Amtrak

 

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(1) US - Amtrak Sunset Ltd (from the vestibule) w/ 4 SDP40F on the Huey P.Long bridge near New Orleans - March 1977.

Unusual to see more than 2 units on the Sunset - must have been moving power around.
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(2) US - Amtrak Sunset Ltd (from the vestibule) on the Huey P.Long bridge near New Orleans - March 1977.
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SP RS-11 #2900 and Amtrak SDP40F #642 at Houston - Dec 1977.
#2900 was the demonstrator unit for the RS-11 series.
#642 is on the eastbound Sunset Ltd
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Amtrak P30CH #719 on the eastbound Sunset Limited at West Jct - Houston,Tx.
May 1986
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Amtrak diner #8030 (ex-Santa Fe #1477) on Lone Star in Houston - March 1979.

One of the oldest cars aquired by Amtrak.
Built by Budd in 1937 - was used on various Santa Fe trains till it was assigned to the first lightweight consist of the Chief in Feb 1938.
I hope it was saved !
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(1) Amtrak diner #8044 (ex KCS - Old Plantation) on the Lone Star at Rosenberg,Tx - Feb 1979.

The only KCS diner on the Amtrak roster - this car was identified by the porthole windows.
Built in 1949 by ACF for the postwar consist of the Southern Belle.
Anyone know if this car was saved?
Miss that steam heat!
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(2) Amtrak diner #8044 (ex KCS - Old Plantation) on the Lone Star at Rosenberg,Tx - Feb 1979.

The Lone Star is on the SP Sunset Route - the signal (barely seen to the left) is lined up for the connecting track from the SP to the Santa Fe at Tower 17.
Rosenberg is about 35 miles west of Houston.


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(3) Amtrak diner #8044 (ex KCS - Old Plantation) on the Lone Star at Rosenberg,Tx - Feb 1979.

I like the table arrangements - different than the norm.


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Amtrak dome-buffet-lounge car #9372 (ex-SP rebuild) at Houston,Tx - Feb 1978.

Arriving (deadheaded) on the eastbound Sunset Limited - this car would go to New Orleans where it would sit for a couple years.

Rebuilt by SP in 1955. It originally was #10310 - a lunch counter-tavern car built in 1937 for the Daylight. SP rebuild #3603.
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(1) Amtrak #515 on the westbound Southwest Chief near Raton,NM .
Oct 1994
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(2) Amtrak #515 on the westbound Southwest Chief near Raton,NM .
Oct 1994
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Amtrak Texas Eagle (main and Houston sections) at Dallas Union Station - April 1990.

One of the best views I ever had out of a hotel room.
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(1) Amtrak diner #8052 - Silver Restaurant (exCB&Q) at Houston,Tx - Feb 1979.

ex CB&Q - built in 1948 for the California Zephyr.

During the Lone Star "era" Amtrak had a full time crew in Houston to service the Lone Star overnight and also for the Sunset Ltd when it passed through.
Sometimes (especially during the winter) Amtrak would send a car or two down from Chicago for the crews to work on - both mechanically and cosmetically. Here is one car they were working on.
The buildings were once part of the SP Grand Central Station complex (which was torn down in the late 50's).
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(2) Amtrak diner #8052 - Silver Restaurant (exCB&Q) at Houston,Tx - Feb 1979.
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(3) Amtrak diner #8052 - Silver Restaurant (exCB&Q) at Houston,Tx - Feb 1979.
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Amtrak Lone Star (w/ SDP40F #523) at Houston,Tx - Feb 1978.

The Lone Star (crossing Brays Bayou) is Chicago bound - having left the station less than a half hour earlier. By this time all the tickets should have been collected and breakfast has probably been announced.
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Amtrak F40PH #215 on the Gulf Breeze at Mobile,Al - April 1990.

The Gulf Breeze ran from Mobile to Birmingham on CSX ex-L&N line.
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"typical" Amtrak dining table setup in the 70's on the InterAmerican - Sept 1977
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Amtrak Sunset Ltd w/SP #7243 & AMT P30CH #717 - 718 at East Bernard Tx - Dec 1986.

The Sunset is eastbound - East Bernard is about 55 miles west of Houston.
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Amtrak F40PH #311 on passenger special between Austin and San Antonio,Tx - April 1982.

I've only seen brand new units cleaner than these two.
This was a special run on the Missouri Pacific between Austin and San
Antonio - The Seton Hall Express. I don't remember the occasion -
something to do with a hospital - possibly.
Quite a consist --
8 Superliners
1 ex-Santa Fe hi-level
7 private cars
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(2) Amtrak passenger special between Austin and San Antonio,Tx - April 1982
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Amtrak superliner sleeper "George M Pullman" at Chicago - May 1982
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Amtrak Lone Star crossing the Brazos river near Richmond Tx - March78.

About 33 miles after leaving Houston, the Lone Star is on the SP Sunset Route - 4 miles from Rosenberg where (at Tower 17) it will switch to the Santa Fe for the rest of the journey to Chicago.
____________________________________________________
SDP40F
baggage
10-6 sleeper
diner
2 ex-Santa Fe Hi-Level coaches.
____________________________________________________
Not to long before, the train ran this same consist plus another SDP40F and a lounge car.
It was - unfortunately - discontinued in October 1979.
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Amtrak Alco RS1 #46 at museum in Meredith,NH - Sept 1988
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Amtrak SSB1200 #564 at Amtrak yards in Chicago - Dec 1986
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The San Francisco Zephyr leaving Denver -- Nov 76

#5 is passing thru the UP yard headed north to Cheyenne.
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Dallas section of the Lone Star at Dallas Union Station -- October 1976.

This section connected with the main train at Ft.Worth via MP/T&P route.
The refurbishing of Union Station was just beginning. That's the Hyatt Regency under construction to the left.
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Amtrak diner "Silver Diner" (ex CB&Q) on the Lone Star at Houston - Jan 1978.

A dreary, cold and wet day can't hide the smell of breakfast being prepared for an early departure for Chicago on the Lone Star.

The Silver Diner was built in 1948 by Budd for the CB&Q for use on the California Zephyr.
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Amtrak SDP40F #519 on eastbound Sunset Ltd at Tower 17 RosenburgTx - Nov 1979.

The Sunset is crossing the Santa Fe (Ft.Worth-Galveston) line on SP's LA-New Orleans route.
The train barely seen in the background with a CN engine, is waiting to come off SP's Victoria line.
Tower 17 is amazingly still in operation.
The tower is about 35 miles sw of Houston.
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Amtrak E8 #367 on Dallas section of the Lone Star at Tower 55 in Ft.Worth,Tx - Sept 1976.

The main section of the Chicago-Houston Lone Star has come and gone
leaving a 10-6 sleeper and hi-level coach for the run to Dallas over
MP ex-T&P line.
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Amtrak SDP40F #571 on the Sunset Limited passing SP GP9 at Bellaire Jct. - Houston - July 1975
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Conrail GG1 #4935 and Amtrak E8 #464 at Ivy City yards DC -- September 1979

This was taken at the Ivy City yards (near Washington Union Station) during the '79 National Railway Historical Society Convention. It was quite a night!
#464 was an ex-CB&Q unit.
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Amtrak F40PH #240 on Houston section of InterAmerican - rerouted on MKT at Brookshire,Tx - Dec 1979.

After the Lone Star was discontinued in October '79 - a compromise was reached for a Houston-Temple section of the InterAmerican.
The Houston section cars were added or taken off the InterAmerican at Temple (lasted a couple of years).
The normal route out of Houston was the SP to Rosenberg then the Santa Fe to Temple.
This particular day there was a derailment somewhere so the train was rerouted on the Houston-Smithville line of the MKT. The train went on the Katy to Sealy where it connected back to the normal route of the Santa Fe.
Here the westbound train is passing the small agent shack (red building) in Brookshire (about 30 miles west of Houston).
This was a normal consist -
Baggage
10-6 sleeper
2-3 Amfleet cars
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Amtrak coach #4461 (originally ATSF coach-obsv) on Sunset Limited at SP Englewood Yd in Houston,Tx - Nov 1977.

Built in 1938 by Budd as a coach-observation for the Santa Fe Golden State.
Rebuilt in 1962 as a 44 seat coach.
The Sunset is eastbound.
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The eastbound Sunset is only a few minutes away from the Houston station stop --
passing the former SP Chaney Jct.
The SP had a yard here (taken out before the UP merger).
The track to the right is the freight bypass (of the station) which went by the Hardy St. shops before rejoining the passenger main just before Englewood yard.
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Amtrak Sunset Limited (with transcontinental sleeper and private cars) at Houston - Jan 1979.

An SP switcher is pulling a couple of private cars off the westbound Sunset at Houston.
The last car is the Big John -
ex PRR George Brooke Roberts
bluntend buffet lounge
sleeper - built 1949
The middle one is the Bluebonnet
ex Amtrak 2234
ex SAL Tallahassee
11 double bedroom
The car on the left was the normal last car - the NY-LA transcontinental sleeper - this evening it was the Southern sleeper Pacolet River - 10-6 - built 1949.
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Amtrak eastbound Sunset Limited at the east end of SP Englewood Yd in Houston - March 1979
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Amtrak San Fransico Zephyr and Conrail Valparaiso commuter at Chicago - Dec 1976.

The Zephyr has 3 dome cars and 2 SP lettered baggage cars while the Valparaiso commuter train ( with ex-Pennsy P-70 coaches - blt 1926) is being pulled out to the yards
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Part of Amtrak coach yard at Chicago - Dec 1976.

#1625 - ex PRR P-70 coach - built in 1926.
Amtrak #1426 was built in 1952 by St Louis Car Co as an Army medical car and rebuilt in 1973 as baggage-dormitory.
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Amtrak westbound Lake Shore Limited at Cleveland,Ohio - Dec 1978.

Passing the ex-NYC signals the Lake Shore is just a couple of minutes from arrival at the Cleveland station.
The only reason I got this daylight shot was that the train was over 3 hours late.
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Amtrak galley-lounge #3322 - Anthony Wayne - on the Sunset Limited at El Paso,Tx -- Jan 1981.

#3322 (ex-PRR) was rebuilt to a galley-lounge from a parlor car in 1973.
Exists today ?
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Amtrak E-9 #426 (ex-UP) and a few others at New Orleans -- November 1979.

This is at the engine shops a short distance from Union Station.
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Amtrak northbound Crescent at Greenville,SC -- August 1979
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Amtrak Crescent (from the vestibule w/ GG1) leaving Washington Union Station -- August 1979
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Amtrak GG1 #4911-4925-4914 at Ivy City - Washington DC -- August 1979.

I didn't get to see the GG1's that often but when I did I enjoyed every second of it!
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NOUPT #3 at New Orleans -- November 1979.

New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal #3 had recently been painted in Amtrak colors at the engine shops - a short distance from Union Station.
A few P30CH units in the background.
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Amtrak E9 #367 (ex-UP) on the northbound InterAmerican near Taylor,Tx -- Aug 1977.

This is on the Missouri Pacific San Antonio-Longview line.
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Amtrak 10-6 sleeper #2670 Siver Terrain (ex-CB&Q) on the Coast Starlight at Everett,Wash -- December 1980.

Built by Budd in 1956 as part of the new car consist for the Denver Zephyr
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Amtrak RS-3 #126 along the NE Corridor (from a corridor train) -- December 1978
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(1) Amtrak SDP40F #590 on Lake Shore Ltd at Elyria,Oh -- Dec 1976

Westbound , two sections were running this day - this was the shorter second section running very late on a day when it was about 0 out - the steam heated cars were freezing up.
Elyria is about 25 miles west of Cleveland on the ex-NYC New York-Chicago line.
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(2) Amtrak Lake Shore Ltd at Elyria,Oh -- Dec 1976

Westbound , two sections were running this day - this was the shorter second section running very late on a day when it was about 0 out - the steam heated cars were freezing up.
At Elyria, Conrail crews used flares to try and thaw out valves under the cars.
Elyria is about 25 miles west of Cleveland on the ex-NYC New York-Chicago line.
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(3) Amtrak Lake Shore Ltd at Elyria,Oh -- Dec 1976

Westbound , two sections were running this day - this was the shorter second section running very late on a day when it was about 0 out - the steam heated cars were freezing up.
At Elyria, Conrail crews used flares to try and thaw out valves under the cars.
Elyria is about 25 miles west of Cleveland on the ex-NYC New York-Chicago line.
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Someone has to do it - on the Cardinal at Cincinnati -- July 1981

"emptying" the Cardinal.
An Amtrak post flush it on the track time honored tradition.
Note the "save the Cardinal" sticker on the back of the truck.
This is at the hard to get to (rail wise) station somewhere in the Cincy area.
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Amtrak San Francisco Zephyr (headend-night) at UP station in Ogden,Ut -- December 1980

I believe this station is a museum now.
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Amtrak (ex-NYC) observation Wingate Brook at New Orleans -- April 1977

Built by Budd in 1949 as a 5 double bedroom buffet lounge observation - originally for the Southwestern Limited.
It ran on the Twentieth Century Limited many times in the 60's (possibly on one of the last two TCL in 1967).
Here it is in storage at New Orleans Union Station.
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The Lone Star is northbound on the Santa Fe just entering Sealy,Tx.
The train left Houston earlier that morning (50 miles east by interstate or 65 miles by rail).
Fast speeds were the norm through this area -- I guess 79 was the official limit. I've talked to old Santa Fe employees who said that between Sealy and Rosenberg they used to haul the Texas Chief at whatever speeds they needed to (100 mph they said).
This was a typical consist for the Lone Star ---
Two SDP40F
baggage
10-6 sleeper
diner
lounge
two ex-Santa Fe hi-level coaches.
This train appears to have an extra coach.
Not very far in the future , one engine, and the lounge would be dropped.
A lot of times the entire consist would be ex-Santa Fe equipment.
It's hard to believe it has been over 25 years since any passenger service on this line.

May 1977

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