For the last 9 months or so Amtrak has advertised the King Tut exhibit on one of its locomotives. Over the months I’ve photographed the 470 a handful of times but I never did capture the nose herald the way I wanted to though.
Amtrak engine 470, sporting a wrap advertising the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center,
guides Amtrak Cascades train 501 into Vancouver depot.
Now, many railfans found the wrap on the 470 appalling. I can see that. It really does take away from the traditional look of the locomotive. Personally I didn’t mind it at all. I thought the design of the overall advertisement was appropriate and it fit onto the locomotive well. What really made this nice for me is now not every Amtrak Cascades train looked exactly the same!
I never went out of my way to photograph this unit but when it was around I did make sure to capture it in some way. Now that the exhibit ended I’m expecting the wrap will be removed and the 470 will go back to its former atire. Last weekend when the king arrived at the Vancouver depot I made sure to capture it again and focus on the nose that I’d never really captured. Who knows, this might be the last time I see the 470 this way.
Oh, should I tell the king his right flap is down?
