Built by Budd and originally funded by the federal government under the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, the Metroliners–along with the United Aircraft Turbo Trains–were supposed to be America’s answer to the Japanese bullet trains, which had top … Continue reading
Here is a full menu–with breakfast, lunch, and dinner–typical of diners on Amtrak long-distance trains in the late 1970s. Several pages say “No. 5/6” in tiny letters, suggesting this particular menu was used on the San Francisco Zephyr. Click image … Continue reading
Prior to Amtrak, the Montrealer was a joint Canadian National-Boston & Maine-New Haven-Pennsylvania overnight train from Washington to Montreal. In the reverse direction the train was called the Washingtonian. A day train following the same route was called the Ambassador … Continue reading
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
The Tidewater was a short-lived train that went from Newport News, Virginia to New York City only on Fridays and Sundays. Leaving Newport News at 4 pm, the train complemented the Colonial, which departed Newport News daily at 7 am. … 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
The North Coast Limited wasn’t included in Amtrak’s original route plan, but thanks to some political arm twisting by Montana Senator Mike Mansfield, it was added to Amtrak’s system little more than a month after Amtrak began operating trains. Amtrak … 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
This is my favorite Amtrak timetable cover for paying homage to passenger train history. The tiny 1830 coach in the upper left is based on a replica in the B&O Railroad Museum. The M-10000 had been scrapped in 1942 and … Continue reading
