Message #336114

[Robert Pence]

Is Indiana eligible for a piece of this discussion, and does it have to be automobile plants?

I remember that it came up recently in one of our conversations that Amtrak intends to either scale back or shut down its facility at Beech Grove (Suburban Indianapolis). Back in the late 1980s - early '90s they invested a ton of money in part of the old Big 4 shops to create a state-of-the-art facility capable of heavy repair, including everything from wreck repair to scheduled rehabs on cars and locomotives. I can't remember all the details, but the Beech Grove shops played a significant part in building the prototype Viewliner cars.

European and Asian railroads used to send technicians and observers to Beech Grove to see how a first-class maintenance facility should be run.

There's a facility that doesn't need to be converted, and is underutilized but to a great extent fully equipped to do the work. If Amtrak doesn't want it, it seems to me that someone like M-K (Morrison-Knudsen) or Bombardier ought to be interested in buying or leasing it.