Amtrak 1976-1980
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Here are shots of Amtrak trains made during the last half
of the company's first decade.
In May 1976, GG1 910 leads a Florida train
south through Harrison, New Jersey.
(Added 8/8/06.)
The sleeper and the baggage car for Boston are switched
at Albany, New York in October, 1979. The sleeper is
"Brooklyn Bridge," built for the Rock Island in 1956.
(Added 4/24/06.)
An ex-New Haven RDC leads a two car train
at South Station, Boston in March, 1979.
New Superliner coaches
were initially in service on corridor
trains out of Chicago. On the left one such train arrives at
Union Station on April 15, 1979. On the right a GE P30CH
arrives with two Amfleet cars.
Accelerating out of Harmon, New York, bound for
Grand Central Station, is this Empire Service train
behind a shabby and smokey FL9 locomotive.
North of Harmon finds this Empire Service train
bound for New York on a May 1976 afternoon.
Northbound for Albany and Montreal
in May, 1976 is the Laurentian.
Behind the dreary ex-Penn Central E8 is a Delaware & Hudson
diner/lounge and two D&H coaches.
In May, 1979 Amtrak held a Family
Days exhibit at Boston's South Station.
Among the many exhibits was diner 8004, built in 1939 for the Florida East
Coast Railroad.
Amtrak's refurbishing included blue upholstery with a blue china pattern.
Here you see
the car itself, the dining room set
up with displays of various meal choices, and a table set for breakfast.
It's July 1977 and an Amfleet
train departs South Station,
Boston as a local commuter train arrives.
A Washington train is at South
Bay, Boston in November, 1979.
It's on the Dorchester branch used during the Southwest Corridor
construction detour that bypassed Back Bay station.
Steam rises from E8 461 at South
Station, Boston on
what is a very cold December day in 1977.
A classic Alco RS2 does switching duties at
South Station in August 1977.
An early version of the Lakeshore Limited leaves
Boston in January, 1976.
The train has a sleeper, a coach and a lounge car. Where did the checked baggage
go?
An Amfleet express passes Forest Hills, MA enroute
to Washington
in this January 1977 view. Compare this to the similar shot taken in 1965
in the New Haven section of this site.
It's May 1978 and construction of Boston's
Southwest Corridor is beginning.
Here approaching the soon to-be-demolished Back Bay station are the
two cab units of the New Haven's 1956 Roger Williams
train.
For a time the Springfield line service
was provided by SPV 2000
self-propelled cars, sort of the 1980 version of the RDC. Here, in August
1980,
two cars leave New Haven after their connection from the south arrived.
It's May 1976 and the inherited Penn Central
Metroliners continue
to ply the corridor between Washington and New York. Here one of
them passes through Harrison, New Jersey, only a few minutes
before arrival in Manhattan.
Following the Metroliner shown above is this
clocker express from
Philadelphia. Behind the GE E60CP locomotive is a collection of
former Penn Central coaches.
In this October 1977 scene a Seaboard Coast Line switcher waits for work
at Jacksonville, Florida. At that time the Florida trains split or combined to or from east
and west coast sections here, with the switcher doing the assembly/disassembly.
Two sleepers, a coach and a Southern Pacific express
car sit at Jacksonville, Florida in October 1977.
(Added 3/1/07)
The northbound St. Petersburg section of the Floridian
arrives at Jacksonville, Florida in October 1977.
(Added 3/1/07)
The southbound St. Petersburg section of the Floridian
departs Jacksonville, Florida in October 1977.
(Added 3/1/07)
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