Talgo high-speed trains to sport Badger colors, traditional locomotives

By Kay Nolan,  September 9, 2010

Kay Nolan is a contributing writer for WisBusiness.com. This article ran in the September 9, 2010 issue.

Wisconsin transportation officials have chosen a bright, white-and-red color scheme for the exterior of its new high-speed train sets, but the modern, cutting-edge passenger cars will be pulled, for the time being, by existing Amtrak locomotives.

The new Series 8 passenger train sets being manufactured for Wisconsin’s Hiawatha Service by Talgo will feature airtight doors, ice-free windows, handicap accessibility and Wi-Fi capability. There will also be a bistro car, which will serve hot and cold sandwiches and beverages.

But the front of the new trains will look more familiar than futuristic, leading with P42 Amtrak Empire Builder locomotives. There aren’t any immediate plans to paint the locomotives to match, either, unlike Amtrak’s Cascades route in the Pacific Northwest, which uses Talgo Series 6 train cars pulled by Amtrak locomotives.