|abbr=on}}

| width = {{convert|9|ft|5+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}

| height =

| floorheight =

| platformheight =

| entrylevelorstep =

| doors =

| art-sections =

| maxspeed = {{convert|125|mph|km/h|1|abbr=on}}

| weight =

| axleload =

| acceleration =

| deceleration =

| traction =

| engine =

| enginetype = Turboshaft

| poweroutput = {{Plainlist|

• {{convert|2280|hp|1|abbr=on}} (RTG)
• {{convert|3000|hp|1|abbr=on}} (RTG-II)

}}

| transmission =

| aux =

| powersupply =

| hvac =

| electricsystem =

| collectionmethod =

| uicclass =

| aarwheels = B-2

| bogies = Creusot-Loire

| brakes =

| safety =

| coupling =

| multipleworking =

| gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}

| traction motors =

| notes = {{Harvnb|Pinkepank|Marre|1979|p=83}}

}}

File:RTG Turboliner.jpg until it was scrapped in the mid-2020s.]]

The RTG (abbreviated from the French Rame à Turbine à Gaz, or gas turbine train) model was an Americanized version of the French ANF T 2000 RTG Turbotrain (related to the prototype precursor to the very first TGV trainset, the TGV 001). The RTGs used European-style couplers (buffers and turnbuckles) between their cars, because they were built in France by ANF for SNCF.{{harvnb|NTSB|1976|p=8}} Another change was the installation of top-mounted Nathan P1234A5 horns, a variation of the standard Nathan P5. Amtrak obtained a permanent waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration which exempted the RTGs from the buff strength requirement of {{convert|800000|lbf|kN}}.{{Harvnb|LACMTA|1995|p=15}} The RTGs met a lower standard set by the International Union of Railways.

Each trainset consisted of two power cars (which included seating), two coaches and a bar/grill. The trains were powered by a pair of {{convert|1140|hp}} Turbomeca Turmo III turbines. The cars rode on Creusot-Loire trucks.{{Harvnb|Bing|Berry|Henderson|1996|pp=2–16}} The bar/grill, located at the center of the trainset, had table seating for 24.{{Harvnb|Morgan|1974|p=22}} The vestibules between the cars were partitioned by sliding doors: one at each end of the car, and a double set between the cars themselves. A passenger moving between cars thus had to pull open three sets of doors. The trains were not intended for use with high-level platforms, and there were no traps covering the steps down to platform level. A five-car trainset could be configured with up to 44 coach seats in the end power cars, 80 coach seats in the middle coaches and to up 60 seats in the snack bar for a maximum of 308 passengers.{{cite journal | title=The American Turboliner | journal=ASME | volume=75 | issue=GT-108 |date=Dec 1975 | url=https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/proceedings-pdf/GT1975/79771/V01BT02A044/2391428/v01bt02a044-75-gt-108.pdf}}

Between 1985 and 1988, three RTG trainsets (numbered 64 to 69) were rebuilt at the Beech Grove Shops for the Empire Corridor in New York. Each trainset received an RTL-style nose and third rail capability for operation into Grand Central Terminal. A new {{convert|3000|hp}} Turbomeca engine replaced the original.{{Harvnb|Keefe|1988|p=33}} The rebuilt units were designated RTG-II.{{harvnb|Simon|Warner|2011|p=95}}

Amtrak leased two RTG trainsets from ANF for 18 months in August 1973, at $85,000 per month with an option to purchase.{{Harvnb|Congress|1974|p=41}}French turbo arrives: C'est is bon Railway Age August 27, 1973, page 10 These were based out of Chicago, and initially served the Chicago–St Louis corridor. Amtrak heralded the Turboliners as the "biggest travel news since the 747". David P. Morgan, editor-in-chief of Trains magazine, was aboard for the initial run from Chicago to St Louis on September 28, 1973, and came away with mixed impressions. He praised the large picture windows, comparing them favorably with the "rifle-slot-size" windows on the Budd Metroliner, but faulted the narrow aisles, difficult-to-navigate vestibules, and seat comfort. He found that the trains "[rode] reasonably well", even on rough track.{{Harvnb|Morgan|1974|p=21}}

Advantages over conventional diesel equipment included increased availability, higher speed through curves, and decreased weight which caused less wear on the tracks.{{Harvnb|Pier|Foster|1975|p=4}} Impressed with their reliability, Amtrak purchased the trainsets outright and ordered another four trainsets, which entered service in 1975 on the Chicago–Milwaukee and Chicago–Detroit corridors.{{harvnb|Solomon|2004|p=147}}{{Harvnb|Allen|1992|p=143}} The purchase price for the six trainsets was $18 million. Amtrak contemplated ordering an additional 14 trainsets for the partially electrified Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York City. Doing so would have required a significant rise in fares between the two cities, and the United States Department of Transportation blocked the proposal.{{Harvnb|Congress|1974|p=53}}

Amtrak established a separate maintenance facility for all six trainsets in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, on the site of a former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad coach yard.{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|p=262}} This facility closed in 1981 after the withdrawal of the RTGs from service; according to Amtrak, the trainsets were too expensive to operate compared to conventional equipment. The trainsets were mothballed at Amtrak's main maintenance facility in Beech Grove, Indiana. A contributing factor to the withdrawal was the spike in fuel prices after the Yom Kippur War.

The three rebuilt RTG-II trainsets joined the RTL trainsets on the Empire Corridor in 1988. Insufficient maintenance in the early 1990s reduced reliability and led to several fires in 1993–1994. Amtrak retired the RTG-IIs after one caught fire in Pennsylvania Station in New York on September 11, 1994.

The two daily round-trips were branded Turboliner, replacing the individual names Abraham Lincoln and Prairie State. Amtrak repeated this experiment with the Detroit and Milwaukee corridors. Track conditions limited the new trainsets to {{convert|79|mph|km/h||abbr=on}}, but they were clean, comfortable, quiet and reliable. In the first year, the Chicago–St. Louis running time dropped from 5.5 to 5 hours. The Federal Railroad Administration refused a request from Amtrak to raise the speed limit to {{convert|90|mph|km/h||abbr=on}}, citing inadequate signalling along the route. The new trains had fallen out of favor by the end of 1974: food service was inadequate, and the five-car fixed consist could not handle demand. Amfleet coaches and new conventional diesels replaced both of the Turboliner trainsets in 1975.{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|pp=227–229}}

Turboliners arrived on the Detroit run on April 10, 1975. Additional equipment allowed Amtrak to add a round-trip in late April; the arrival of a third trainset in May made Chicago–Detroit the "first all-turbine-powered route". After one year of operation, ridership on the corridor had increased by 72 percent. The fixed capacity of 292 passengers on an RTL trainset proved an impediment; Amtrak could not add capacity when demand outstripped supply. Amtrak replaced one of the trainsets with a conventional locomotive hauling then-new Amfleet coaches in 1976; Turboliner service ended altogether by 1981 as more Amfleet equipment became available.{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|pp=195–202}}

Turboliners debuted on the Hiawatha corridor on June 1, 1975, and more trainsets began operating in 1976. As with the St. Louis and Detroit corridors, Amtrak dropped individual names in favor of the Turboliner branding in 1976, but reinstated these names in 1980. Turboliner equipment was withdrawn altogether in 1981. Their withdrawal was the end of Turboliner service in the Midwest.{{harvnb|Sanders|2006|p=176}}

{{Infobox train

| background =

| name = RTL Turboliner

| image = Amtrak Empire Corridor Turboliner.jpg

| imagealt = An RTL Turboliner crosses the Seneca River near Savannah, New York in 1984

| imagesize = 300px

| caption = An RTL Turboliner crosses the Seneca River near Savannah, New York, in 1984

| interiorimage = Turboliner RTL 150 inside 1088.agr.jpg

| interiorimagealt = Interior of an RTL train set in 1988

| interiorcaption = Interior on an RTL train in 1988

| service = 1976–2003

| manufacturer = Rohr Industries

| factory =

| family =

| replaced =

| yearconstruction = 1976

| yearservice =

| refurbishment = 2003

| yearscrapped =

| numberconstruction =

| numberbuilt = 7 trainsets

| numberservice =

| numberpreserved = 3 (in storage - derelict condition)

| numberscrapped = 4

| formation = Five cars

| fleetnumbers = 2150–2163 (formerly 150–163)

| capacity = 264 passengers

| operator = Amtrak

| depots =

| lines = Empire Corridor

| carbody =

| trainlength = {{convert|425|ft}}

| carlength =

| width = {{convert|10|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}

| height =

| floorheight =

| platformheight =

| entrylevelorstep =

| doors =

| art-sections =

| weight = {{convert|308|ST|LT t}}

| axleload =

| maxspeed = {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on}}

| acceleration = {{convert|1|mph/s|km/h/s}}

| deceleration =

| traction =

| engine =

| enginetype = Turboshaft

| poweroutput = {{convert|2280|hp}}

| transmission =

| aux =

| powersupply =

| hvac =

| electricsystem = 600 V DC third rail
into Grand Central Terminal or Pennsylvania Station

| collectionmethod = Contact shoe

| uicclass =

| aarwheels = B-2

| bogies =

| brakes =

| safety =

| coupling =

| multipleworking =

| gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}

| traction motors =

| notes =

}}

Amtrak ordered another seven Turboliner trainsets, which were delivered between 1976 and 1977.DOT Approves Turbo Purchase Amtrak News August 1, 1974, page 1Americanizing the Turboliner Railway Age April 14, 1975, pages 20, 21, 26, 27{{cite magazine |title=Amtrak [news] |date=November 1977 |magazine=Pacific News |issue=171 |page=20 |url=http://magazine.trainlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pne_197601.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722110716/http://magazine.trainlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pne_197601.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |url-status=dead |issn=0030-879X}} These were manufactured by Rohr Industries in Chula Vista, California, and were known as RTL Turboliners.{{harvnb|Solomon|2004|p=148}}{{harvnb|USDOT|1994|pp=2–25}} They were based on the earlier RTG series, but had American-style Janney couplers throughout and a different design of power car cab.{{harvnb|NTSB|1981|pp=9–10}} The standard configuration of each set was five cars: power cars at either end, a food service car, and two coaches. In that configuration, each trainset could carry 264 passengers.{{Harvnb|Johnston|2003|p=24}} At times, Amtrak operated Turboliners with an additional coach cut into the consist.{{Harvnb|NTSB|1981|p=3}} These were the final gas turbine trainsets purchased by Amtrak; conventional diesel locomotive-hauled trains proved cheaper to operate.{{Harvnb|Pinkepank|Marre|1979|p=84}}

The RTL Turboliners were wider than the RTG Turboliners ({{convert|10|ft|m|2|disp=or|sp=us}} versus {{convert|9|ft|5+1/2|in|m|2|disp=or|sp=us}}) to accommodate more seating. The floor height was raised for use on the high-level platforms of the Northeast Corridor. Although the RTGs continued to operate under a waiver from the regulation, the RTLs were built to meet the Federal Railroad Administration's buff strength requirement of {{convert|800000|lb|1}}.

File:Amt Turboliner-3rd-rail-shoe.jpg.]]

The RTL Turboliners were capable of third rail operation, allowing them to enter Grand Central Terminal and, later, Pennsylvania Station in New York City.{{harvnb|EuDaly|Schafer|Jessup|Boyd|2009|p=227}} Under third rail operation the trains were limited to {{convert|45|mph|kph|1}}.{{Harvnb|Pier|1989|p=2}} As it had with the earlier RTGs in the Midwest, Amtrak set up a separate maintenance facility in Rensselaer, New York. This facility opened on November 30, 1977, and cost $15 million.{{harvnb|Amtrak|2011|p=32}} As built, the RTLs carried {{convert|2560|gal}} of fuel, permitting an operational range of {{convert|950|mi}}. The seven trainsets cost $32 million.

The official inaugural run of the RTLs took place on September 18–19, 1976. Regular service on the Empire Corridor began on September 20. Initially, the two trainsets were mostly confined to the New York–Albany shuttle, with a single round-trip each on Saturday and Sunday to Buffalo. The New York–Montreal Adirondack received Turboliners on March 1, 1977, replacing conventional equipment. By April 1977, Turboliners had displaced conventional equipment on most routes in upstate New York. Exceptions included some New York–Albany trains, as well as the long-distance Lake Shore Limited and Niagara Rainbow. In 1989, after 12 years of operation, the availability of the fleet was at 90%.

In 1995, Amtrak and the State of New York collaborated to rebuild a single RTL trainset at a cost of $2 million. This rebuild included a pair of new Turbomeca Makila T1 turbines, each capable of developing {{convert|1600|hp}}.Amtrak contract goes to Turbomeca Railways Age Jne 1994 page 23Turo Train Refurbished International Railway Journal March 1995 page 4 The interiors were to be renovated, and the exterior paint scheme changed. Morrison-Knudsen rebuilt the power cars, while Amtrak overhauled the coach interiors at Beech Grove. The rebuilt trainset was designated RTL-II. In test runs on the Empire and Northeast Corridors, it reached a top speed of {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on}}, all the while consuming less fuel than previously.

{{See also|New York high-speed rail}}

File:RTL Turboliner at Adams Yard on Northeast Corridor in August 2021.jpg

In 1998, Amtrak and the State of New York began the High Speed Rail Improvement Program, a $185 million effort to improve service over the Empire Corridor. A key component was the reconstruction of all seven RTL Turboliner trainsets to the RTL-III specification. New York selected Super Steel Schenectady to perform the work, and the first two trainsets were to enter service in 1999. Numerous delays pushed the start of service to April 2003. Of the five additional trainsets, originally scheduled to enter service in 2002, only one was completed and it never entered revenue service. All seven trainsets were renumbered in 2001 to prevent duplicate numbers with the new GE P42DCs and were painted in new Acela-style livery.{{harvnb|Simon|Warner|2011|p=98}} One of the rebuilt RTL-IIIs was tested on the night of February 15, 2001, reaching {{convert|125|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.

The first rebuilt RTL-III entered service on April 14, 2003.Turbos return Railway Gazette International May 2003 page 258 The agreement between Amtrak and New York provided that New York would take ownership of the rebuilt trainsets once Amtrak had "fully accepted" them for regular revenue service. Amtrak withdrew all RTL-IIIs from service in June after problems developed with the air-conditioning systems. In 2004, New York sued Amtrak in federal court for $477 million, both for not operating the trainsets and for failing to complete track work in the Empire Corridor to permit regular {{convert|125|mph|kph|0|adj=on}} operation. Amtrak mothballed the equipment at its maintenance facility in Bear, Delaware. Joseph H. Boardman, then-Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation (and a future president of Amtrak), accused Amtrak of "stealing" the trains and threatened to find a new vendor for the state's intercity rail service. Conventional Amfleet equipment replaced the trainsets in revenue service.

In April 2005, New York reached a settlement with Super Steel to close the rehabilitation project for $5.5 million, requiring them to stop work on the project, cover remaining costs, and move four unfinished trains into storage at a nearby industrial park. This settlement, when added to the $64.8 million previously spent, brought total project expenses—the results of which were three rehabilitated trainsets and four others in various states of repair—to $70.3 million. In 2007, Amtrak and New York settled their own lawsuit, with Amtrak paying New York $20 million. Amtrak and New York further agreed to commit $10 million each to implement track improvements in the Empire Corridor. New York, which was paying $150,000 per year to store the unused trains, auctioned off its four surplus Turboliners in 2012 for $420,000, including spare parts; scrapping began in 2013.

{{portal|Trains}}

• Bombardier JetTrain
• Turbine-electric transmission

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web | url=http://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/celebrating-40-years-of-adirondack-service | title=Celebrating 40 Years of the Adirondack | date=August 5, 2014 | access-date=August 5, 2014 | author=Amtrak| author-link=Amtrak }}

{{cite web | title=Join Amtrak for a journey into the future | author=Amtrak | date=April 1977 | url=http://history.amtrak.com/archives/turboliner-brochure-1977}}

{{Federal Register|64|25544}}

{{cite news|title=Train of the future? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1325134/turboliners/|newspaper=Idaho State Journal|date=February 22, 1974|page=22|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = November 21, 2014 }} {{Open access}}

{{cite journal | title=Super Steel Schenectady | journal=RailNews | last=Martin | first=Ben | date=July 1999 | issue=428 | url=http://www.trainlife.com/magazines/pages/185/13510/july-1999-page-56 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041323/http://www.trainlife.com/magazines/pages/185/13510/july-1999-page-56 | archive-date=March 4, 2016}}

{{cite journal | title=Forty Years of Amtrak Locomotive Horns | journal=Key, Lock & Lantern | volume=40 | issue=4 |date=Nov–Dec 2011 | url=http://klnl.org/magazine/KLLNews11.pdf}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/01/feb23_2_01.htm | title=Governor Announces Successful 125 MPH Run Of NY's High Speed Train | author=New York State | date=February 21, 2001 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717163625/http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/01/feb23_2_01.htm | archive-date=July 17, 2006 | url-status=dead}}

{{cite news |title=Amtrak Replacing Trains |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/06/us/amtrak-replacing-trains.html |date=September 6, 1981 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129205539/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/06/us/amtrak-replacing-trains.html |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite web|title=Turboliner Modernization Project SSSI Payment Verification and Close-out Costs Report 2004-S-10 |date=February 9, 2005 |first=Carmen |last=Maldonaldo |url=http://www.osc.state.ny.us/audits/allaudits/093005/04s10.pdf |work=Office of the New York State Comptroller |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114085923/http://www.osc.state.ny.us/audits/allaudits/093005/04s10.pdf |archive-date=November 14, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite web|title= A turbo in your future? |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16678867.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924143639/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16678867.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|publisher=Railway Age |via=HighBeam|access-date=July 27, 2014|date=March 1, 1995 | first=William C. | last=Vantuono}}

{{cite web | url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2013/01/new-york-turboliners-being-scrapped | title=New York Turboliners being scrapped | work=Trains News Wire | date=January 4, 2013 | access-date=September 25, 2016}} {{subscription required}}

{{cite news|title=Turboliners coming |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1331368/turboliner_debut_in_new_york/|newspaper=Times Record|date=September 8, 1976|page=2|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = November 23, 2014 }} {{Open access}}

{{cite news|title=New turbotrains draw crowds at stops around the state |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1331438/turboliner_schedule/|newspaper=Times Record|date=September 20, 1976|page=2|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = November 23, 2014 | first=Eric | last=Anderson}} {{Open access}}

{{cite news|title=Plodding along on the 'trains of the future'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1331524/turboliners_in_new_york_1977/|newspaper=Times Record|date=April 6, 1977|page=7|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = November 23, 2014 }} {{Open access}}

{{cite news |title=Amtrak Retires Line of Trains: Schedules to Change After Fire-Prone Turboliners Are Pulled |url=http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5694906 |newspaper=Times Union |date=October 20, 1994 |first=Julie Carr |last=Smyth |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809112628/http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=5694906 |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite news |title=DOT Rails Against Amtrak |url=http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6255095 |newspaper=Times Union |date=September 23, 2004 |first=Cathy |last=Woodruff |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140817194313/http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6255095 |archive-date=August 17, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite news |title=Express rail plan hits end of line |url=http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/pf_headline.asp?id=13679 |newspaper=Times Union |date=May 28, 2005 |first=Cathy |last=Woodruff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084101/http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/pf_headline.asp?id=13679 |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite news |title=Track cleared for upgrades; State suit settled; Amtrak to pay $20M, make improvements |url=http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6433663 |newspaper=Times Union |date=December 13, 2007 |first=Cathy |last=Woodruff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111072558/http://alb.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6433663 |archive-date=November 11, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

{{cite web|last=Karlin |first=Rick |title=Trains' final destination: Scrap |url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/State-s-rusting-trains-sell-for-420-000-4116188.php |access-date=December 13, 2012 |newspaper=Times Union |date=December 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322232019/http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/State-s-rusting-trains-sell-for-420-000-4116188.php |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

}}

• {{cite book | title=The World's Fastest Trains: From the Age of Steam to the TGV | last=Allen | first=Geoffrey Freeman | year=1992 | edition=2nd | publisher=Patrick Stephens Limited | location=Sparkford | isbn=1-85260-380-1 | oclc=26752357}}
• {{cite book | title=Amtrak: an American story | year=2011 | author=Amtrak | publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation | location=Washington, D.C. | isbn=978-0-87116-444-5 | oclc=731030633}}
• {{cite book |url=http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42600/42679/ord9601.pdf |title=Design Data on Suspension Systems of Selected Rail Passenger Cars |last1=Bing |first1=Alan J. |last2=Berry |first2=Shaun R. |last3=Henderson |first3=Hal B. |date=1996 |publisher=Federal Railroad Administration |location=Washington, D.C.}}
• {{cite book | title=Electric Railways 1880-1990 | date=2003 | last=Duffy | first=Michael C. | publisher=IET | location=London | isbn=978-0-85296-805-5}}
• {{Complete Book of North American Railroading | display-authors=1}}
• {{Cite journal|url = http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=10198125&site=ehost-live |title=Hudson River Turboliners finally rolling|last = Johnston|first = Bob|date = August 2003|journal = Trains| volume = 63|issue = 8}} {{subscription required|via=[https://www.ebsco.com EBSCO]'s MasterFILE Complete}}
• {{Cite journal| volume = 48| issue = 12| last = Keefe| first = Kevin P.| title = Beech Grove| journal = Trains | date = October 1988 | pages=28–35 | issn=0041-0934}}
• {{cite web | title=Alternate Rail Technology Overview: Final Report | author=Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | date=August 3, 1995 | url=http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/studies/1995-Alternate-Rail-Technology-Overview.pdf | ref={{Harvid|LACMTA|1995}} | author-link=Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority }}
• {{cite journal | title=Biggest travel news since the 747? | last=Morgan | first=David P. | journal=Trains | volume=34 | issue=3 | pages=20–23 | date=January 1974 | issn=0041-0934}}
• {{cite book | title=Railroad/highway accident report: Collision of a Crown-Trygg Construction Company truck with an Amtrak passenger train Elwood, Illinois November 19, 1975 |year=1976| author-link=National Transportation Safety Board | author=NTSB | oclc=45567906 | url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NTSB-RHR-76-2.pdf}}
• {{cite book | title=Railroad accident report: head-end collision of Amtrak passenger train no. 74 and Conrail train OPSE-7, Dobbs Ferry, New York, November 7, 1980 | year=1981 | author-link=National Transportation Safety Board | author=NTSB | oclc=7530396 | url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NTSB_RAR-81-4.pdf}}
• {{cite conference |doi=10.1115/75-GT-108 |title=The American Turboliner |last1=Pier |first1=J. R. |last2=Foster |first2=J. L. |date=1975 |publisher=American Society of Mechanical Engineers |conference=Gas Turbine Conference & Products Show, Houston, Texas, March 2–6, 1975 |id=75-GT-108 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite conference |url=http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/data/Conferences/ASMEP/83362/V002T04A003-89-GT-110.pdf |title=The American Turboliner: A Progress Report |last1=Pier |first1=Jerome R. |date=1989 |publisher=American Society of Mechanical Engineers |conference=Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exposition, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 4–8, 1989 |id=89-GT-110 |access-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817215239/http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/data/Conferences/ASMEP/83362/V002T04A003-89-GT-110.pdf |archive-date=August 17, 2017 |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite book | last1=Pinkepank | first1=Jerry A. | last2=Marre | first2=Louis A. | title=Diesel Spotter's Guide Update | date=1979 | publisher=Kalmbach Publishing | location=Milwaukee, WI | isbn=0-89024-029-9}}
• {{Sanders-Heartland}}
• {{Amtrak By the Numbers}}
• {{Solomon-Amtrak}}
• {{cite book | title=Amtrak authorization--1975 hearings before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Aeronautics of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Ninety-third Congress, second session, on H.R. 15427 and H.R. 15428 ... June 17 and 20, 1974 | author=United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Subcommittee on Transportation and Aeronautics | date=1974 | location=Washington, D.C. | publisher=United States Government Printing Office | url=http://memory.loc.gov/service/ll/pdbs/pdbs13a/PDBS_300_test/00078709959/00078709959.pdf | ref={{Harvid | Congress | 1974}} }}
• {{cite book | title=Final environmental impact statement/report and 4(f) statement: Northeast Corridor Improvement Project Electrification-New Haven, CT to Boston, MA | author=United States Department of Transportation | author-link=United States Department of Transportation | date=1994 | location=Washington, D.C. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ42AQAAMAAJ | ref={{harvid | USDOT | 1994}} }}

• {{cite conference |title=Rohr Industries Train |last1=Pier |first1=Jerome R. |date=1976 |publisher=Transportation Research Institute |book-title=Improved Passenger Train Service |location=Pittsburgh |conference=Carnegie-Mellon Conference on Improved Passenger Train Service December 2–4, 1975 |editor-last=Hlasnick |editor-first=Marie T. }}

{{Commons category multi|Amtrak Class RTL|Amtrak Class RTG}}

• [http://history.amtrak.com/archives/@@archives?q=turboliner Turboliners on Amtrak's History site]

{{Amtrak rollingstock}}

{{Lightweight Trains}}

Category:High-speed trains of the United States

Category:Amtrak rolling stock

Category:B-2 locomotives

Category:Gas turbine locomotives of the United States

Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1973

Category:1973 establishments in the United States

Category:Scrapped locomotives