This week typically ranks as the busiest across the Amtrak national system as people head home to see family and friends for Thanksgiving. Last year, Amtrak carried a record 754,000 passengers during the same travel period. Extra seating and trains are added to busy corridor routes in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, California and the Chicago hub to accommodate the large volume of passengers. Whether they are new to Amtrak or experienced with the railroad, travelers can take advantage of these suggested travel tips to ensure a smooth journey.

For railroad fans, nothing is quite like the bustle of a train station on a major holiday, where people from all walks of life cross paths for a brief moment or two before continuing on to their destinations. Onboard trains, a festive air takes hold, anticipation building as the scheduled stops are made. Many Amtrak service attendants and sleeping car attendants also take personal time to decorate their cars and add a bit of holiday cheer.

Thanks to the staff of Amtrak NEWS, we can enjoy a peek into the Thanksgiving Eve rush of 1977 at Washington Union Station, as seen in the images below.

Glancing through the photo essay, those familiar with historic Washington Union Station might not recognize the interiors, generally known for their classically-inspired elegance. That’s because these photographs show a small facility that the railroads had built north of the headhouse. It was constructed so that the historic station could be renovated to serve as the National Visitors Center, intended to welcome large crowds expected to descend upon Washington for the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976.

In order to install exhibits, a theater, bookstore and café in the soaring Main Hall, Concourse and East Hall, essential passenger functions were relocated to the new facility closer to the tracks. Carol Highsmith and Ted Landphair, authors of a book on Union Station, describe the experience for travelers: “Train passengers alighting at the front door ran a marathon gauntlet…they lugged grips…around [the theater] in the Main Hall, through a portico to the old Concourse, past displays, then onto a seventy-foot concrete road across the gap between the Concourse and the replacement station. From that depot, riders of long-haul trains faced another serpentine tramp up or down more corridors, stairs, and escalators.”¹

Graham Claytor, Jr. with newly-renovated Washington Union
Station in the background.

The National Visitors Center closed for good by early 1981, and the building’s future remained uncertain until Congress passed the Union Station Redevelopment Act later that year. It set the ground for one of the largest public-private redevelopment efforts in the nation’s history, a multi-year project that transformed the station into a successful mixed-use space with a new rail concourse, shops, restaurants and other amenities. With the station’s grand reopening in 1988, Amtrak moved its corporate offices into the upper floors, where they remain today. Two decades later, the people of Washington gathered again to celebrate Union Station, this time marking its 100^th birthday and undisputed status as a vital intermodal hub for the entire region.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving memory involving Amtrak? Share it with us in the comments section below!

From all of us at Amtrak, we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

¹ Carol H. Highsmith and Ted Landphair, Union Station: A History of Washington’s Grand Terminal, (Archetype Press, 1988).

Reviewing his first full year as president and chairman of Amtrak, W. Graham Claytor, Jr. highlighted the achievements the company had made toward lowering costs and maximizing available resources. “I am committed to running as efficient a railroad as any in the country, and to providing the best transportation service offered by any carrier,” he declared.

Although the nation was recovering from a recession and intercity rail travel faced increasing competition from the airlines, which were in the process of deregulation, Amtrak managed to maintain steady ridership and increased revenues by 8.1 percent in fiscal year 1983. The company covered 54 percent of its total operating costs with revenues, and in the Northeast, regional routes passed the break-even mark for the first time since Amtrak began operations in 1971.

The California Zephyr was born out of the reroute of the San Francisco Zephyr in the summer of 1983.

Claytor attributed the year’s successes to capital investments, improved labor productivity and service modifications undertaken to improve routes’ financial performance. Recent capital investments encompassed the rebuilding and modernization of maintenance facilities including the Chicago Yard, as well as delivery of new, standardized equipment such as the Amfleet II cars used on long-distance routes. The Joint Labor/Management Productivity Council met regularly to examine work processes and recommend productivity improvements.

A key service initiative was the summer reroute of the San Francisco Zephyr (Chicago-Cheyenne-Oakland/San Francisco) from southern Wyoming through Colorado and Utah. This was made possible by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad’s (D&RGW) decision to discontinue its Rio Grande Zephyr(Denver-Salt Lake City), the country’s last privately operated intercity passenger train, which operated over the Colorado route. The D&RGW route along the Colorado River was considered “more scenic and marketable” and offered links to major ski resorts. To celebrate the reroute of the San Francisco Zephyr to the D&RGW tracks, the train was renamed the California Zephyr (Chicago-Salt Lake City-Oakland/San Francisco).

Customers on the Auto Train enjoyed the view from refurbished
dome cars.

Later in the year, Amtrak launched its version of the Auto Traindue to strong public demand. The train, which carried passengers and their motor vehicles between Northern Virginia and central Florida, had been operated by a private company from 1971 to 1981, but was discontinued after the operator faced financial difficulties. While the Amtrak Board of Directors considered running the service, the company received more than 400 requests for reservations. The train launched as a tri-weekly service in October 1983 but became daily the next year. Amtrak noted that in a customer survey, “96 percent of passengers…rated Amtrak Auto Train‘excellent’ for the courtesy of our people, the cleanliness of our equipment and the quality of the meals.”

In addition to route adjustments, Amtrak made improvements to passengers’ on-board service experience. Expanded dining, snack bar and lounge car menus offered a greater variety of meal options as well as low calorie choices in keeping with the contemporary focus on health and exercise. Skilled workers at the Beech Grove, Ind., heavy maintenance facilityrehabilitated Vista-Dome coaches for use on the Auto Train, City of New Orleans (Chicago-New Orleans) and Capitol Limited (Washington-Pittsburgh-Chicago), thereby offering riders wonderful views of the passing landscape.

Expanded snack bar and lounge car menus offered a greater
variety of meal options including low calorie choices.

The establishment of the toll-free 1-800-USA-RAIL telephone number created one point of contact, available 24 hours a day, for passengers interested in making a reservation or learning about Amtrak trains. Customers could also book tickets through one of more than 10,000 authorized travel agents. Meanwhile, through aggressive expansion, overseas sales outlets increased to 74 locations in 38 countries. Travel agents were invited to learn about the Amtrak system through a new Marketing department program called “School on Rails”; it included a train ride and talks about accommodations and service improvements.

One of the most noticeable initiatives was the On-Board Chief program introduced on long-distance trains. The chiefs worked solely on the trains, where they handled customers’ concerns, supervised on-board personnel and maintained quality control. By the end of fiscal year 1983, approximately 160 chiefs were deployed across the national network. An eight percent drop in the number of passenger complaints over the previous year was largely attributed to their presence.

The "All Aboard Amtrak" advertising campaign stressed
the comfort, reliability and convenience of rail travel.

Upgrades to the rail line between Washington and Boston continued under the Northeast Corridor Improvement Program. Crews installed 502 track miles of continuous welded rail and 397 miles of concrete ties (more than a million ties) in fiscal year 1983. Major signal and interlocking rehabilitation began at 29 locations, and catenary replacement occurred between New Rochelle, N.Y., and the East River tunnel leading to Manhattan. The community of New London, Conn., celebrated the renovation of its historic depot, and station work progressed at Baltimore, New Carrollton, Md., Wilmington, Trenton and Newark, N.J.

Carrying through an initiative begun by prior Amtrak President and Chairman Alan Boyd, the company examined ways to generate non-transportation revenue. Complementary or alternate uses were identified for real estate assets, while outside work was sought for the skilled employees at maintenance facilities. Amtrak and MCI signed a 20 year lease under which the communication company would install and operate a fiber optics system along the Northeast Corridor right-of-way between Washington and New York. Amtrak had free use of four fiber pairs; extra capacity could be resold to other users. At Beech Grove, workers moved ahead with the assembly of 290 cars intended for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan subway system.

Touting improvements to services, equipment and stations, the company unveiled the “All Aboard Amtrak” marketing campaign. It stressed the comfort, reliability and convenience of rail travel. One of the most famous pieces of advertising art associated with this campaign was a poster featuring a goose, wings outstretched, with the phrase “Not Everyone was Meant to Fly.” Through a simple image and tag line, Amtrak highlighted passenger rail as a pleasant alternative to air travel. In conjunction with this marketing effort, the company introduced the “All Aboard America Fare,” a promotional program offering discretionary travelers discounted prices on long-distance travel.

Amtrak introduced the “All Aboard America Fare” for
long-distance travelers.

Amtrak also strengthened its workforce by implementing a nationwide Equal Employment Opportunity training program directed to supervisory and management employees. According to the annual report, participants viewed films and discussed case studies. The System Safety Program, in which employees received training in workplace safety, was credited with a major 34 percent drop in the lost-time injury rate over the previous year.

The initiatives of 1983 would set the tone for Claytor’s more than a decade at the helm of Amtrak, during which department heads and employees were encouraged to always consider the company’s bottom line. A goal to cover 100 percent of short-term avoidable costs with operating revenues meant that any significant action that might improve financial performance—whether changes in routes, on-board services or internal procedures—should be examined.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition to the above links, sources consulted include:

National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Annual Report (Fiscal Year 1983).

All quotes, unless otherwise noted, are drawn from this report.

A few weeks ago, I finally had time to scan an assortment of early Amtrak promotional photographs showing car interiors and exteriors, as well as “beauty shots” of trains traveling through varied landscapes. Early in Amtrak’s history, these photos were distributed to news outlets so they would have stock images available to run with Amtrak-related stories.

Following refurbishment, Amtrak described this car as a "ranch-dorm" due to its Western decor.

Since many of the photos are unlabeled or simply have a brief note scrawled on the reverse—such as “coach” or “lower level dome,” it’s quite valuable to discover published works that include the images along with detailed captions. One such recent find was Amtrak Trains & Travel by Patrick Dorin. Published in 1979, it made extensive use of promotional photos to highlight contemporary rail travel, particularly the types of accommodations and equipment provided by Amtrak.

Books like Dorin’s served a useful purpose in the company’s first decade since the initial fleet was made up of a variety of cars and locomotives purchased and leased from the predecessor railroads. Rail fans know these early years as the “Rainbow Era” for the colorful, mix-matched equipment found on trains. In preparation for the start of service in May 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,200 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the two dozen railroads that had been relieved of their passenger service obligations. In addition to much-used coaches, Amtrak bought 90 dome cars, 50 lounge cars and 140 dining cars.

One photo from the collection that drew my attention appeared to show a lounge car with a western theme; three panels on the back wall depict a musician, man peeling potatoes and a cook. Flipping through Dorin’s book, the photo also makes an appearance under the section about lounge cars. Between the information in Amtrak Trains & Travel and typed notes on the photograph describing it as a “ranch-dorm car,” I could begin to piece together the car’s origins.

It was originally built by the Budd Company in 1956 for use on the Denver Zephyr (Chicago-Omaha-Denver) operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Two Vista Dome cars—the Silver Kettle and Silver Cup—were outfitted with a western "Chuck Wagon" theme. They included a diner/coffee-shop section seating 19 persons (shown in the image above), a counter with a dozen seats, kitchen, dome seating for 24 and a crew quarters.¹ Passengers could enjoy light meals, snacks and beverages, or sit under the dome to watch the passing scenery.

Amtrak made it clear that only certain cars met its standards.

Amtrak assigned the cars to the San Francisco Zephyr(Chicago-San Francisco) before moving them to the North Coast Hiawatha (Chicago-Billings-Seattle) in early 1974.² According to text on the back of the photograph, Amtrak had recently refurbished the car but remained respectful of its heritage: "A touch of the old West now rides with Amtrak’s Northcoast Hiawatha… [and is] a product of Amtrak’s continuing refurbishment program. Designed inwarm copper tones, the new car features copper formica counter, rust tweed carpeting, walls done in barn board for a weathered, rustic effect and denim upholstery by Levi-Strauss." Amtrak retained the original wood carvings by Denver sculptor Lorn Wallace; in total there were eight pieces depicting the activities of a roundup out on the range.

As new bi-level Superliner cars started to enter revenue service on western long-distance trains in late 1979, the older Heritage equipment was phased out. Amtrak retired the Silver Kettle and Silver Cup—and their unique interiors—in 1981.

Do you remember riding on one of the "Chuck Wagon" themed cars? Share your memories with us in the comments section below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

¹ Karl Zimmermann, Burlington's Zephyrs, (Mendota, Ill.: Andover Junction Publications, 2004).

² Fred W. Frailey, Zephyrs, Chiefs and Other Orphans, (Godfrey, Ill.: RPC Publications, 1977).

When asked to name the most scenic Amtrak routes, frequent riders often name the California Zephyr(Chicago-Denver-Emeryville), and specifically the section that passes through Colorado. There the tracks follow the Colorado River for long stretches and pass through breathtaking canyons whose rocky walls frame ever-changing vistas. From the sightseer lounge car, one might catch glimpses of whitewater rafters in the warmer months. In winter, the snow-covered landscape steals the show.

The California Zephyr carries the name of its predecessor, which entered service in 1949 between Chicago and Oakland, Calif., over much of the same route used today. It was operated jointly by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) and Western Pacific railroads.

As Amtrak plotted out routes in 1971 in preparation for taking over operation of most of the nation’s intercity passenger rail services, it preferred to use the D&RGW between Denver and Salt Lake City. The route offered natural beauty along the Colorado River, as well as connections to popular recreational areas such as Winter Park, Colo.

Ultimately, the D&RGW decided not to join Amtrak and continued to independently run its Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City. Amtrak ended up routing its Chicago-San Francisco train—known as the San Francisco Zephyr after 1972—over the Union Pacific Railroad through southern Wyoming.

In 1983, the route that Amtrak had desired from its earliest days was made possible when the D&RGW decided to discontinue the Rio Grande Zephyr, at that point the country’s last privately operated intercity passenger train. The Southern Railway, which also initially chose not to join Amtrak, had turned over its flagship Southern Crescent in early 1979. To celebrate the reroute of the San Francisco Zephyr to the D&RGW tracks, the train was renamed the California Zephyr.

The Amtrak Archives contains a number of shots featuring the California Zephyr passing through gorgeous “snowscapes” in Colorado, Utah and California. Many were commissioned by the Marketing department for use in brochures and other promotional material. Below is a sampling of our favorites:

Led by P-42 locomotive No. 73, the westbound California Zephyr moves across the Front Range just outside of Denver. The mountain range, which is located in Colorado and Wyoming, earned its name due to the fact that it is the first chain of the Rockies that a traveler encounters when moving west from the Great Plains. Notable peaks include Mount Evans and Pike’s Peak.

The California Zephyr skirts the Colorado River through the famous Glenwood Canyon near Glenwood Springs, Colo. The canyon stretches for approximately 13 miles and has walls as high as 1,300 feet. A natural wonder dotted with aspen and evergreen trees, it has been a highlight for rail passengers since the late 19th century.

Glenwood Springs is a major year-round recreational center known for skiing, mountain biking and whitewater rafting. The historic 1904 depot on the northern edge of downtown is recognizable by its medieval-inspired towers with pyramidal roofs. In September 2003, the Glenwood Railroad Museum opened in the old Ladies’ Waiting Room. Exhibits tell the story of railroading in the Roaring Fork River Valley and include a large scale model railroad, photographs and artifacts such as a semaphore.

In this image taken near Crescent, Colo., the train is led by two F40PH locomotives wearing the Phase III paint scheme introduced in 1979. The bi-level Superliner cars they pull are a mix of Phase II (introduced in 1975) and Phase III. Crescent, located in Boulder County, is between the Amtrak stops at Denver and Winter Park-Fraser. The town of Fraser is referred to as the “Icebox of America” because its winter temperature has been known to drop as low as -50°F. This image was used on a poster to promote Amtrak service to ski areas.

Here the train emerges from the western portal of the Moffat Tunnel near the Winter Park Resort ski area. The rail tunnel in north-central Colorado cuts through the Continental Divide and is named after railroad pioneer David Moffat. When it opened to railroad traffic in February 1928, the 6.2 mile tunnel cut the distance between Denver and the Pacific coast by 176 miles. Prior to its construction, the original Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railroad crossed Rollins Pass with a series of switchback loops and steep grades, but the need for frequent snow removal in the colder months made this original route unprofitable.

F40PH locomotive No. 357 leads the California Zephyr near Dutch Flat, Calif., which is a small community located between the Amtrak stops at Truckee and Colfax. Much of downtown is located on the National Register of Historic Places for its associations with late 19th century gold mining. The settlement was created in 1851, two years after the California Gold Rush kicked off at Sutter’s Mill.

According to the National Register nomination, Dutch Flat was located on a freight wagon route that linked silver mines in California and Nevada, and it was also a stop on the Pony Express. The town has strong historic ties to the Central Pacific Railroad (CP), which helped construct the nation’s first transcontinental route. Theodore Judah, the CP’s chief engineer, used Dutch Flat as a base while he plotted the best path over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Interestingly, Judah has a connection to Greenfield, Mass., a community that became a stop for the Amtrak Vermonter in December 2014.  Judah worked on railroads in western Massachusetts and married a woman from Greenfield before pursuing work out West. Upon his death, he was laid to rest in Greenfield’s Federal Street Cemetery.

Do you have fond memories of winter travel on the California Zephyr? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Amtrak recently unveiled a new Northeast Corridor (NEC) website (NEC.Amtrak.com) to raise awareness about NEC infrastructure needs and build support for capital investment in projects crucial for economic growth in the region. The NEC connects Washington with Boston, linking together eight states and the District of Columbia.

The Northeast Corridor includes bridges, viaducts and tunnels.

The new website includes project information and updates, maps, graphics, and other resources about several NEC infrastructure projects now under construction or in the planning stage.  Highlighted projects include the Gateway Program to expand rail capacity into New York City and replacement of the Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland.

Approximately 260 million passenger rail trips occur every year on the NEC on Amtrak and eight commuter railroads that operate over the line. Significant capital investment in the aging infrastructure—elements of which are more than a century old—is necessary to deliver capacity and reliability to meet current and projected future demand for passenger rail service in the Northeast and reverse decades of underfunding.

Inspired by this spotlight on rail infrastructure needs, we thought we’d dig through the archives and take a short visual tour of key bridges and tunnels—many historic— used by Amtrak trains from coast-to-coast.

Farmington River Bridge (Connecticut)

This bridge, located just north of the station stop at Windsor, Conn., was constructed in 1867 by the Hartford and New Haven Railroad. It features seven arches made of Connecticut Valley sandstone. Due to its structural and historical integrity, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the 1972 National Register nomination, “the masons of the immediate post-Civil War years cut their material from the common rock of the region…the bridge is among the most impressive examples surviving in Connecticut of 19th century civil engineering.”

The image most likely shows a Connecticut Valley Service (New Haven-Springfield) train, led by F40PH locomotive No. 213 in the Phase III paint scheme. Then-relatively new Amfleet equipment makes up the consist.

Spuyten Duyvil Bridge (New York)

In the summer of 1988, Amtrak and the New York State Department of Transportation announced the West Side Connection as a way to consolidate all intercity passenger trains serving New York City at Penn Station. At the time, trains heading south and east from the city used Penn Station, while trains heading north and west used Grand Central Terminal.

The plan took advantage of a strategic freight line, shuttered in 1982, that ran approximately 10 miles up the west side of Manhattan and crossed to the mainland in the Bronx; from there, it connected with the existing tracks used for northbound service. On April 7th, 1991, all trains formerly using Grand Central Terminal—including the Lake Shore Limited and Empire Service frequencies—shifted to Penn Station.

The key link in the West Side Connection is the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, constructed in 1900 by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad to span the Harlem River near where it meets the Hudson River. It features a central turntable so the bridge can swing to allow waterborne traffic to pass. According to Christopher Gray of the New York Times, a 1983 collision with a tug left the bridge in an open position; since freight service over the rail line had ended the year before, no repairs were undertaken until the West Side Connection project got underway.

Here, a northbound Empire Service train led by P32 No. 712 crosses over the bridge; in the background is one of the towers of the George Washington Bridge.

Hell Gate Bridge (New York)

The Hell Gate Bridge is probably one of the most iconic along the NEC and spans the East River between the boroughs of Queens and Manhattan. Completed in 1916 to designs by civil engineer Gustav Lindenthal, the bridge connected the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Its elegant arch would later serve as the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.

This painting by Gil Reid was featured on the official Amtrak wall calendar in 1983. Against the majestic New York City skyline, which includes the World Trade Center towers and the Chrysler Building, a Boston-bound New England Metroliner passes GG-1 No. 4935 on the Hell Gate Bridge. The formeris led by an AEM-7 electric locomotive pulling single-level Amfleet cars. The introduction of the AEM-7s beginning in 1978 allowed Amtrak to finally retire the hard-worked GG-1s purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad. In the painting, the GG-1 is on its way to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, where it remains on display today.

Huey P. Long Bridge (Louisiana)

Located upstream and west of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish, the Huey P. Long Bridge was the region’s first permanent railroad and automobile crossing over the Mississippi River. Although long-dreamed of by railroad promoters and city boosters, bridge construction did not begin until 1933 during the Great Depression. Today the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad owns, operates and maintains the railway portion of the bridge while the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development maintains the roadway.

When completed in 1935, the soaring structure was the longest steel trestle railroad bridge in the world. The well-known engineering firm of Modjeski, Masters & Chase, Inc. designed the 4.36 mile long bridge at a cost of $12.8 million. It originally contained two railroad tracks in the center, flanked by two-lane highways on either side. From 2006 to 2013, the state of Louisiana undertook a $1.2 billion project to widen the bridge by adding a lane and shoulder in each direction.

The train in this image consists of single-level cars purchased from the predecessor railroads, as new bi-level Superliner cars would not be in use on the Sunset Limited until early 1981.

Union Tunnel (Maryland)

A southbound Acela Express train exits the west portal of Union Tunnel as it prepares to make its scheduled stop at Baltimore Penn Station. Union Tunnel, measuring 3,410 feet long, was completed by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1873. By constructing Union Tunnel to the east of the station and the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel (B&P) to the west, the PRR completed a new, direct route through Baltimore just north of the bustling downtown and harbor.

Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Maryland DOT are currently undertaking a preliminary engineering and environmental analysis to study improvements to the B&P Tunnel, which requires significant replace­ment or rehabilitation to extend its useful life. One out of five Amtrak passenger trains, including long distance and corridor trains, currently travels through Baltimore. The study will develop and evaluate various alternatives based on the need to improve capacity and travel time along the Northeast Corridor. It will also take into consideration reliability and safety for commuter, freight and intercity rail services using this portion of the rail line.

Allegheny Tunnel (Pennsylvania)

The Allegheny Tunnel at Gallitzin in western Pennsylvania was constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1851-54 to cross the Allegheny Mountains. When finished, it was the longest railroad tunnel in the United States at 3,612 feet and allowed trains to pass between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh without the need for inclined planes. Between 1902 and 1904, the Gallitzin Tunnel was excavated to the north (shown to the left in this photograph).

Conrail lowered the road bed and added a second track to the Allegheny Tunnel in the mid-1990s to create clearance for double-stack freight trains. Once these improvements were finished, the Gallitzin Tunnel was closed. Today, this infrastructure is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway and is used by the Pennsylvanian (New York-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh).

Moffat Tunnel (Colorado)

Moffat Tunnel is a railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. Named after Colorado railroad pioneer David Moffat, the tunnel's first railroad traffic passed through in February 1928. The eastern portal is 50 miles west of Denver, Colo., in the Front Range, about 10 miles west of the town of Rollinsville, while the western portal is near the Winter Park Resort ski area.

The 6.2 mile tunnel cut the distance between Denver and the Pacific coast by 176 miles when it opened. Prior to its construction, the original Denver, Northwestern and Pacific railroad crossed Rollins Pass with a series of switchback loops and steep grades. A need for frequent snow removal in the winter months made this original route unprofitable. Today, passengers aboard the California Zephyr can enjoy passing through this engineering marvel.

Do you have a favorite piece of American railroad infrastructure—a bridge, tunnel, viaduct or station? Share it with us in the comments section below.

Sorting through a box of material related to Philadelphia 30^th Street Station, a postcard catches the eye, its soothing blues and greens punctuated by pink. Turning it around, the description reveals that it’s a reduction of an original, limited-edition illustration by artist Tom Engeman. By cropping the image and taking advantage of perspective, the artist conveys the majesty of 30^th Street Station, romantically reflected in the waters of the Schuylkill River. Although most people probably don’t know it, they are familiar with Engeman’s work—over the years, he has designed numerous stamps for the United States Postal Service.

30th Street Station was built between 1929 and 1933 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to replace Broad Street Station in Center City, which had become too congested for efficient operations. Designed by the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the enormous steel framed 30^th Street Station is architecturally interesting for its use, adaptation and transformation of neoclassical elements into a more modern, streamlined Art Deco style. One of the building’s best known features is the pair of soaring porticoes on the east and west facades.

The interior is notable for its stylistic and functional elements. The main concourse measures 290 by 135 feet with a soaring coffered ceiling and beautiful chandeliers. In addition to the usual passenger areas, the station originally incorporated a chapel, mortuary and hospital space.

Ticketing desk at 30th Street Station in the early to mid-1970s.

Works of art are located throughout the building. Visitors can find Karl Bitter's 1895 bas-relief, The Spirit of Transportation, in the North Waiting Room. It depicts the progress of transportation; a central female figure sits in a horse-drawn carriage, while children cradle models of a steamship, steam locomotive and dirigible. Also prominently displayed is Walker Hancock's Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial, a sculpture of the archangel Michael lifting a soldier's body out of the flames of war. Cast in 1950, the memorial honors the 1,307 PRR employees who died in military service during the Second World War, out of the more than 54,000 who served.

From 1988-1991, Amtrak led a $75 million development effort to renovate the station as it neared its 60th anniversary. The project included the restoration of the main concourse, with special attention given to its ceiling, chandeliers, travertine walls and massive marble columns. Above the passenger areas, 280,000 square feet of office space was modernized to house approximately 1,100 Amtrak employees. New shops and food vendors were installed in the South Arcade and South Concourse. Outside, the facades were refurbished and a former mail handling facility was converted into an underground parking garage.

The Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial still presides over
the main hall.

Amtrak and the people of Philadelphia celebrated the rehabilitation in June 1991 during a three day eventthat kicked off with remarks by Amtrak officials, the singing of the national anthem and the raising of flags at each entrance. Over the course of the weekend, visitors enjoyed self-guided station tours, train displays and musical performances. Philadelphia’s famous Mummers also delighted the crowds.

As a major transportation hub and West Philadelphia landmark, 30th Street Station continues to be an anchor for development. In early summer 2014, Amtrak, Drexel University and Brandywine Realty Trust selected Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), in association with Parsons Brinckerhoff, OLIN, and HR&A Advisors, to develop a comprehensive joint master plan for the area around the station. It represents a unique opportunity to develop new plans and re-envision existing planning efforts to create a single, integrated vision for the 30th Street Station precinct.

The SOM team will aim to develop a future where the station is at the epicenter of a dynamic neighborhood full of opportunities for community development, economic development and improved transportation connections. A wide range of commercial opportunities, including a new vision for retail spaces within the station and the potential development of air rights above 75 acres of adjacent rail yards, will also be considered. Development of the master plan is expected to take approximately two years. Follow the progress by visiting the 30^th Street Station District Plan website.

Explore additional archival material, including images and brochures, related to Philadelphia 30^th Street Station. Have a favorite memory of the station? Share it with us in the comments section below.

Black History Month provides additional opportunities to highlight contributions by African-Americans to our national history and culture. Throughout the month, Amtrak is celebrating with various events and exhibitions at locations across the country.

Amtrak is proud that in October 2014 a site on railroad property near Perryville, Md., was accepted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a program of the National Park Service (NPS). Perryville is located on the busy Northeast Corridor (NEC) between the stops at Aberdeen, Md., and Newark, Del.

The Underground Railroad was a network for those with or without assistance who used resources at hand to escape slavery and find a means to head north to the free states or Canada during the antebellum years. The NPS established the Network to Freedom to connect more than 500 local historic sites, museums, archives and interpretive programs related to the Underground Railroad.

The Perryville Railroad Ferry and Station site is located close to where the eastern end of the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge joins the embankment carrying the tracks. Since colonial times, Perryville and Havre de Grace, its sister town located on the opposite bank, have constituted an important crossing point at the meeting of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. In the late 17^th century, what is now Perryville was known as Lower Ferry in recognition of its important role in the local transportation network.

PW&B Railroad advertisement, 1879. Illustration by Charles
T. Baker, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

By 1838, the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company (PW&B) had constructed a rail line connecting its namesake cities. The one gap was at Perryville, where steam-powered ferries were used to move rail cars across the wide river. The wooden pier on the Perryville side was located just south of the current rail bridge. Increased traffic towards the end of the Civil War mandated the construction of a bridge to link the two sections of the railroad, and the new structure opened in 1866. The PW&B Perryville depot, a small wood structure, was located close to the eastern end of the bridge. In 1880, the railroad replaced the bridge’s wooden trusses with stronger iron spans.¹

Following a tussle with the rival Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) gained control of the PW&B in 1881; with the purchase, the PRR boasted complete control of a route between Jersey City (opposite Manhattan) and the nation’s capital. At the dawn of the 20^th century, the PRR constructed a new Susquehanna River Rail Bridge. Completed in 1906, the multi-span, moveable rail bridge measures approximately 4,200 feet long. The stone piers of the first bridge are still visible in the water and on land.

The bridge is now owned by Amtrak and is used by intercity, commuter and freight trains. The Federal Railroad Administration, Maryland Department of Transportation and Amtrak are currently undertaking a study to examine future refurbishment or replacement of the span to improve capacity, trip time and safety for all rail operators.

Building the first rail bridge over the Susquehanna River. Image from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (Dec. 22, 1866), courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The Perryville site has been added to the Network to Freedom because numerous enslaved persons have been documented as using the railroad and ferry to journey northward to free states and Canada. One of those freedom seekers was famed abolitionist, thinker and writer Frederick Douglass, who later in life recounted the details of his 1838 escape from slavery in Maryland via the newly built railroad and ferry.

Borrowing identification papers from a free African-American friend who was also a sailor, Douglass dressed the part and boarded a train in Baltimore just as it was leaving. He recalled: “It was…an act of supreme trust on the part of a freeman of color thus to put in jeopardy his own liberty [by lending his papers] that another might be free…Had I gone into the station and offered to purchase a ticket, I should have been instantly and carefully examined, and undoubtedly arrested.”²

Frederick Douglass, c. 1850-1860. Image courtesy
of the Library of Congress.

As the train neared Havre de Grace, the conductor came through to check tickets and the papers of free African-Americans. Douglass described it as “one of the most anxious [moments] I ever experienced.”³ After he had crossed the river and boarded the train for Philadelphia, he recognized a ship captain for whom he had recently worked in Baltimore sitting on the southbound train. Luckily, in the bustle of the moment, Douglass was not discovered.

In addition to the Perryville site, a 70 mile segment of the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pa., is also included in the Network to Freedom.  Much of this historic rail corridor was originally owned by the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, which began operations in 1834 and connected Columbia, Pa., located on the Susquehanna River, with Philadelphia. The railroad was the easternmost segment of the state-owned Main Line of Public Works, a series of rail lines and canals that offered a transportation route across the commonwealth’s southern tier.

Beginning around 1835, African-American lumber merchants used boxcars fitted with secret false-end compartments to hide escaping slaves, many of whom arrived in Columbia on their way to Philadelphia, where they were cared for by the city’s pro-abolitionist Vigilant Committee and assisted in their journeys northward. By hiding on the journey to Philadelphia, fugitive slaves avoided slave catchers who searched for runaways in the hopes of claiming financial rewards from owners.

An Acela Express crosses the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge
at sunrise.

Across its national network, Amtrak serves dozens of communities with strong ties to Underground Railroad heritage, including homes that served as places of protection for those seeking freedom and archival repositories whose documents tell their stories. Below we explore a handful of communities with sites and landscapes related to the Underground Railroad. Please keep in mind that many of these are on private property and may only be viewed from a distance or with permission of the owner.

Rouses Point, New York (Served by the Adirondack)

Rouses Point depot

Located on the shore of Lake Champlain, Rouses Point is the last stop in the United States before the Adirondack crosses the border into Canada; therefore, the town serves as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection checkpoint. Amtrak passengers use a platform next to the 1889 Delaware and Hudson Company depot, which now serves as a history and welcome center. Rotating exhibits, lectures and performances trace the history and culture of the state’s Northern Tier region.

Due to its border location, Rouses Point was a vital stop on the Underground Railroad for formerly enslaved persons seeking freedom in Canada. It specifically served the “Champlain Line,” an escape corridor between Albany, Troy, N.Y. and Quebec Province. Rouses Point included busy rail and dock facilities serving trains and steamboats from across New England and the upper Mid-Atlantic. According to the Network to Freedom, “Maryland runaway Charlotte Gilchrist entered Canada [via Rouses Point] on a train from the Champlain Valley in 1854…In the winter of 1861, Mrs. Lavinia Bell escaped from Texas to Rouses Point where a Canadian Underground Railroad agent paid her fare to Montreal.”

Portland, Maine (Served by the Downeaster Service)

Portland depot

Maine’s largest city gained Amtrak service in December 2001, connecting it with Boston and intermediate communities in southeast Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The start of service followed on more than a decade of advocacy by grassroots transportation groups.

Approximately three miles east of the station, the 1828 Abyssinian Meeting House stands near Eastern Cemetery and offers views out to Portland Harbor. The Network to Freedom states that the meeting house was the “historical, religious, educational and cultural center of Portland’s 19th century African American population.” Members of the congregation were involved with the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. Like Rouses Point, Portland was a hub for fugitive slaves heading to Canada. Congregation members actively hid and transported runaways. The building no longer serves a religious purpose.

Northampton, Massachusetts (Served by the Vermonter)

Northampton Union Station

As 2014 came to a close, Amtrak began stopping at Northampton and Greenfield, Mass., towns located along the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts. Service was made possible by the rehabilitation of a rail line along the waterway, which allowed the Vermonter (Washington-St. Albans, Vt.) to be rerouted westward. At a future date, the train will also stop at Holyoke.

Prior to the Civil War, Northampton became a center for the abolitionist movement, with some homes serving as stops on the Underground Railroad. Following the Mill River northwest of the city center and the campus of Smith College, one encounters the village of Florence. In 1841, a utopian community called the Northampton Association of Education and Industry (NAEI) was established in Florence with the purpose of promoting self-improvement, racial equality, freedom of worship and other societal ideals.

Members included Sojourner Truth, who was born into slavery in New York but escaped to freedom. Truth, along with African-American abolitionist David Ruggles, is estimated to have helped more than 600 enslaved persons reach freedom. William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass were among the cooperative’s frequent visitors. To support itself, the association owned and operated a silk mill. After five years together, the community dissolved itself in 1846, but its members remained active promoters of their various causes.

One part of the NAEI property was the Ross Homestead, home to member Austin Ross after 1845. The Network to Freedom notes that Austin Ross and NAEI member Samuel L. Hill have been identified as local agents of the Underground Railroad, and the Ross Homestead operated as a safe house for escaping slaves.

Northampton is also home to the David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History and Underground Railroad Studies. Researchers can take advantage of reproductions of 19^th century newspaper articles, booklets, narratives and maps relating to the regional abolitionist movement. The Ruggles Center has developed a walking tour of important Underground Railroad sites in Florence.

Cincinnati, Ohio (Served by the Cardinal)

Cincinnati Union Terminal

Much like Rouses Point and Portland were important international border crossings, Cincinnati played a significant role in the Underground Railroad due to its location on the Ohio River, whose waters separated Kentucky and Ohio—slave state and free state, respectively.

Approximately four miles northeast of magnificent Cincinnati Union Terminal is the near East side neighborhood of Walnut Hills. Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, spent part of her young adulthood in the area, which from its high vantage point offered sweeping views of the Ohio River Valley. The Beecher family occupied the Italianate style house from the 1830s to the 1850s while Harriet’s minister father, Lyman Beecher, served as president of Lane Theological Seminary. The school was the scene of various debates over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War.

According to the Network to Freedom, “In Cincinnati, Harriet Beecher…was influenced by activist students at Lane Seminary and local abolitionist leaders William Lloyd Garrison and Salmon P. Chase who litigated many fugitive slave cases. At one point, she helped her husband transport a fugitive slave along the [Underground Railroad] north out of town.”

In 1850, Harriet moved with her husband, Calvin Ellis Stowe, to Brunswick, Maine, where he had gained a teaching position at Bowdoin College. While living there, she wrote most of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slavery tome that made her simultaneously one of the most praised and reviled women in an increasingly divided nation.

Today, the Cincinnati home serves as an historical and cultural site focused on the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Exhibits explore the Beecher and Stowe families and the abolitionist movement in which they played important roles.

Topeka, Kansas (Served by the Southwest Chief)

Topeka depot

Kansas found itself at the center of the slavery debate in the mid-1850s when fighting broke out between pro- and anti-slavery groups who hoped to determine whether the territory would enter the Union as a slave or free state. At a constitutional convention held at Wyandotte, Kan., in July 1859, the representatives finally adopted a constitution banning slavery. Two years later, following the start of the Civil War, the constitution was approved and Kansas became a state.

The John and Mary Ritchie House and the site of the John Armstrong House are located in downtown Topeka; the Armstrong house stood just a few blocks west of the 1950 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway depot now used by Amtrak. The Ritchies and John Armstrong sheltered escaping slaves, protecting them from slave catchers and their owners. According to the Network to Freedom, John Ritchie also served as an abolitionist delegate to the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention.

Check out the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom website for additional information about other Underground Railroad heritage sites in towns and cities across the country.

¹ Alan Fox, Images of America: Perryville, (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2011). Historical information about the first rail bridge over the Susquehanna was primarily drawn from this volume.

² Frederick Douglass, “My Escape from Slavery,”The Century Illustrated Magazine (Nov. 1881), 125-131.

³ Ibid.

The lunch counter-diner offered passengers a "casual, relaxed setting."

The vibrant reds, pinks and purples of lunch counter-diner/dorm car No. 8117 immediately catch the eye. Originally built for the Santa Fe Railway, the car was refurbished by Amtrak in the early 1970s. The dramatic, bold and modern color scheme was not only popular at the time, but also showed that Amtrak—only a few years old—was a progressive business aiming to “make the trains worth traveling again.”

Updating the existing fleet of passenger cars and locomotives was one of Amtrak’s biggest challenges as it assumed responsibility for the country’s intercity passenger rail system. In preparation for the start of operations in May 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,200 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the two dozen private railroads that had been relieved of their passenger service obligations. Almost 90 percent of the cars were either constructed of, or sheathed in, stainless steel, which meant lower maintenance costs. Mechanical and electrical overhauls were needed on roughly a third of the fleet, as were interior renovations.

An Amtrak dome car is refurbished at a plant in Mira Loma,
Calif., in May 1974. Photograph by Charles O'Rear, courtesy
of the National Archives.

This image from the archives is one of many taken in Amtrak’s early years to show the interiors and exteriors of refreshed rolling stock and locomotives. Some images were distributed to media outlets as file photos for use in Amtrak-related stories while others appeared in advertising materials describing the nation’s new passenger rail system.

Delivered to the Santa Fe Railway by Pullman Standard in 1950, the lunch counter-diner carwas originally numbered 1576. It was used on various trains including the popular El Capitan, an all-coach service between Chicago and Los Angeles. As manufactured, the car featured a 13 seat lunch counter, 20 seat diner, pantry and kitchen. In 1954 the diner area was reduced to eight seats (seen through the glass partitions at the back of the photo) to create space for a crew dormitory. Amtrak renovated and renumbered the car in 1973, and it continued in active service until retired four years later.

According to contemporary Amtrak promotional material, passengers could go to the lunch counter-diner car for "tasty light meals and excellent beverage service in a casual, relaxed setting [and] may return to their seats with their selections, if they wish." Lunch counter diner/dorm cars operated on various Amtrak routes across the country. A close look at the price board reveals early 1970s prices:

• Breakfast roll (35¢);
• Two doughnuts (25¢);
• Pie (25¢);
• Coffee (10¢); and
• Soda (30¢).

The most expensive item was a sandwich for $1.20. Amtrak eventually sold the car, and it later ended up in Bakersfield, Calif., redesigned to accommodate a small café.

Although the prices have changed with the passage of time, Amtrak café cars still offer a variety of light meals, snacks and beverages. Health conscious travelers can choose from options including fresh fruit cups, hummus with pretzels and fruit and nut mixes. Counter seating has also disappeared in favor of spacious community tables where you can get to know fellow passengers.

Did you ever ride in one of the Amtrak lunch counter-diner/dorm cars? Share your memories with us below.

While processing slides from our Marketing department photo library, we recently came across a handful of images showing the Canadian-built LRC trainsets that Amtrak leased in the early 1980s. Standing for “Light, Rapid, Comfortable” (“Leger, Rapide, Confortable” in French), the LRCs were designed by the team of Bombardier, Alcan and Dofasco.¹

Amtrak leased two Canadian-built LRC trainsets with special Amtrak paint schemes.

Since the 1960s, nations including Japan and France had been developing high-speed rail technologies, but many of their advanced designs were intended for use on new, separate right-of-ways. In an informational booklet, Bombardier noted that the LRCs were “designed and developed over a twelve year period” and were meant to travel at speeds up to 125 mph on existing rail infrastructure.² Without building new right-of-ways, companies could take advantage of LRC features such as tilt technology, in which the cars handled curves at higher speeds than conventional equipment by leaning into them by up to 8.5 degrees.

Amtrak began considering the possibilities of high-speed rail in the United States as its first decade of operations came to a close. Leasing the LRCs allowed the company to test new high-speed technologies while determining the direction of its own program. Then-Amtrak President and Chairman Paul Reistrup noted: “We want to use the best technology available anywhere in the world, and we think the LRC will give us valuable information.”³ Amtrak planned to examine the LRC’s suspension system, ride quality, speed on curves, equipment reliability and operating costs.⁴

The streamlined LRC locomotive was compact compared to the Amtrak F40PH locomotives then in use.

Amtrak signed a two-year lease for a pair of trainsets in early 1977, with the intention of testing them on the Vancouver, B.C. – Seattle – Portland corridor (today served by the Amtrak Cascades).  The train’s low, streamlined profile and tilt technology made it well suited to the curving route along Puget Sound. According to an article in the February 15, 1977 issue of Amtrak NEWS, the company hoped to shave at least 50 minutes off the approximately 9 hour scheduled run.

Each trainset included one 16 cylinder, 3725 hp diesel-electric locomotive, four 84-seat coaches, and a club car with 34 coach seats, 15 parlor seats and a food service area. The locomotive measured approximately 65 feet long and 11 feet 9 inches high and weighed 226,000 pounds, while the 96,000 pound aluminum-bodied coaches measured 85 feet 4 inches long, 10 feet 5 inches wide and approximately 12 feet high.⁵ Amtrak tested a prototype locomotive and car in spring 1977 along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The train achieved a top speed of 117 mph, and 89.6 mph on a curve restricted to 60 mph with conventional equipment.⁶

The LRC cars could tilt 8.5 degrees into a curve.

Although supposed to enter service by early 1979, the trains’ delivery was delayed by a strike at the Bombardier manufacturing plant.⁷ Amtrak subsequently received the first trainset in July 1980, put it through three months of testing, and entered it into revenue service at the end of September.⁸ In the intervening years, Amtrak had decided to switch the test ground to the East Coast, with the trainsets primarily operating on the NEC’s then non-electrified territory between New Haven, Conn., and Boston. The cars were also used south of New Haven when pulled by an electric locomotive such as the new AEM-7.

Tom Nelligan, writing in Trains Magazine, described a ride on the LRC during its first week of service on the Beacon Hill (Boston-New Haven): “The LRC accelerates with just a slight hint of the old Alco [engine] chortle and not a trace of smoke!...We pulled out of South Station, Boston, with only a modest amount of rocking and thumping over switches…Beyond the Route 128 station on track relayed with welded rail on concrete ties, LRC quickly accelerated to the 90 mph limit.”⁹

Each trainset included one locomotive, four coaches and a club/food service car.

Following expiration of the lease, the LRCs were returned to the manufacturer. VIA Rail Canada subsequently purchased LRCs and continues to operate LRC cars on its Windsor-Quebec City corridor, although all of the distinctive LRC locomotives have been retired. A consortium of Bombardier and Alstom would later design and manufacture the high-speed Acela Express trainsets, which entered revenue service on the NEC in December 2000. Each of the 20 train sets includes five passenger cars and one food service car between power cars at each end. To prepare for the arrival of high-speed rail service, the northern end of the NEC was electrified, which included the installation of catenary poles, wires and electrical substations.

¹ "Agreement Signed to Lease Two Canadian-Built LRC Trains," Amtrak NEWS, February 15, 1977. 1.

² Bombardier Inc. “The LRC Train: Speeding Passenger Rail Into the Future. Now.,” April 1981.

³ Ibid

⁴ Ibid

⁵ Nelligan, Tom. “Bienvenue LRC,” Trains Magazine, January 1981.

⁶“LRC Locomotive, Car Tested On Amtrak Routes,” Amtrak NEWS, May 1, 1977. 2.

⁷ Nelligan, Tom. “Bienvenue LRC,” Trains Magazine, January 1981.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Ibid.

As a cold and snowy winter finally gives way to spring, the promise of bright, warm days is near. One item in the Amtrak Archives that always conjures up images of fun in the sun is this 1976 menu used on the Coast Starlight.According to its pages, passengers could enjoy a variety of entrees and snacks, from chilled cottage cheese with fruit to spaghetti and meatballs.

The cover includes landmarks and scenes along the route between Seattle and Los Angeles, such as the Space Needle, a northern California redwood tree and a surfer catching a wave. On closer examination, he appears about ready to launch off the page and into the dining car.

You might very well spot surfers as the Coast Starlight, always ranked one of North America’s most scenic trains, hugs the stunning Southern California coastline between Oxnard and San Luis Obispo. Sleeping car passengers can admire the scene from the refurbished Pacific Parlour cars, which were originally built by the Budd Company for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Budd would build the Amfleet cars for Amtrak in the mid-1970s and early 1980s).

The Pacific Surfliner hugs the coast near Del Mar, Calif.

The Pacific Parlour cars were configured as lounges for use on the Santa Fe’s El Capitan, an all-coach train running between Los Angeles and Chicago. Cars used on the train were known as Hi-Levels, denoting that they had two levels. When Amtrak put out the bid to design and produce the bi-level Superliner equipment in the 1970s, the Santa Fe Hi-Levels were used as a model due to their popularity. Amtrak refurbished the Pacific Parlour cars in the mid-1990s to provide a casual, yet elegant, space for Coast Starlight sleeping car passengers to relax.

The Coast Starlight and frequent Pacific Surfliner trains running along the coast between San Diego and Los Angeles offer access to dozens of popular surf spots, including:

• Leadbetter Beach near the Santa Barbara harbor;

• Rincon Point south of Carpinteria; and
• Trestles close to the San Clemente Pier station.

The last takes its name from a series of railroad bridges that cross over wetlands in San Onofre State Beach, which borders Camp Pendleton on the south end of San Clemente. The popularity of surfing in the area goes back half a century, and San Clemente is now a hub for numerous surfing-related publications, workshops and competitions.

Have you used the Coast Starlight or Pacific Surfliner to hit the waves? Tell us about your favorite Amtrak-accessible surf spots (unless they’re a secret!) in the comments section below.

Amtrak Voices is an occasional series in which we talk with long-time Amtrak employees to discover what attracted them to the company, recount its early days and explore changes they witnessed in railroading during their careers.

On April 1, 2015, Amtrak celebrated 40 years of ownership of the Beech Grove heavy maintenance facility located southeast of downtown Indianapolis. When Amtrak began service on May 1, 1971, the Penn Central Transportation Company controlled Beech Grove and performed contract maintenance and overhauls on Amtrak locomotives and rolling stock.

Overhead view of Coach Shop 2 at Beech Grove in 1980.

Amtrak purchased the shops in 1975, when there was an acute need for a major repair facility that could accommodate all types of equipment—including the Amfleet and Superliner cars then on order. Amtrak immediately embarked on a five year, $22 million improvement plan to modernize the complex.

Today, more than 500 Beech Grove employees rebuild and overhaul Superliner, Viewliner, Surfliner and Horizon cars, as well as P-32, P-42 and F-59 locomotives used across the Amtrak system. In Fiscal Year 2014, employees performed heavy overhaul, periodic maintenance, repainting and other upkeep on 275 pieces of equipment.

A dozen employees have been at Beech Grove since April 1, 1975, and we’ll meet a handful in a series of blog posts over the coming months.

Steve Osburn

Sheet metal worker Steve Osburn was hired by Penn Central in May 1970 after serving four years in the United States Air Force. He came to Beech Grove two years later and is now the longest-serving active Amtrak employee at the shops. Osburn is proud to tell people that he is a third generation railroader. Half of his 14 siblings have also worked in the industry, holding positions such as boilermaker, electrician and cement worker. Two of his children are carrying on the tradition at Beech Grove.

Sheet metal worker Steve Osburn applies teflon paste to air brake components.

Osburn initially repaired the pressure lines on the steam-heated passenger cars that Amtrak purchased and leased from the predecessor railroads. A boiler in the locomotive heated water to create steam that was piped throughout the cars to provide heating; lighting and air conditioning were supplied by a generator and batteries in each car. In Fiscal Year 1978, Amtrak began a program to convert cars to modern electric head-end power (HEP), which uses electricity generated by the locomotive to perform those same functions.

While coating pipes and other air brake components with sticky white Teflon tape and paste—“for a good seal”—Osburn recalls other jobs he’s held over the years: working in the powerhouse, ordering parts for the diesel shop, rebuilding valves in the component shop and rebuilding trucks (wheel assemblies).

Asked about what’s changed in railroading and the shops over four decades of Amtrak ownership, he notes a strong emphasis on safety, which includes basic gear such as hardhats and protective eyewear, as well as programs to encourage behavioral change. Safe-2-Safer, the most recent comprehensive Amtrak safety program, launched in 2009 with the goal of reducing injuries through a collaborative approach to safety and accident prevention. This is accomplished through training, coaching, greater personal accountability and engagement through peer-to-peer observations and feedback.

“Helping someone else, you help yourself too,” says Osburn as he recounts the mentors who helped him perfect his craft and advance his career. He is now in the position to pass on knowledge to a new generation of workers coming into the forge shop, where he works, as well as the coach, trim and diesel shops. He notes that Beech Grove employees, who represent various crafts and include carmen, pipefitters, boilermakers and machinists, “stick together” and help one another in the workplace and in their personal lives.

Asked what advice he has for new Amtrak employees, Osburn replies, “Amtrak is a good organization and will be a big part of the future. People starting [their careers] need to get out and ride the train, learn the system…they should be ambassadors for Amtrak.”

In retirement, Osburn plans to travel the country by train with his wife. There’s a good chance that he’ll ride in some of the cars he has helped maintain and overhaul for decades. Routes such as the Empire Builder (Chicago-Portland/Seattle) and Coast Starlight(Los Angeles-Seattle), known for the scenic landscapes through which they pass, are high on his list.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Amtrak History interview with Steve Osburn took place on April 2, 2015.

Amtrak Voices is an occasional series in which we talk with long-time Amtrak employees to discover what attracted them to the company, recount its early days and explore changes they witnessed in railroading during their careers.

A machinist creates brass nuts on a shop lathe, 1980.

On April 1, 2015, Amtrak celebrated 40 years of ownership of the Beech Grove heavy maintenance facility located southeast of downtown Indianapolis. When Amtrak began service on May 1, 1971, the Penn Central Transportation Company controlled Beech Grove and performed contract maintenance and overhauls on Amtrak locomotives and rolling stock.

Amtrak purchased the shops in 1975, when there was an acute need for a major repair facility that could accommodate all types of equipment—including the Amfleet and Superliner cars then on order. Amtrak immediately embarked on a five year, $22 million improvement plan to modernize the complex.

Today, more than 500 Beech Grove employees rebuild and overhaul Superliner, Viewliner, Surfliner and Horizon cars, as well as P-32, P-42 and F-59 locomotives used across the Amtrak system. In Fiscal Year 2014, employees performed heavy overhaul, periodic maintenance, repainting and other upkeep on 275 pieces of equipment.

A dozen employees have been at Beech Grove since April 1, 1975, and we’ll meet a handful in a series of blog posts over the coming months.

Gary Woods

Foreman 3 Gary Woods, who oversees the forge shop, started at Beech Grove in January 1974 as an 18 year old. Like many of his colleagues, he belongs to a family with a long railroad history; five generations have worked at Beech Grove. He started out as a carman in the truck shop and later served as the general foreman in coach shop 2 where employees refurbish cars that have been stripped and inspected. Before they return to revenue service, the cars pass through the trim shop where paint and decals are applied, seats installed and other tasks completed.

Woods recalls many changes to the complex and its operations, including replacement of the original dirt floors with concrete in the 1990s, the switch from DC to AC power and conversion of machinery from steam power to modern hydraulic systems. Some of the original sledgehammers and other machines were only removed a few years ago, says Woods.

Among the jobs completed in the forge shop are the rebuilding of all couplers used on cars and locomotives throughout the national system. With the passing of years, Woods notes that certain skill sets have faded and been replaced by others. For example, numerous blacksmiths used to work at Beech Grove, crafting custom parts for cars and locomotives. Today, boilermakers, who use pre-made parts, are more common around the shops.

“I’m not afraid to get out on the floor and show how to get the job done,” Woods says when asked about mentoring new hires. He adds that it’s important to transfer skills and knowledge to the next generation before they are lost. Although formal learning in school is important, longtime employees have developed an intuition that only comes with experience and trial and error. In many cases, it can only be conveyed through one-on-one interaction.

Summing up four decades with Amtrak, Woods reflects, “It’s been a hell of a job that allowed me to make a good living.”

Read about Woods's colleague Steve Osburn.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Amtrak History interview with Gary Woods took place on April 2, 2015.

Amtrak Voices is an occasional series in which we talk with long-time Amtrak employees to discover what attracted them to the company, recount its early days and explore changes they witnessed in railroading during their careers.

A carman tightens a handhold, 1980.

On April 1, 2015, Amtrak celebrated 40 years of ownership of the Beech Grove heavy maintenance facility located southeast of downtown Indianapolis. When Amtrak began service on May 1, 1971, the Penn Central Transportation Company controlled Beech Grove and performed contract maintenance and overhauls on Amtrak locomotives and rolling stock.

Amtrak purchased the shops in 1975, when there was an acute need for a major repair facility that could accommodate all types of equipment—including the Amfleet and Superliner cars then on order. Amtrak immediately embarked on a five year, $22 million improvement plan to modernize the complex.

Today, more than 500 Beech Grove employees rebuild and overhaul Superliner, Viewliner, Surfliner and Horizon cars, as well as P-32, P-42 and F-59 locomotives used across the Amtrak system. In Fiscal Year 2014, employees performed heavy overhaul, periodic maintenance, repainting and other upkeep on 275 pieces of equipment.

A dozen employees have been at Beech Grove since April 1, 1975, and we’ll meet a handful in a series of blog posts over the coming months.

John Milenbaugh

“Railroading is one of the greatest industries, and then to actually work here is a thrill. I love being a railroader,” says Carman John Milenbaugh. He was hired at Beech Grove in January 1975, just two and a half months before Amtrak purchased the facility from Penn Central. His mother knew the plant manager who helped arrange for an interview. Initially he worked as a coal passer—shoveling coal into boilers at the facility’s power plant—but within three months had become a carman helper; a year later he was promoted to a carman.

For more than three decades, Milenbaugh has worked in the trim shop on the southeast end of the sprawling property. There he paints cars for Amtrak and the various railroads for which Beech Grove performs contract work. Asked about improvements over time, he cites “modernized spray guns, protective gear and scaffolding.” The latter is necessary to reach the upper portions of the cars and locomotives, especially the bi-level Superliners.

Over Milenbaugh’s career, he has worked on five official paint schemes, officially referred to as “phases.” Most of the paint schemes have included the patriotic colors of red, white and blue. The same year Milenbaugh transferred over to Amtrak, the company introduced Phase II which features wide red and blue bands outlined with thin white lines. The current Phase V used on locomotives employs blue and silver and was unveiled in 2001 as part of a company-wide rebranding campaign that also included the service mark now in use: three undulating lines that recede into the distance and provide a sense of movement.

“One of the best things about my job and time with Amtrak is being a labor leader because I have a say in how the railroad is run. I appreciate the opportunity to work with management.”

Regarding the most interesting projects he has worked on, Milenbaugh mentions the five heritage locomotives and the Veterans Locomotive. As part of the Amtrak 40th Anniversary celebration in 2011-2012, four P-42 diesel-electric locomotives were repainted in the historic paint schemes used by Amtrak between 1971 and 2001.  Milenbaugh’s favorite out of the bunch was the P-42 dressed in the Phase I paint scheme—often referred to as the “bloody nose” by rail enthusiasts for its distinctive red front. It includes the first Amtrak service mark, an inverted arrow in red and blue, on the side.

The P-42s selected for the historic paint schemes had already been scheduled to receive new paint jobs at Beech Grove. Since 2011, they have been used in regular service around the country and are eagerly photographed by lovers of the railroad.

To honor all those who have served in the armed forces, Amtrak painted P-42 locomotive No. 42 red, white and blue. It also includes a specially designed “America’s Railroad Salutes Our Veterans” logo and 50 stars around the bottom. This special locomotive was unveiled on June 26, 2013 during a ceremony held at Washington Union Station to announce an Amtrak goal of hiring veterans as 25 percent of all new employees by 2015. Like the units bearing the historic paint schemes, the Veterans Locomotive operates in regular revenue service but is often paired with the Amtrak Exhibit Train for scheduled events.

Beech Grove employees pose with the Amtrak Veterans Locomotive.

The friendships and memories of four decades shaped Milenbaugh into the person he is today. He credits mentors at Beech Grove who “taught me to be a better man” and handed down the knowledge born of years of experience. Speaking about the next generation starting their careers at the shops, he gives this advice: “Take care of your job, and it’ll take care of you. Amtrak has provided my family not only a good life, but my children’s education [too].” Milenbaugh emphasizes the importance of being a good teacher and mentor—following the example of those who helped him throughout his career at the shops.

He also sits on the Beech Grove Improvement Committee, which brings together management and labor employees to identify ways to streamline car overhauls, work more efficiently and focus on business opportunities. “One of the best things about my job and time with Amtrak is being a labor leader because I have a say in how the railroad is run. I appreciate the opportunity to work with management,” says Milenbaugh.

Read about Milenbaugh's colleague Steve Osburn.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Amtrak History interview with John Milenbaugh took place on April 2, 2015.

Early advertisement for the Chief and Super Chief-El Capitan.

As Amtrak took over operation of the majority of the nation’s intercity passenger rail services in 1971, the company faced the challenge of educating the traveling public about its trains, accommodations and destinations. There had never been a truly national passenger rail service, and Americans naturally had many questions about routes and equipment.

Updating the existing fleet of passenger cars and locomotives was one of Amtrak’s biggest challenges. Prior to the start of operations on May 1, 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,200 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the two dozen private railroads that had been relieved of their passenger service obligations.

Amtrak used a variety of means to tell the public about what it was doing to improve rail service—including placing advertisements in major newspapers, distributing pamphlets and conducting interviews with local media outlets.

In 1972, Amtrak launched a national public relations tour as its first anniversary neared. Passenger service representatives such as Tricia “Patti” Saunders, along with employees from public relations firm Harshe-Rotman & Druck, Inc., visited more than 60 cities in six months. During interviews, they mentioned the company’s improved on-time performance, local enhancements to passenger rail service, an ongoing car refurbishment program, new Amtrak vacation packages and the launch of a computerized ticketing and reservation system.

“Got places to go? Then take an Amtrak trip – an easy, unconfining journey where everything’s enjoyable. Train travel means freedom, flexibility, dependability.”

The images below come from Traveling by train, an early Amtrak publication used to spread information about the company. With colorful pen and ink drawings and snippets of text, it describes accommodations and services on long and short-distance trains. Stylishly-attired travelers enjoy relaxing journeys in slumbercoaches, leg-rest coaches, parlor cars and high-speed Metroliner equipment. The drawings are also accompanied by car diagrams showing the interior layouts. As the text notes, “Amtrak trains have the features and facilities today’s travelers look for.”

Enjoy these selected images or check out the full booklet for all the details!

The description on the route map at the back of the booklet noted that Amtrak then connected 340 cities and operated over 200 trains a day. As of 2015, Amtrak serves more than 500 communities in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces. It does so through more than 300 daily trains.

Day Coach: "Adds extra ease with adjustable reclining seats and ample leg room - snack and beverage service available nearby."

Leg-Rest Coach: "Offers deep-cushioned reclining seats with head-rests and adjustable leg rests - generally available for long-distance overnight travel."

Metroliner: "Offers ultra-modern service - spacious seats in Metrocoach with food service available in Metro Snack-Bar Coach."

Dome Coach: "Displays the passing scene in breathtaking panoramic view."

Tavern Lounge: "Presents an informal atmosphere - for a relaxing drink, a snack and perhaps a game of cribbage or bingo."

Bedrooms/Bedroom Suites: "Provide sofa-like seating for one or two occupants and separate berths for sleeping; enclosed private facilities; individually controlled air-conditioning."

The photo library maintained by the Amtrak Marketing department contains thousands of slides that we are working to sort, digitize and make available to the public. The collection includes images of trains (with a variety of locomotives and rolling stock) traveling through diverse landscapes, Amtrak employees performing their job duties and station interiors and exteriors. The images were used in national marketing campaigns, appearing on posters and in travel brochures, timetables and other publications.

Only a few station images contain identifying information, but initial research indicates that many were likely taken in the 1970s and early 1980s. As Amtrak took over operation of the majority of the nation’s intercity passenger rail services in 1971, it worked to rebrand existing facilities and also construct new, standardized stations that were meant to be “highly functional, flexible [and] cost-efficient.”

With the passage of time, these images are now valuable visual records of stations and communities that hold interest for railroad and local historians. Change is evident when compared to contemporary scenes, but some elements remain the same. Some depots no longer stand, while others have been restored and are now listed as historic landmarks. Below we take a look at a handful of stations then and now. Do you remember traveling through any of these stations during Amtrak’s early days? Share your memories in the comments section below.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Served by the Silver Meteor and Silver Star
Opened in 1927

1970s: A Red Cap waters the lush landscaping.

In a seemingly quite interlude, a Red Cap waters the landscaping around the historic Orlando station in this undated photo. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) built the large station in 1926 at a cost of $500,000. It was later used by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad following the 1967 merger of the ACL and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. One of the area's best examples of Mission Revival style architecture, the stucco-clad building includes two domed towers flanking the entrance and a long, shady arcade that protects passengers from inclement weather as they wait outside.

As evident in the above slide that likely dates to the 1970s, the essential form of the station was still intact some 50 years after it opened. In 1978, the city designated the station a historic local landmark—a structure that represents Orlando’s history, culture and/or heritage.

2015: On June 29, a crowd gathered to celebrate the rehabilitation of the historic Orlando station. Image courtesy of the city of Orlando.

A major station rehabilitation project was completed in June 2015. Funded through a partnership between the city and Florida Department of Transportation, it included repairs to the tile roof, twin domes and stucco surfaces, as well as restoration of original light fixtures, wood doors and windows. New sidewalks and ramps comply with Americans with Disability Act requirements. A fresh coat of paint, based on historic color schemes, gives the building a bright and welcoming appearance as seen in the contemporary image. In May 2014, a SunRail commuter rail station opened just north of the historic depot; a transit plaza allows travelers to easily transfer between Amtrak, commuter trains and local buses.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
Served by the Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight
Opened in 1902

1972: In this July image, a banner over the entrance includes the new Amtrak service mark.

The Santa Barbara depot was constructed in the Spanish Mission Revival style in 1902 for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The architecture reflects a time when California’s boosters advanced all things associated with the missions and the Spanish colonial era as effective marketing tools to lure residents from the east to the state. The use of Mission and Spanish Revival architecture romanticized California’s past, and regional railroads constructed many depots in these related styles.

When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's intercity passenger rail system on May 1, 1971, it did not have the time or resources to immediately re-brand all passenger facilities - thus the use of the temporary Amtrak banner over the depot entrance in the July 1972 image. According to an Amtrak press release from April 19, 1971, "Key functional areas in terminal buildings will be given an integrated look so that passengers can quickly identify AMTRAK ticket counters, information booths, arrival and departure boards..."

2006: More than a century after it opened, the depot retains its design integrity.

Whether viewed in 1972 or in a contemporary photograph, the depot retains much of its original charm and detailing, such as the red tile roof and graceful arcade that shields passengers from the summer heat. During a 2000 rehabilitation project, the ticket office was restored and the plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems updated.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Served by Acela Express, Northeast Regional and various medium- and long-distance trains
Opened in 1907

1970s: The original wood benches had been removed from the Main Hall and the white and red marble floor covered with terrazzo.

Completed in 1908, Washington Union Station is a soaring neoclassical landmark in the nation's capital. The station had entered a period of marked decline by the early 1970s when this image of the Main Hall was likely taken. Gone are the original dark wood benches that filled the room, and the elegant white and red marble floor has been replaced with a terrazzo version featuring a large square pattern. Not long after this scene was recorded, the building underwent major renovations to serve as the National Visitor Center during the nation's 1976 bicentennial celebration.

Passenger functions were subsequently moved out of the historic head house to a small facility built just to the north, closer to the tracks. Workers then installed exhibits, a bookstore and a café in the former passenger areas. A large hole was dug in the middle of the Main Hall shown above to accommodate a theater.

2015: The busy Main Hall now includes a two-level restaurant in its center. Scaffolding is in place so workers can repair damage caused by an August 2011 earthquake.

Attendance fell short of projections, and the National Visitor Center closed for good in 1981. The building’s future remained uncertain until Congress passed the Union Station Redevelopment Act later that year. It set the groundwork for one of the largest public-private redevelopment efforts in the nation’s history. A multi-year project transformed the station into a successful mixed-use space with a new rail concourse, shops, restaurants and other amenities. As part of that work, a restaurant was added to the middle of the Main Hall, seen in the contemporary image. As of 2015, approximately 90,000 visitors pass through Union Station each day, whether to catch a train, bus or the subway, or simply to have a bite to eat or shop.

The Washington Union Station 2nd Century project launched in 2012. It’s a comprehensive expansion and improvement initiative projected to triple passenger capacity and double train capacity by modernizing and expanding station facilities over the next two decades. New lower-level concourses, multiple new entrance points, wider platforms and new passenger amenities and retail space will unlock capacity. All project elements seek to respect and preserve the history of the iconic landmark.

In FY 1984, Amtrak focused on increasing market development, service quality and productivity.

In its Fiscal Year 1984 annual report, Amtrak under the leadership of President and CEO W. Graham Claytor, Jr. set a goal “to create the best possible passenger service, market it successfully and deliver it as safely and as cost effectively as possible.” The company would work toward this goal by focusing on strategies to increase market development, service quality and productivity.

The push to develop new markets and bolster existing ones was most evident in significant changes to train schedules. They included the realignment of services for better connections and the inauguration of new trains. The Cardinal(New York-Washington-Cincinnati-Chicago) switched to a more marketable schedule that had it pass through West Virginia’s stunning New River Gorge during the day instead of at night. The opportunity to see the area’s natural beauty, including mountain views, tumbling streams and wildflowers, attracted customers and is still a selling point today. The change also led to better connections with western long-distance trains in Chicago.

Michigan partnered with Amtrak to launch daily
Grand Rapids-Chicago service.

Amtrak collaborated with the Michigan Department of Transportation to launch the Pere Marquette service between Grand Rapids, Mich., and Chicago in August. Under section 403(b) of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970—the legislation that created Amtrak—a state could request additional rail services if it agreed to reimburse Amtrak for a “reasonable portion of any losses associated with such services.”

North Carolina subsequently became the twelfth state to support a service with the inauguration of the Carolinian (Charlotte-Raleigh-New York) in October. It operated as an independent train between Charlotte and Richmond, Va., where its cars were then attached to the Palmetto (New York-Jacksonville) for through service to New York. Then-North Carolina Transportation Secretary William Roberson noted that nearly a third of the state’s residents lived close to the route.¹

More than seven million visitors flocked to New Orleans to attend the Louisiana World Exposition from May through November. To accommodate them and promote regional tourism, the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana funded a temporary Mobile, Ala.-New Orleans train known as the Gulf Coast Limited. Intended to run from April 29 to September 30, it continued through the end of the year due to lower-than-expected operating costs. The Crescent City was also directly linked to St. Louis and Kansas City via the new River Cities. Launched in April, the train extended the existing Kansas City-St. Louis service east to Centralia, Ill., where through cars were combined with the City of New Orleans (Chicago-New Orleans).

Capitalizing on the success of Metroliner Servicein the Northeast, noted for its timeliness and popularity with business travelers, Amtrak introduced a daily Metroliner Service train between Los Angeles and San Diego. It made limited stops, and passengers enjoyed a complimentary newspaper and continental breakfast in the morning, as well as warm hors d’oeuvres in the afternoon.

New Route Actions Task Forces focused on service quality across the national system. Members examined each route and group of routes “for 90 days and develop[ed] recommendations to help achieve the company’s route break-even goal.”

Teams composed of a mechanical general foreman and an on-board service chief were also assigned to each long-distance train to ensure the network ran smoothly. They got to know their trains and routes very closely and were able to work together to analyze and address concerns.

People Magazine shone a national spotlight on the men and women of Amtrak in September when it profiled On-Board Service Chief Charlie Fike, who had been named “Employee of the Year” for 1983. The article profiled Fike’s typical trip aboard the Empire Builder (Chicago-Seattle/Portland): “Before departure [from Chicago] he has inspected the stock in the dining car, made sure the sleepers have their linen and even checked out the supply of brooms, mops and soap…For the rest of the 44-hour trip Charlie remains a man in motion.”²

The article highlighted the fun of train travel by describing how Fike dressed up in a costume and used hand puppets to entertain children on-board. In the evenings, he led singalong sessions in the sightseer lounge car that lasted late into the night. ‘“…Part of the magic of trains [is that] you become a self-reliant community and everybody becomes neighbors and friends,’” Fike concluded.³

Amtrak opened new standard stations across the country.

New and renovated stations also contributed to enhanced service quality. Depots in Anaheim, Calif., Omaha, Neb., Tacoma, Wash., and Huntington, W.Va., were constructed to standard Amtrak plans. Driven by practical concerns for highly functional, flexible and cost-efficient structures, their design reinforced the company’s brand identity through a common material and color palette.

Due to the passage of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, Amtrak had gained a 50 percent interest in Chicago Union Station, where it had early consolidated all Chicago-area intercity passenger rail services. In 1984, it acquired the remaining 50 percent ownership stake from the Burlington Northern and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroads. Planning for a full renovation soon began.

A steady series of enhancement projects completed since 1977 had produced modernized stations, maintenance facilities, track and other infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). As part of this continuing work, Amtrak transferred ownership and daily management of Newark Penn Station to New Jersey Transit in 1984. This made sense due to the fact that the majority of passengers using the station were taking commuter trains. In New York City, Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road came to an agreement to upgrade the nation’s busiest rail hub. In addition to improvements to the passenger concourses, the work would include a new state-of-the-art train control system.

A new computerized telecommunications program called Teletrak let travel agents reach Amtrak sales consultants with a quick and simple phone call.

Close observers may have noticed a new car regularly traveling the NEC starting in 1984. No. 10001, the Beech Grove, was converted from an Amfleet coach into a track-geometry car at the Beech Grove, Ind., heavy maintenance facility. The annual report noted: “[It] uses sophisticated measuring devices to sense and record track gauge, profile, curvature, cross level and alignment.” Cameras mounted on the rear allowed for close inspection of tracks and catenary wire. The Beech Grove remains in service today.

Another way to develop markets, increase productivity and improve service quality was through technological enhancements that made it easier for customers to learn about services and accommodations. In the pre-Internet age, tickets were often bought in person at the local station, over the phone or through travel agents. Amtrak introduced new ways for travel agents to access booking information. It entered into agreements with Trans World Airlines and American Airlines to link its reservations system, ARROW, with theirs. Travel agents using the airlines’ systems could access ARROW for “instant information on schedules, rates and services” and even make confirmed reservations. Teletrak, a computerized telecommunications program, let travel agents reach Amtrak sales consultants with a quick and simple phone call.

In 1984, the last public grade crossings on the southern end of
the NEC were closed.

Amtrak also put a renewed emphasis on safety for employees and the public. A comprehensive System Safety program established in 1978 showed clear results by 1984. The ratio of lost-workday injuries fell from 10.7 to 3.4 for every 200,000 hours worked. Amtrak and the freight railroads collaborated with the non-profit Operation Lifesaver to educate the public about safe behavior on and around railroad property, particularly at the crossing of roadways and rail tracks. In 1984, the last two public grade crossings on the high-speed NEC between Washington and New Haven were closed.

Investments in employees, railroad infrastructure and technology, paired with a strong emphasis on precise resource allocation, helped Amtrak maintain steady ridership through the remainder of the decade.

¹Carolinian makes trial run,” [Hendersonville, N.C.] Times-News, October 27, 1984.

² Wood, Gerry. “Minstrel and Emcee, Railroad Charlie Fike Puts Train Travel Back on Track,” People Magazine, September 1984.

³ Ibid.

In addition to the above links, sources consulted include:

National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Annual Report (Fiscal Year 1984).

National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Newsbreak: Vol 2., Nos. 1-49

A strong brand represents why a company exists and for what it stands. Amtrak sums up its brand essence as “Simply a smarter way to travel.” America’s Railroad offers a transportation choice with comfort, freedom, service and value. It crosses the nation downtown to downtown, community to community, connecting more than 500 destinations.

“Amtrak’s new brand campaign speaks to the uniquely enjoyable experience of rail travel.” - Darlene Abubakar, Amtrak acting vice president brand management and marketing.

As part of its master brand program, Amtrak recently unveiled a nationwide brand campaign inspired by passengers' travel experiences: “500 Destinations. Infinite Stories”. The storytelling at the heart of the campaign focuses on the unique experiences and adventures only rail travel can provide. “We are reinvigorating the Amtrak brand by celebrating thousands of travel experiences while simultaneously reinforcing what longtime Amtrak loyalists love about America’s Railroad: comfort, convenience and a commitment to excellent customer service,” says Darlene Abubakar, Amtrak acting vice president brand management and marketing.

The multi-platform campaign, created in coordination with advertising agency FCB Garfinkel, provides brand consistency across all channels including television, print, digital and social media. It features the breadth of the Amtrak national system including long distance, Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains, and state-supported routes. A new collection of television spots can be viewed on the Amtrak YouTube page. The 30 second commercial is featured below:

Amtrak.com received a new look this summer in keeping with the refreshed visual identity associated with the master brand. The updated design incorporates new photography and “journey lines” joined at round connection points. The website refresh is one of the first steps of a larger program to provide Amtrak customers with a modern experience for booking their tickets, modifying their travel plans and learning about train travel.

The first service mark, an inverted arrow, implied
motion.

For a business enterprise with a national scope, a catchy name and logo are essential brand elements that help create a unified corporate image easily recognized by the public. This was especially true for the newly formed National Railroad Passenger Corporation, established by an act of Congress in 1970 to operate the country’s intercity passenger rail system. One of the first steps taken by the young company was the creation of a more relatable brand name.

Although “Railpax” was initially used, it was soon replaced by “Amtrak,” a blending of the words “American” and “track” developed by communications and design firm Lippincott & Margulies. “Amtrak” was considered “a short, powerful name, easy to pronounce and remember, with high visual impact..." The firm also created a “crisp, modern” graphic identity for the company defined by the patriotic colors of red, white and blue.

A press release issued just weeks before Amtrak began operations on May 1, 1971 explains how the company’s visual identity was created: “A team of twenty [Lippincott & Margulies] consultants conducted an intensive analysis of attitudes and opinions among railroad executives, employees and passengers. This basic data led to a set of specific criteria, chief of which was the capability of a new communications system to interact with virtually every aspect of national railroad operations…”

Amtrak quickly painted its fleet of cars with the new service mark.

A new logo, or service mark, was intended for use in a variety of settings—from rail equipment paint schemes to ticket counters to timetables. It took the form of an inverted arrow that conveyed a sense of motion. The company’s color scheme and service mark were even reinterpreted for use in the first set of cohesive uniforms created for onboard service and station service employees by well-known designer Bill Atkinson. Introduced in 1972, the pieces’ necklines, jacket cuffs and other areas incorporated the inverted arrow and chevrons. At their unveiling, Amtrak President and CEO Roger Lewis enthused, “We are presenting a creative new look to show the nation that a new era in passenger railroading is opening.”

The original service mark remained in use until fall 2000, when Amtrak launched a rebranding effort following two years of research examining how the old brand was perceived and used.¹ The refresh was based on a new “Satisfaction Guarantee” in which Amtrak promised to make every trip a “safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience.” If Amtrak employees were unable to make things right for a customer, he or she could ask for a Service Guarantee Certificate toward future rail travel.² The rebrand also coincided with the introduction of high-speed Acela Express service in the Northeast.

Designer Bill Atkinson worked the service mark into uniforms introduced in 1972.

An article in the July/August 2000 issue of Amtrak Ink, the employee magazine, noted: “We are signaling a transformation of Amtrak into a company geared for business success, and one backing that up with an unprecedented satisfaction guarantee. We are a revitalized company: a company with record ridership and revenue, expanding services, and exciting new commercial partnerships. Through these efforts and more, our employees have earned a new identity.”

Amtrak introduced a new logo or “travel mark” as a key component of the brand's visual identity. Still in use today, it was designed to “suggest movement, the delight of a journey and the excitement of new technology– reflections of a changing Amtrak…the travel mark and the new typeface will send a message that reflects Amtrak’s growing commercial strength and reliability.”³ As supplies of brochures, signage and other items ran out, new stock incorporated the new travel mark, thereby introducing the refreshed brand identity gradually and in a cost-effective manner.⁴

The text of this cartoon by CL Katz from the September 2000 issue of Amtrak Ink reads: "Old Logos Don't Die...They Just Become Collectible."

Employees also received a Brand Management Handbook to help them determine the appropriate ways to implement the visual identity. Executive Vice President Barbara Richardson noted in the November 2000 issue of Amtrak Ink: “Consistency in appearance signals a strong and aggressive company…This is a major signal to the traveling public that we are indeed a different company, one that is cutting-edge, contemporary, and capable of changing the whole face of the travel industry.”

The current service mark features prominently in the new national brand campaign, as do "journey lines" representing "where the train can take you."

In the 15 years since the refreshed brand went into effect, Amtrak successfully introduced high-speed rail in the Northeast; entered into partnerships with states including Maine, Illinois and Virginia to launch new trains and additional frequencies; advanced passenger service enhancements such as automated voice response technology ("Julie"), eTicketing and AmtrakConnect Wi-Fi; and grew national ridership by approximately 47 percent (FY 2000-FY 2014).

¹“Brand New,” Amtrak Ink, July/August 2000.

²“Amtrak – The Company that Guarantees Guest Satisfaction,” Amtrak Ink, July/August 2000.

³“A Fresh New Look for a Revitalized Amtrak,” Amtrak Ink, July/August 2000.

⁴“Brand New,” Amtrak Ink, October 2000.

Amtrak Voices is an occasional series in which we talk with long-time Amtrak employees to discover what attracted them to the company, recount its early days and explore changes they witnessed in railroading during their careers.

Part I

Tricia "Patty" Saunders (in red) looks towards the future as Amtrak begins operations in 1971. To her right is then-U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe.

Tricia “Patty” Saunders is a familiar face to many—although they probably don’t know her name. In her role as a public relations ambassador for Amtrak in 1972, Saunders traveled the country promoting the new company’s services and also modeled in early Amtrak photo shoots.

Amtrak started operations on May 1, 1971 after an act of Congress the previous year allowed private railroads to divest themselves of their passenger service obligations. In transferring those obligations to Amtrak, those two dozen companies agreed to provide it with equipment, station facilities and access to their tracks.

Equipment continued to wear the liveries of the predecessor railroads
until Amtrak could paint everything in its first paint scheme.

Within a few months, Amtrak needed to create an organizational framework; hire and train employees; upgrade and standardize rolling stock and station facilities acquired from predecessor railroads; institute a comprehensive national reservations system; and craft an advertising campaign to inform the public about its services.

Amtrak actually had very few direct employees in its first years, as most functions continued to be contracted out to the predecessor railroads. This interim period allowed Amtrak to analyze current railroad operations and determine how to most efficiently run its services by combining redundant jobs.

Over its first 18 months of operation, Amtrak took over essential services such as group travel arrangements, reservations and ticketing and on-board functions including work performed by stewards, chefs and sleeping car attendants. By the end of 1972, the company employed 1,522 people across the country. It also worked out an agreement with the predecessor railroads whereby their employees could switch over to Amtrak but have a six year window to return to their original jobs without losing established benefits.

Saunders poses with the second national timetable.

Prior to being hired by Amtrak on April 28, 1971 – as one of the company’s first employees– Saunders had worked two seasons for the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL), whose rail network covered the Southeast and the lucrative Florida market. The Sunshine State was especially popular with Northerners in search of a respite from harsh winter weather. A native of Richmond, Va., Saunders had been in modeling school when the SCL came looking for young women to work on its famous Florida Special (New York-Miami), a popular seasonal train that operated from mid-December to mid-April.

She recalls that the SCL “hired six girls, one per train…we put on fashion shows onboard, showing off the latest styles for cocktail dresses, bikinis and other clothing.” The shows not only entertained passengers on the day-long journey, but also allowed large regional department stores such as Jordan Marsh to advertise their goods. Saunders might also lead a sing-along or oversee a bingo game– prizes included suntan lotion, fresh citrus and other Florida staples.

“Amtrak was a completely new operation–they were exciting times. I loved the trains and like many others wanted to see it work...there were big plans to change it all." - Tricia "Patty" Saunders.

Talking with Saunders, it’s clear that from an early age she had a sense of wanderlust, a desire to travel and see the world. The train bug bit her early; in a March 1971 newspaper article about her work as a SCL hostess, she told a reporter: “The thought of going back to an office job is just awful. After this, nothing else is quite the same.”¹ In the course of her 33 year Amtrak career, Saunders lived in approximately 20 cities. She recounts: “Amtrak was a completely new operation – they were exciting times. I loved the trains and like many others wanted to see it work. Some trains [prior to the creation of Amtrak] were just awful, but there were big plans to change it all.”

With a primarily male workforce, “Amtrak needed women,” she says. In her first Amtrak position – as a passenger service representative (PSR) – Saunders was “the eyes and ears of Amtrak.” She assisted customers on the train, listened to their complaints and compliments regarding Amtrak service, talked about future company initiatives and passed on ideas for improvement to management. “Management was eager to hear from customers,” notes Saunders, “and their suggestions led to change.” She also solicited feedback from fellow employees.

“At first there were lots and lots of complaints because of the raggedy equipment,” says Saunders. In preparation for the start of service in May 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,200 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the railroads. Updating the existing fleet of passenger cars and locomotives was one of Amtrak’s biggest challenges and would take years. Mechanical and electrical overhauls were needed on roughly a third of the fleet, as were interior refurbishments.

In an effort to promote Amtrak service, Saunders presents New Haven Mayor Bartholomew F. Guida with a model Metroliner car and button.

Remembering those early days, Saunders says, “The older guys who had come over to Amtrak from the other railroads didn’t know what to make of us [PSRs]…they didn’t understand what Amtrak was going to be and thought we were sent to observe them. Butwe were just there to make things better.” Once they understood that the PSRs were there to help customers, the on-board service (OBS) members quickly learned to work with them, and they all became like family.

In Part II, we'll learn about Saunders's participation in a national public relations tour, what she thought of the first Amtrak uniforms and her advice for those just starting a railroad career.

¹ Kay Tucker, “Fla. Train Hostess Stays on the Go,” The Richmond News Leader, March 24, 1971.

Amtrak Voices is an occasional series in which we talk with long-time Amtrak employees to discover what attracted them to the company, recount its early days and explore changes they witnessed in railroading during their careers.

Part II (Catch Up on Part I)

Tricia "Patty" Saunders, shown here assisting Metroclub passengers, wears the new Amtrak uniform introduced in early 1972.

Amtrak expanded the number of female passenger service representatives (PSR) from three to 48 within a year due to their positive reception among passengers and crews.¹ They were also sent to a training program run in conjunction with Continental Airlines. Tricia "Patty" Saunders’s certificate of achievement notes that she completed a comprehensive course in “customer relations, grooming, sales effectiveness and travel planning.”

By 1972, female PSRs like Saunders wore a uniform created by designer Bill Atkinson. Pieces such as a short skirt, floor length skirt and slacks could be mixed with various tops and sweaters according to the season. Footwear included white or navy blue go-go boots. Speaking about his work, Atkinson commented at the time: “In this era of unisex, distinctive uniforms for the Amtrak gals, from ticket seller to hostess, are absolutely feminine…”

Passenger service representatives like Tricia Saunders
solicited feedback from customers.

In early images Saunders wears a skirt and red jacket, which incorporates the first Amtrak service mark in white along the collar and button band. “We liked those outfits – the uniforms were cute and the white knee-high boots were fun,” she laughs. Atkinson had also proposed hot pants, but Saunders says she and other PSRs protested: “Although we advised our superiors that we wanted to be hip and stylish, we felt that hot pants were a little over the top.”

That same year, Saunders was asked to serve on a national public relations tour as Amtrak neared its first anniversary. Traveling with representatives of the company’s public relations firm, Harshe-Rotman & Druck, Inc., she visited more than 60 cities in six months. “It was exciting to me, seeing the country and meeting all kinds of people,” says Saunders. In articles appearing in a wide variety of newspapers, Saunders mentioned the company’s improved on-time performance, local enhancements to passenger rail service, car refurbishment program, new Amtrak vacation packages and the launch of a computerized ticketing and reservation system.

Following two years as a PSR, Saunders became a sales representative in California, but then headed east again to work as a specialist - station services at Amtrak Headquarters (then located at L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C.). She subsequently served as a station supervisor at Washington Union Station. To pursue a long-held dream of acting, she left Amtrak and returned to Los Angeles. Saunders worked at the famed Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood while part of a local theater group, and she was in numerous productions.

Tricia Saunders speaks with a reporter during a 1972 national tour to mark Amtrak's first year of operations.

Within a year Saunders was back at Amtrak, this time as an onboard service (OBS) employee, a position she held for the remainder of her career. Train attendants work on coach or sleeping cars. In general, they greet passengers at each station, assign seating areas, assist with luggage, keep the car spotless and answer general questions—from describing passing landmarks to giving a preview of the dining car menu. In addition, a sleeping car attendant makes up the beds in a Roomette or bedroom, ensures that shower areas are stocked with towels and toiletries and may also deliver meals to a passenger’s room upon request.

"You can’t compare passenger railroading to anything else. You have to love the public and be understanding.” - Tricia Saunders

Saunders especially liked working the many long-distance trains, including the California Zephyr (Chicago-Emeryville, Calif.) and Empire Builder (Chicago-Portland/Seattle): “At night, you can look out the conductor’s window and see the magnificent stars and simply enjoy the amazing views.” Over two decades, she interacted with a wide range of people from around the world, including singers Ella Fitzgerald and Dolly Parton, actor Michael Gross (who played Steven Keaton on popular 1980s sitcom Family Ties), sportswriter Bill Madden and a guitar-playing conductor who later made professional recordings.

The ferocious winter of 1995-1996 stands out, for it included a run in which the Empire Builder was stranded for more than a day at Fargo, N.D. Whiteout conditions had halted passenger and freight rail traffic—and the entire region. Saunders remembers that the onboard chief ventured out with the local sheriff to find groceries as the dining car’s food supply ran low.

Tricia Saunders later worked as a train attendant on the California Zephyr, shown here near Shale, Colo.

Many of her best memories relate to her coworkers: “Crews get very close and it was sad when the group would break up, but that was an opportunity to make new friends. By the end, I knew somebody on every train.” Social media has provided new ways for Saunders and her former Seaboard Coast Line and Amtrak coworkers to reconnect.

Looking back at her career, Saunders concludes: “It’s hard work, but rewarding…You can’t compare passenger railroading to anything else. You have to love the public and be understanding.” Her advice to the next generation of Amtrak employees: “Make the most of it, including the bonds you’ll make with all kinds of people.”

¹“Amtrak ‘Stewardess’ Optimistic On Railroad Industry’s Future,” St. Paul Dispatch, April 5, 1972.

The Amtrak Marketing department photo library contains thousands of slides that we are working to sort, digitize and make available to the public. The collection includes images of trains traveling through diverse landscapes, Amtrak employees performing their job duties and station interiors and exteriors.

With the passage of time, they have become valuable visual records of stations and communities that hold interest for railroad and local historians. Change is evident when compared to contemporary scenes, but some elements remain the same. Some depots no longer stand, while others have been restored and are now listed as historic landmarks. Below we take a look at a handful of stations then and now.

Do you remember any of these stations from Amtrak’s early days? Share your memories in the comments section below. Also, get to know the stations on Tour 1.

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA
Served by the Silver Meteor and Silver Star
Opened in 1910

1970s: The Kissimmee depot wears a patriotic red, white and blue paint scheme.

There is no sign in this 1970s image clearly identifying the location of this structure, but comparisons with contemporary photographs such as the one below strongly indicate that it is the historic Kissimmee depot. The one story combination depot accommodated passenger and freight uses under one roof and was built in 1910 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. A noticeable change between the old and new images is the elimination of the patriotic red, white and blue paint scheme (especially on the canopy supports) in favor of one that is historically inspired, as well as the reconstruction of the cupola.

Building renovations were undertaken in 1976 and again in 1988. As part of the second rehabilitation, which was led by the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, more than 120 workers and volunteers graded the parking lot to facilitate drainage, rebuilt the loading dock and decorated it with latticework, cleaned and painted the building, and installed landscaping.

2007: Through multiple renovations, the depot has retained its early 20th century appearance.

During the rehabilitation project, workers discovered a pot-bellied stove and an antique casket loader. Much of the construction material was donated, and additional monies were obtained through community fundraising. Today, Kissimmee is a popular stop for those headed to nearby resorts, including Walt Disney World.

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
Served by the Capitol Limited
Constructed 1849-1866; addition opened in 1997

1976(?): A crowd gathers at the Martinsburg depot, likely to welcome the arrival of the inaugural Shenandoah (Washington-Cincinnati).

The Martinsburg depot is counted as one of the oldest in the country. The photo above, likely taken in October 1976, shows a combination hotel and depot that was constructed between 1849 and 1866. During the Civil War, troops under Confederate General Stonewall Jackson destroyed the adjacent Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) roundhouses, shops and rail yards, which were later rebuilt. The town would change hands between Confederate and Union forces nearly 40 times during the war. The crowd above was likely gathered to welcome the inaugural run of the Shenandoah(Washington-Cumberland-Cincinnati).

The Shenandoah, which ran until 1981, took its name from an earlier train operated by the B&O. Passengers could initially transfer to the combined Mountaineer/James Whitcomb Riley (later the Cardinal) at Cincinnati for connecting service to Chicago. Today, the portion of the route between Washington and Cumberland, Md., is covered by the Capitol Limited (Washington-Chicago).

2007: The Amtrak waiting room is now housed in a 1997 addition. The building in the historic photograph is visible to the left.

Amtrak and Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail passengers today share space in a 1997 addition to the historic hotel/depot. Designed by the local architectural firm Grove & Dall’Olio, the new red brick transportation center mirrors the Italianate style of its older neighbor. In addition to transportation functions, the station complex houses professional offices, the Washington Heritage Trail National Scenic Byways Welcome Center and Bookshop and the For the Kids, by George Children's Museum.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Served by the Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Empire Service and various national system trains
Opened in 1910

1970s: The ticket counter bustles with activity.

Comparing photos old and new, it’s clear that New York Penn Station has long been a busy transportation hub for the nation’s most populous city. With more than half a million people passing through its concourses every day, Penn Station is the busiest intercity and commuter rail hub in North America. In addition to Amtrak, it serves Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New Jersey Transit (NJT) commuter rail, and is readily accessible from 14 lines of the New York City subway.

1970s: The information booth was fully stocked with timetables
and other marketing materials.

The original Pennsylvania Station, which took the name of its owner and builder, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), opened to the public in the fall of 1910. Considered a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts architecture, it was designed by noted firm McKim, Mead and White. An above ground structure contained the general waiting rooms, while a complex 50 feet below street level accommodated 11 platforms. The station was one piece of a larger $114 million puzzle that included a new right-of-way from Newark, N.J., to Manhattan; bridges; tunnels underneath the Hudson and East rivers; and a new rail yard in Queens.

By the mid-20^th century, the PRR considered the vast station a financial burden, and it optioned the air rights over the facility. From 1963 to 1966, the station building was demolished to make way for the current Madison Square Garden sports and entertainment arena, as well as the 2 Penn Plaza office building. While the new buildings rose above the underground concourses, the trains continued to run.

Amtrak began serving Penn Station when it took over operation of most of the nation’s intercity passenger rail service in May 1971. Twenty years later, all Amtrak trains serving northern and western destinations from Grand Central Terminal were shifted to Penn Station due to the completion of the West Side Connection in Manhattan.

2014: More than 10 million Amtrak passengers began or ended their journey at New York Penn Station in Fiscal Year 2015.

In 2010, the first phase of construction began on Moynihan Station, a project to expand Penn Station into the neighboring James A. Farley Post Office building. The project is designed to relieve congestion and improve passenger comfort and security. Moynihan Station is the future home of Amtrak’s operations, offering improved passenger facilities for Northeast Corridor and long distance travel, accessibility for passengers with disabilities, and a grand train hall in the historic Farley building.

Phase 1 includes expansion and enhancement of the 33rd Street Connector between Penn Station and the West End Concourse; the extension and widening of the West End Concourse to serve nine of Penn Station’s eleven platforms; new vertical access points and passenger circulation space; new entrances into the West End Concourse through the 31st and 33rd Street corners of the Farley building; and installation of an emergency ventilation system that will improve life safety. The project, scheduled for completion in 2016, is being managed by the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation, a public benefit corporation of the state of New York and the Port Authority of New York New Jersey, in cooperation with Amtrak.