Amtrak was barely two months old when the combined Super Chief / El Capitan rolled into Chicago on July 4, 1971, looking for all the world like the Santa Fe train that it had been prior to May 1. The train was renamed the Southwest Limited in 1974 and the Southwest Chief in 1981. The Superliner cars that predominate on long-distance Amtrak trains today were based on the Santa Fe's bi-level cars like the ones on this train. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-04-04-01
An Amtrak porter sweeps snow from the steps of a passenger car of the North Coast Hiawatha at Fargo, North Dakota, on December 8, 1972. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-005
Three Amtrak E-units couple onto the North Coast Hiawatha at the Minneapolis Great Northern Depot on July 25, 1973. The station was demolished in 1978 and the train discontinued in 1979. Today Amtrak's Empire Builder serves the Twin Cities at St. Paul Union Depot. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-08-11-01
Amtrak train 86, the Champion, pulls into Orlando, Florida, on its way from Tampa to New York on August 25, 1973. The train debuted in 1939 on the Atlantic Coast Line and ran until 1979. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-017
Two brand-new SDP40F locomotives lead Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr through Denver, Colorado, on July 5, 1974. Photograph by Ronald C. Hill, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hill-01-12-39
Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha crosses the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 1, 1975. The last passenger train crossed the bridge in 1978, and the iconic structure is now part of a recreational trail. Photograph by John Gruber, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Gruber-07S-02-04
Amtrak's National Limited crosses the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1975. The train ran from 1971 until 1979 between Kansas City and New York/Washington. Today only trains of the Pittsburgh Light Rail use this bridge. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-10
On Christmas Eve, 1976, an Amtrak train from Boston to Washington pulls out of Providence, Rhode Island. The shadow of the iconic Industrial National Bank Building falls on the skyscraper in the background at right, while the Rhode Island State House is visible on the horizon at left. Today this scene is greatly changed following electrification of the railway and construction of the Providence Place shopping mall in the 1990s. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-093
Amtrak's first new locomotive, SDP40F 500, leads train 3, the Southwest Limited, out of Chicago for its two-day run to Los Angeles on September 5, 1977. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-04-22-13
Amtrak train 796, the Mount Rainier, pulls out of Union Station in Tacoma, Washington, on August 7, 1978. A pair of two-year-old F40PH locomotives lead the train; for the next two decades F40s handled the majority of regional and long-distance Amtrak trains across most of the country. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-10-03-06
Two GG1 electric locomotives of Pennsylvania Railroad heritage lead Amtrak train 88, the Silver Star from Miami to New York, past a work train at Principio, Maryland, on November 4, 1979. Amtrak operations of GG1s ended the following year. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-50
Amtrak Metroliner train 108 from Washington to New York crosses the Susquehanna River at Perryville, Maryland, on May 26, 1980. Two fisherman appear undisturbed by General Electric E60 968 and its three-car train. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-055
Metroliner train 117 from New York City arrives in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 1981. The train consists of two pairs of Budd electric cars built for the Pennsylvania and Penn Central railroads between 1967 and 1970. They were fully replaced in Metroliner service before the end of the year by new AEM-7 electric locomotives pulling regular coaches. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-058
Amtrak Metroliner train 120 departs Washington, D.C., for New York City behind a new AEM-7 on August 26, 1982. The U.S. Capitol is visible in the background at right. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-342
AEM-7 electric locomtive 937 leads a passenger train north across the iconic Hell Gate Bridge over New York's East River on August 24, 1983. The Triborough Bridge stands in the background at right. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-395
Following the Pacific Ocean not far out of Los Angeles, the Coast Starlight passes the deserted beach near Jalama on its way to Seattle on June 19, 1984. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-416
In a signature location on the Santa Fe Railway, Amtrak train 4, the Southwest Chief, negotiates the narrow confines of Apache Canyon near Lamy, New Mexico, on April 23, 1985. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-075
The California Zephyr passes a quartet of Santa Fe locomotives on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, on August 27, 1986. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-450
Amtrak train 19, the Southern Crescent, departs Birmingham, Alabama, en route from New York to New Orleans on March 24, 1987. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-456.
The Auto Train crosses Aquia Creek behind three P30CH locomotives shortly after departing Lorton, Virginia, for its overnight run to Sanford, Florida, on April 16, 1988. The train carries passengers as well as their vehicles between its two terminals, located near Washington and Orlando, respectively. Photograph by Ronald C. Hill, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hill-20-22-32
AEM-7 electric locomotive 937 leads Metroliner train 108 north for New York City out of Washington, D.C.'s Union Station on November 15, 1989, while SW1 738 shuffles cars on the adjacent track. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-514
On July 14, 1990, Amtrak train 6, the California Zephyr, follows the pole line into Cameron, Illinois, where the former Burlington main line ducks under the Santa Fe. A station stop at Galesburg is just ahead. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-05-28-06
The Desert Wind crosses Cajon Pass in southern California on April 27, 1991. The train operated between Ogden, Utah, and Los Angeles, via Las Vegas, from 1979 until 1997. Photograph by Ronald C. Hill, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hill-01-24-32
Amtrak's Pioneer, which ran from 1977 until 1997, is near the continental divide at Dale Junction, Wyoming, on August 14, 1992. For its final six years of operation, the train ran between Denver and Seattle via Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Photograph by Ronald C. Hill, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hill-02-03-13
In 1993, Amtrak was testing the Swedish X2000 train for high-speed service on the Northeast Corridor. It's seen here running as Metroliner 112 at Perryville, Maryland, on February 2, 1993. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-108
In 1993, Amtrak tested the German Intercity Express (ICE) train for high-speed service on the Northeast Corridor. The train also toured other parts of the system, pulled by diesels in non-electrified territory, as seen here in San Antonio, Texas. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Springer-TX6-02-13
Running as train 265, the Catskill, Amtrak Turboliner 156 cruises up the Hudson River beneath the Bear Mountain Bridge on the evening of August 3, 1994. Built in 1976 by Rohr Industries, the Turboliners ran on the Empire Corridor between New York City and Albany into the early 2000s. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-627
The Texas Eagle glows in the sunset at Joliet, Illinois, near the beginning of its run from Chicago to San Antonio on September 1, 1995. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-06-07-02
Amtrak's Southwest Chief rolls east through the rocky desert landscape of northern New Mexico near the ghost town of Waldo on May 6, 1996. Two General Electric P40 "Genesis" locomotives lead the train. Introduced in 1992, GE's Genesis series became the face of Amtrak for nearly three decades. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-C59-113
The Wolverine from Pontiac, Michigan, crosses the Calumet River in South Chicago, leaving Indiana and entering Illinois on the final lap of its run into Chicago Union Station on June 27, 1997. Amtrak 512 is one of twenty General Electric B32-8WH locomotives delivered in 1990-1991 and nicknamed "Pepsi Cans" for their red, white, and blue banding similar to that used by the cola. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-654
AEM-7 electric locomotive 919 leads a Northeast Regional train south on the Northeast Corridor near Odenton, Maryland, on April 27, 1998. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Bjorklund-31-26-06
Amtrak's Three Rivers (left) and Pennsylvanian passenger trains kick up snow as they pass one another on the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line near Cresson, Pennsylvania, on January 19, 1999. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-688
Amtrak employees show off their new uniforms in front of the brand-new Acela train at Union Station in Washington, D.C., in 2000. Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, collection of the Library of Congress
The Southwest Chief vaults over Arizona's Canyon Diablo on the morning of May 26, 2000. The San Francisco Peaks stand in the background. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Running five hours late on February 15, 2001, the California Zephyr follows the Humboldt River through Nevada's snow-dusted Palisade Canyon. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-706
Four Amtrak Genesis locomotives lead a long Southwest Chief up the steep grade of Raton Pass at Wootton, Colorado, on July 20, 2002. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Snow swirls around the Cleveland, Ohio skyline and the Lake Shore Limited, bringing travelers home in the wee hours of a March morning in 2003. Located midway between Chicago and the East Coast, Cleveland typically receives its Amtrak trains in the middle of the night. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
The conductor of Amtrak's Cardinal punches a passenger's ticket as she prepares to board the eastward train at Charleston, West Virginia, on the morning of September 5, 2004. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Travelers come and go inside the Great Hall of Chicago Union Station, hub of Amtrak's intercity network, on July 9, 2005. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
The thrice-weekly Cardinal, train 50, heads east through the Blue Ridge Mountains near Millboro, Virginia, on October 20, 2006. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-724
Acela Express train 2103 crosses the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while rowers practice at dawn on September 18, 2007. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
During a detour from its usual route on the Coast Line, Amtrak's Coast Starlight negotiates the tight curves and steep grades of Tehachapi Loop at Walong, California, on November 10, 2008. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Hand-AM-59-739
On a bright summer day in 2009, the Coast Starlight heads north along Upper Klamath Lake just north of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak Cascades train 517 passes colorful autumn trees in North Portland, Oregon, on its run from Seattle to Eugene on Halloween 2010. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak's Empire Builder rolls off into a colorful Midwestern sunset near Columbus, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of December 18, 2011. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Pacific Surfliner train 567 rolls along the Pacific Ocean in Del Mar, California, on its way from San Diego to Los Angeles on the morning of November 24, 2012. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Passengers prepare for departure on Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr in Burlington, Iowa, on July 21, 2013. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak locomotive 66 leads the Missouri River Runner in St. Louis on October 4, 2014. Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch stand in the background behind the elevated lanes of I-64. The locomotive is one of four specially-painted "heritage units" for Amtrak's fortieth anniversary in 2011. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak train 6, the California Zephyr, arrives in Chicago, Illinios, on the afternoon of February 27, 2015, following its two-day run from Emeryville, California. Behind the usual pair of P42 locomotives is a new Seimens ACS-64 electric, built in Sacramento for service on the Northeast Corridor. At center and right, Metra commuter trains await their next runs. Photograph by Todd Halamka, a board member of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak train 49, the Lake Shore Limited, glints in the late afternoon sun as it heads up the Hudson River Valley near the beginning of its overnight trek from New York to Chicago on October 25, 2016. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
One of Amtrak's newest electric locomotives, Seimens ACS-64 634, leads train 652, the Keystone, over Swatara Creek in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 2017. Photograph by Victor Hand, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art; Hand-AM-59-817
Amtrak General Electric P42 "Genesis" locomotives congregate at the 18th Street Shops in downtown Chicago on June 18, 2017. Photograph by Todd Halamka, a board member of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Morning sun breaks through clouds above the Columbia Gorge as the Portland section of the Empire Builder rolls west near Lyle, Washington, on March 19, 2018. Photograph by Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
A new Seimens Charger locomotive leads train 383, the Illinois Zephyr, past Highlands Station in Hinsdale, Illinois, on June 6, 2019. Photograph by Todd Halamka, a board member of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak train 6, the California Zephyr exits Colorado's Moffat Tunnel on February 3, 2020. Photograph by Todd Halamka, a board member of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
Amtrak station agents Rick Warburton and Sandra Larsen load baggage onto the eastbound Empire Builder on April 9, 2021, at Whitefish, Montana. Whitefish is one of the busiest stops for the Builder and during winter the agents spend most of their time loading and unloading skis, as demonstrated by Rick. Photograph by Justin Franz, a board member of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art
