Amtrak Dash 8 Duo! 12 Hour Late Auto Train 53 Flies Through Moncks Corner SC With Great K5LA Action!

Read Description For Background Information Check Out My Friends That Were There As Well! : ‪@chsrails‬ ‪@Thisgirllovestrains‬ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- History was made on October 10th (Saturday night) with a report from one Amtrak 53's crew members, who explained that there was a high possibility for two of Amtrak's P32-8BWH's or Dash 8's would be sole power for that day's southbound Auto Train due to the original equipment (2 Amtrak ALC-42 Chargers) picked a derail and was put on the ground before departure. After a lot of departure push backs, Amtrak 53 of October 10th departed Lorton, VA just after 11:00pm (2300). Word had spread quickly already by that point and railfans all along the RF&P corridor headed to the tracks to see if the Dash 8's really were on their leading. Sure enough, a Facebook post popped up not far from Lorton of 53 of both said Dash 8's being AMTK 516 and AMTK 511 which came in on a powermove to Lorton the day prior. Just before 01:00am, Auto Train 53 glided past the Ashland VRF railcam with those locomotives thumping away. I would wake up around 05:00am to see the status of 53....it is stopped just north of Rocky Mount on the single main track. We found out pretty soon that AMTK 511 died enroute and was eventually cut out and set to trail dead in tow (DIT). Since Auto Train needs at least two locomotives for the whole journey, Amtrak Silver Meteor 98 (P098-10) led by AMTK 204 gave its trailing motor, AMTK 336, to 53 to trail under power. The orientation for both 204 and 336 were north so neither motors could lead 53 if they wanted to. And to solidify that point, 336 is a trail only unit as of now due to having an "inoperable horn". That raised the chances dramatically of the Dash 8's to continue leading for the rest of the journey. It makes good time through Carolina's under daylight after a crew change and refuel at Rocky Mount. I was already around the Charleston area staying with my friends that weekend for a concert that Sunday so chances were already high for a daylight run. We decided to setup in front of the depot at Moncks Corner, SC which is the A365 and once 01:16pm (13:16) hit, 53 called the signal a mile a head of us just before Moncks Corner. Then boom, showtime and the rest is history. This was my very first time seeing any of Amtrak's Dash 8's lead a train. And for it to be two on Auto Train in the daytime made for a possibly once in a lifetime sight and likely one to never happen again consisting of two P32-8BWH's and a ALC-42 Charger leading the charge southbound on the east coast. With all that being said, hope you enjoy today's video! Please show some love to this video if you liked it! Don't forget to comment, rate, like, and subscribe for more content like this. This is CJ, until next time. Peace out y'all! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P053-10 [Amtrak 53] (Lorton, VA - Sanford, FL) AMTK P32-8BWH 516 {RL K5LA} AMTK P32-8BWH 511 AMTK ALC-42 336 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Railfanning Equipment: -Sony HDR-CX330 Camcorder (Main View) -Sony HDR-CX330 Camcorder (Secondary View) -iPhone 14 Pro Max (Handheld/Third View) -iPhone XR (Static View) -Canon EOS 77D with EF-S 18-135mm lens (Photos) -SLIK Pro 700DX Professional Tripod with KingJoy VT-1500 Fluid Tripod Head (Main Cam Tripod) -Jolican 75” Camera Tripod (Ground & Phone Tripod) -Uniden BC75XLT Scanner with Diamond Antenna SRJ77CA -Adobe Premiere Elements 2026 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 - Amtrak 53 (P053-10) Calling Out A364 00:05 - Crossings In Moncks Corner Activate 00:26 - Horn Sequence Start; Main View 01:55 - Handheld View 02:38 - Secondary/Ground View 04:05 - Outro