Sen. Durbin and refurbished Amtrak car

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Stimulus side note: Amtrak's Ray Lang, said that the car was refurbished by an Indiana company that rehired 108 employees to help rehab the steel, water and electrical units on this and other railroad cars previously sidelined in storage. An Illinois company made the new seats for the two-deck car.

The car is one of 81 that are being put back in service with the help of the stimulus money, Lang said. The Superliner brought to Normal on Wednesday now is part of the Texas Eagle train, which runs from Chicago to San Antonio, Texas.

Railcar features

A 1981 Superliner that was damaged in a 2005 accident has been fixed up and was on display Wednesday in Normal. The $709,464 refurbishment included:

- Replacing the lower-level floor and rebuilding wheel and suspension assemblies

- Updating inside color scheme (from orange and brown to blue and white) and amenities

- Replacing seating, carpet, cushions, batteries, lamps, door motors, toilets, water heaters and windows

- Modernizing the second-story lounge with outlets for laptop computers; the addition of a recycling bin

SOURCE: Amtrak