Passenger Trains > Something Amtrak could learn from it's past...

I know this picture was taken almost 35 years ago, but check out how nice the eastbound Empire Builder looked at Spotted Robe, Montana October 9, 1988. Amazing what a matching paint scheme can do to the "look" of a passenger train. 

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Yes, indeed!!!

Aeound the same time there was also the daily California Zephyr with two full dining cars between CHI- SLC. The CZ/DW/PNR was a huge train Chicago to  Salt Lake. 

It's a terrific looking picture, but not quite a "matching" paint scheme.  The fifth car is in the earlier Superliner paint.  BSB

Flyer92122 Wrote:
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> Aeound the same time there was also the daily
> California Zephyr with two full dining cars
> between CHI- SLC. The CZ/DW/PNR was a huge train
> Chicago to  Salt Lake. 

Actually, the 2nd diner was added to the Zephyr at Salt Lake City.  It came off the Desert Wind at SLC and turned in Denver.  (LAX-SLC-DEN-SLC-LAX)  It was usually one of the former ATSF Hi-Level diners Amtrak converted to a Diner-Lounge.
SR

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Flyer92122 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Aeound the same time there was also the daily
> > California Zephyr with two full dining cars
> > between CHI- SLC. The CZ/DW/PNR was a huge
> train
> > Chicago to  Salt Lake. 
>
> Actually, the 2nd diner was added to the Zephyr at
> Salt Lake City.  It came off the Desert Wind at
> SLC and turned in Denver. 
> (LAX-SLC-DEN-SLC-LAX)  It was usually one of the
> former ATSF Hi-Level diners Amtrak converted to a
> Diner-Lounge.
> SR


The glory years

Posted from Android

Beautiful scene!

JG

When the Zephyr ran daily and the Pioneer and Desert Wind ran triweekly, a second diner also ran Chicago-Denver, continuing through Wyoming via Ogden and Pocatello to Portland and Seattle. Its menu differed from the Zephyr's.

Now I remember, thats when the last car of the Seattle section was the diner, trying to remember when they changed it around 1996 or so

Posted from iPhone

Yes, it WAS the last car, but it was off the Desert Wind- the LA section.
A coach and sleeper from Seattle went onto the rear of the Zephyr, then a coach, a sleeper, and the diner were on the very rear.
I worked that diner (LSA) several times in the mid/later 80’s off the LA Extra Board.
SR

? Wrong train boiling man

In later years the diner was moved to behind the Seattle sleeper, just a bummer now long walk from the Portland sleeper to the Diner now lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/23 22:43 by Pioneer2526.

Gorgeous photo

Who was the president of Amtrak at that time? Could that have contributed to this scene?

The late, great Graham Claytor, the last President 
who truly understood and appreciated long distance......
and maybe David Gunn, but I digress.

It's  equals "it is". Is that what you meant? 

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BoilingMan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Flyer92122 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Aeound the same time there was also the daily
> > > California Zephyr with two full dining cars
> > > between CHI- SLC. The CZ/DW/PNR was a huge
> > train
> > > Chicago to  Salt Lake. 
> >
> > Actually, the 2nd diner was added to the Zephyr
> at
> > Salt Lake City.  It came off the Desert Wind
> at
> > SLC and turned in Denver. 
> > (LAX-SLC-DEN-SLC-LAX)  It was usually one of
> the
> > former ATSF Hi-Level diners Amtrak converted to
> a
> > Diner-Lounge.
> > SR
>
>
> The glory years
>
> Posted from Android

Sure was, and being in the Navy based at Mayport back in 94 it was just as cool seeing both Silver Trains with 16-18 car consists and their splits to serve Florida, sad today's Amtrak isn't l8ke that anymore!

I did not care for the stripes, I would have preferred a stainless steel train with no color. My recollection was the high level cars had a bizarre pattern of stripes that went down at an angle, creating a lower stripe pattern, before returning up to the height of the Superliners. 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Phase III.... THE only Amtrak look. Should have never dropped it for the lame paint jobs of today.