Amtrak’s new 31,000-square-foot locomotive service facility and maintenance shop services heavy rail cars and houses a 55-ton overhead bridge crane and a 125-ton drop table used to switch out traction motors and locomotive axles. To handle the immense equipment loads, the locomotive facility was built on top a series of steel-driven pipe piles, driven to an average depth of 180 feet below grade. The new structure allows two sets of train tracks to traverse through the shop and connect with the rest of Amtrak’s train yard, connecting directly with the mainline tracks that feed the West Coast. 

Access for equipment of this magnitude required that 75 feet of structure was added to the enclosure and provisions were made to allow the 55-ton bridge crane to pass through two custom doors. This enables Amtrak to safely load and unload material without pulling trucks and trailers into the shop that could interrupt other train maintenance needs. 

Lighting needs in any maintenance facility is key. To reduce artificial lighting needs and electrical consumption, we installed 29 large translucent panels on three sides of the pre-engineered metal building. These panels, combined with the white epoxy painted walls, removed the need for artificial lighting. In gray winter months, custom LED light fixtures with pre-attached occupancy sensors eliminate the need for a main lighting control system and ensured Amtrak is only lighting the work areas as needed, minimizing energy waste.