America's Passenger Railroad
"The Chiefs, the Limiteds, the Zephyrs. They were more than passenger trains. They surrounded us with impeccable comfort and tantalized our palates with elegant dining fare as they whisked into a world of romance and mystique. During the 1940s the passenger train began fighting a battle against the airplane and private automobile. By the 1960s the passenger train was rarely considered as a means of travel. Schedules were erratic, trains were run down, and more often than not the journey was a miserable experience. Then, in October, 1970, in an attempt to revive passenger rail service, congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act. That Act created Amtrak, a private company which, on May 1, 1971 began managing a nation-wide rail system dedicated to passenger service."
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
he National Railroad Passenger Corporation does business as Amtrak, a passenger railroad service that provides medium- and long-distance intercity passenger and baggage transportation across the continental United States. Founded in 1971 through the government-sponsored consolidation of most of the remaining, mostly fledging domestic passenger rail companies, it is partially government-funded but operated and managed as a for-profit corporation. Although it began operations using secondhand locomotive and rolling stock purchased from the railroad companies exiting the passenger business, today Amtrak operates its own fleet of modern electric and diesel-electric locomotives, passenger rolling stock, and -- in a few geographical areas -- maintenance of way equipment. The majority of Amtrak trains operate with trackage rights over the rails of domestica Class 1 and regional freight companies; in areas such as the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston, Amtrak itself owns and maintains the right of way. The carrier operates more than 300 trains each day on over 20,000 miles of track and connects more than 500 destinations in 46 states abd 3 Canadian provinces. Its headquarters is at Union Station in Washington, D.C
May 2024 / RWH
from Railroading
magazine - Apr 1969 / collection
from Railroading
magazine - Jul 1971 / collection
from Railroading
magazine - Jul 1971 / collection
from Extra 2200 South
magazine - Jan 1974 / collection
Amtrak onboard handout / collection
1971 timetable / collection
1972 timetable / collection
1973 timetable / collection
1974 timetable / collection
1975 timetable / collection
1976 timetable / collection
1980 timetable / collection
1982 timetable / collection
1983 timetable / collection
1984 timetable / collection
1987 timetable / collection
1987 timetable / collection
1987 timetable / collection
1988 timetable / collection
1988 timetable / collection
1992 timetable / collection
1998 timetable / collection
2004 timetable / collection
Check out A Short Timetable History to see more Amtrak timetables
Andy Fletcher drawings / collection
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Martinsburg, WV / Jul 2016 / RWH
Martinsburg, WV / Jul 2016 / RWH
Dallas, Tx / Jun 2009 / RWH
Fort Worth, Tx / Jun 2009 / RWH
El Paso, Tx / Aug 1987 / JCH
El Paso, Tx / Aug 1987 / JCH
Altoona, Pa / Nov 2016 / RWH
Altoona, Pa / Nov 2016 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Quantico, Va / Jun 2013 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Cumberland, Md / Nov 2016 / RWH
Cumberland, Md / Nov 2016 / RWH
Hammond, La / Dec 2016 / RWH
Lynchburg, Va / Mar 2013 / Garland Harper
Lynchburg, Va / Oct 2013 / Garland Harper
Baltimore, Md / Feb 2019 / RWH
Philadelphia, Pa / Feb 2019 / RWH
Feb 2019 / RWH
Philadelphia, Pa / Feb 2019 / RWH
Richmond, Va / Jul 2022 / ETH
HawkinsRails routes-travelled map / RWH