The Flickr Amtrak164 Image Generatr

On the morning of December 28, 2024, it was reported that Amtrak's eastbound California Zephyr, with Phase IV Heritage Unit 164 on point, broke down somewhere way out west and Union Pacific stuck a freight unit on the train to drag it into Chicago. At that time, the train was running over 2 1/2 hours late, which would've put it into Chicago by mid-afternoon.

On this day, I had just started to recover from being sick from the previous two weeks, including Christmas Day, and I needed to get more medication. So I wanted to catch the train when I went to get more meds.

The train continued to lose time due to the reduced speeds of the freight unit. With long lines at the pharmacy, I went for the train first. But the Amtrak app was not updating, and I waited in the cold far longer than I thought. By the time the train passed me in Sandwich, IL, the sun had already set and was now well over 4 hours late into Chicago.

Not only would this be my last train I caught in 2024, these would actually be the last photos I took in 2024. Ironically, standing out in the cold for over an hour waiting for this was actually soothing to my sore throat, and the sickness finally broke the next night.

On the morning of December 28, 2024, it was reported that Amtrak's eastbound California Zephyr, with Phase IV Heritage Unit 164 on point, broke down somewhere way out west and Union Pacific stuck a freight unit on the train to drag it into Chicago. At that time, the train was running over 2 1/2 hours late, which would've put it into Chicago by mid-afternoon.

On this day, I had just started to recover from being sick from the previous two weeks, including Christmas Day, and I needed to get more medication. So I wanted to catch the train when I went to get more meds.

The train continued to lose time due to the reduced speeds of the freight unit. With long lines at the pharmacy, I went for the train first. But the Amtrak app was not updating, and I waited in the cold far longer than I thought. By the time the train passed me in Sandwich, IL, the sun had already set and was now well over 4 hours late into Chicago.

Not only would this be my last train I caught in 2024, these would actually be the last photos I took in 2024. Ironically, standing out in the cold for over an hour waiting for this was actually soothing to my sore throat, and the sickness finally broke the next night.

It's New Years Day and having departed Sacramento train #6 races towards its station stop in Roseville with Phase 4 heritage unit #164 on point.

Amtrak #164 leads train #6 up Track #2 in Rocklin on New Years Day.

An unusual motive power arrangement is presented on today's Chicago-bound California Zephyr, with UP 6617 (AC4400CW) leading Amtrak "Phase IV" heritage unit 164 past the Mendota, IL Amtrak station, as a couple of BNSF Geeps on the local stand by.

Amtrak #98 the northbound Silver Meteor races through Folkston with Amtrak #164 on point.

Amtrak #98 the northbound Silver Meteor races through Folkston with Amtrak #164 on point.

The Heartland Flyer navigates the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma

Amtrak's Heartland Flyer crossing Hockley Creek, Rd north of Valley View, Tx

Amtrak 164 (Phase IV Heritage unit) lead's this past Saturday's 332 Hiawatha out of Milwaukee.

Due to a number of mechanical issues sidelining some of the SC44 Charger units, Amtrak 164, the Phase IV heritage unit, was called in to assist on the Hiawatha turns.

Here it is seen (looking relatively clean) pulling train 342 out of the Glenview, IL station with some of the new Venture coaches in tow. Quite the contrast in paint schemes.

Amtrak 3 races through Riverside after departing Chicago 59 minutes behind schedule. Amtrak 203 (Operation Lifesaver) and 164 (Phase 4) lead the train on its journey to Los Angeles.

Amtrak's newest heritage unit leads the westbound California Zephyr over Donner Pass. Maintenance along the pass and heavy traffic slowed the train down a little bit for a good chunk of the trip but not long later the train would halt for two hours near Midas. By the time the train got to Roseville it would be several hours late.

164 pulls into Alexandria station on P124 heading Northbound still retaining its clean look even after being across the country.

After a quick station stop, Amtrak 6 gets back underway on its final miles to Chicago with Amtrak 164, the new Phase 4 Heritage Locomotive and 2 ALC42s running DIT.

As rain showers settle in. Amtrak 6 pulls into Naperville with freshly painted in phase 4, Amtrak 164 leading on its 3rd trip. It's seen here passing a memorial off to the left dating back to the Chicago Burlington and Quincy days when 2 passenger trains collided here.

In the mid-90s, the professional wrestling stable known as the New World Order was the hottest thing in pop culture at the time. The nWo, as it was known, had a saying, "When you're nWo, you're nWo 4-LIFE!" 25 years later, Amtrak has apparently taken a page out of the nWo's playbook. When Amtrak's heritage unit 184, painted in the "Phase IV" livery in 2011 in celebration of the railroad's 40th anniversary, was painted back to standard "Phase V" in early 2023, everyone thought "Phase IV" was officially done. Then, unexpectedly and from seemingly out of nowhere, in early May 2023, Amtrak released 164 as the new Phase IV heritage unit (albeit missing the 40th Anniversary niceties.) The first anyone seemingly ever knew of this unit was when it suddenly showed up in Chicago Union Station. Two days later it was leading it's maiden voyage on Train #5, the westbound California Zephyr. Here it can be seen passing through Somonauk, IL, on the return portion of this maiden voyage on the point of the Zephyr's eastbound counterpart, Train #6. In tow behind trailing locomotive 54 is a special treat, two brand new Siemens ALC-42 Chargers, 330 & 331, in Amtrak's newest "Phase 7" livery. So it would seem that, like the New World Order, when Amtrak is Phase IV, it is Phase IV-LIFE!.

Amtrak 164 leads Amk5 across the ottumwa sub

Amtrak 164 with train #3, passing the "Magnetic Flagman", the last in Colorado, seen at Delhi, Colorado on the Raton Sub, on Sept 22, 2017.