Here’s another Amtrak brochure–although in this case it is more of a card–with a lame slogan. The purpose was to announce “the arrival of the all electric sleeping cars operating on some of the long-distance routes served by Amfleet equipment.” … Continue reading
This brochure is full of lame and clumsy slogans: “Amtrak brings new meaning to the phrase, ‘eating on the run.’” Amtrak’s food service is “Why you should acquire a taste for trains, if you haven’t already.” “Amtrak’s literally a restaurant … Continue reading
Amtrak issued hundreds of brochures in its first decade, most of which focused on destinations such as Disneyland or national parks. But some simply exhorted people to take the train, usually with lame slogans such as “because getting there should … Continue reading
Despite the “Welcome Aboard” on the cover, this is not a traditional welcome-aboard brochure informing passengers of the amenities on the train they are riding. Instead, it is another advertisement for Amtrak trains, with four-color illustrations and floor plans of … Continue reading
Some people, including at least one of Amtrak’s original board members, believed that Amtrak’s proper role was to phase out passenger trains. That goal was aborted when by the 1970s energy crises, thus giving Amtrak an apparent reason for existence: … Continue reading
First-class sleeping car passengers received this packet of materials, enclosed in a sealed plastic bag, from Amtrak in the 1970s. There’s no date on any of these materials, but the “First Class” logo matches the logo used on yesterday’s 1972 … Continue reading
When Japan started running bullet trains in 1964, Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell decided that America needed similar high-speed trains running between Boston and Washington. He persuaded Congress to pass the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act, which funded construction of the … Continue reading
This 1964 brochure lists nine different Pullman accommodations: upper, lower, entire section, roomette, duplex roomette, bedroom, bedroom suite (two bedrooms with the wall between them folded out of the way), compartment, and drawing room. Though the vista-dome North Coast Limited … Continue reading
This 1956 brochure unfolds into a poster showing an array of Pullman accommodations on one side and a history of Pullman cars on the other. Accommodations are shown using the same illustrations as yesterday’s brochure, but the single bedroom and … Continue reading
An “oil electric” was a Diesel, but World War I was too fresh in people’s minds to use that term in 1926. This particular locomotive was built by three companies: Ingersoll Rand built the Diesel, General Electric the generator and … Continue reading
