Rensselaer 5 Or 35 Years Ago Today? On October 25, 2021, Amtrak Train 290 returned to Albany-Rensselaer, New York, from its origin point of Rutland, Vermont, with extra cargo. AMTK 406 (F40NPCU - Non-Powered Control Unit),AMTK 713 (P32AC-DM), and an Amfleet car had spent the previous day making two round trips as the Burlington Qualification Train, and were added onto the rear of the standard consist for this leg of the trip. This was the first Amtrak equipment to operate from Rutland to Burlington, Vermont, with an Amtrak crew qualifying for the upcoming service extension. At that time, AMTK 406 was not equipped with PTC, making it the perfect locomotive to lead on Vermont Railway territory. This was also its first appearance on the road in several years; it had served a short stint on the Downeaster after its 40th Anniversary Train assignment and had then been stored or under repair during the pandemic. Although there were plans to use this unit more frequently, it was largely sidelined again until PTC was installed. Around this time, it was renumbered 90406 to align with the rest of the F40NPCU fleet and shipped off to Downeaster service again.

Full resolution pics and prints: https://www.riverrailphoto.com/amtrak/e65363575