uto Train is an 855-mile-long scheduled train service for passengers and automobiles, operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (suburban Orlando). Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States; it is also the only north-south Amtrak train in the east to use Superliner equipment. Passengers ride in coach seats or private sleeping car rooms while their vehicles (car, van, sport utility vehicle, motorcycle, small trailer, or jet-ski) are carried in enclosed automobile-carrying freight cars, called autoracks. The train has a maximum capacity of 320 vehicles and includes lounge and dining cars. The service operates on CSX Transportation as train 53 southbound and 52 northbound, and is operated non-stop between its terminals. Amtrak's Auto Train is the successor to an earlier similarly named service operated by the privately owned Auto-Train Corporation in the 1970s. A typical train uses 2-3 Genesis locomotives, 1 transition sleeper (for the crew), 6 sleepers, 1 diner and 1 lounge for sleeper passengers, 4 coach cars, and 2 diners and 1 lounge for coach passengers, and the 20-30 autoracks on the rear.
Auto Train route / web
Ride the Auto Train with Your Car
The Auto Train transports you and your car (or your van, motorcycle, SUV, small boat, jet-ski or other recreational vehicle) nonstop from the Washington, DC area to sunny Florida, just outside of Orlando. This IS the best way to drive I-95. And remember, you can pack your car as if it were your suitcase.
Save 900 Miles of Driving, Gasoline and Wear and Tear on Your Car
But bring it with you. Leave the worries of long-distance driving behind. Onboard the Auto Train, you'll enjoy a stress-free journey by rail, skipping the traffic congestion on I-95. Put your feet up. Read a book or enjoy free Wi-Fi. Take in the scenery. While you and your family travel in comfort, your vehicle rides along in an enclosed auto carrier. And now, our auto carriers offer even greater capacity to better accommodate your SUV or van.
postcard / collection
postcard / collection
1987 timetable / collection
HawkinsRails thanks railfan brother Will Hankins for use of his pictures on this page
Click to see the Sanford Auto Train terminal plotted on a Google Maps page
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Amtrak #839
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Amtrak #506
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Will Hankins
Will Hankins
On the second night of a three-day shortline tour of the Sandhills of central North Carolina, chaser pal Ben Wells and I found ourselves on the station platform in Hamlet just after sunset. The CSX freights in and out of the Hamlet bowl began to dry up, and the wait for the Silver Meteor's stop at Hamlet seemed too long for too little. Where can we go from here? Suddenly, I thought about Auto Train. We checked the timetable and then checked the online status -- How did we railfan before the smartphone? -- and then we decided we had enough time for a tight repositioning move from Hamlet over to Pembroke. (Pembroke, because it was the closest town on the CSX main south of Fayetteville, which we knew we could not make in time.) We "lit out" of Hamlet. The mid-route decision to stop at a Wendy's for a late on-the-go supper almost cost us the meet, as we rolled up on the Pembroke diamond with just a minute or two to spare before we saw ditch lights and horns to the north.
No. 53 with all her length and at CSX track speed is an impressive sight, as noted elsewhere. No. 53 at track speed pouding a standard-gapped diamond crossing is likewise an impressive sound. In the haste to get set up, I miscalculated how much residual shock would be sent up my video tripod sitting so close to the diamond. Although the second half of the video was largely unusable for watching, the audio carries the message of Auto Train from start to finish. 53 was, as I like to say, 'hauling the mail' through Pembroke. I'm glad we got to the diamond in time to see her, because there's no chasing Auto Train once she has moved on down the line.
Click to see the Pembroke CSX diamond area plotted on a Google Maps page
CSX crossing / Pembroke, NC / Google Maps
RWH
Pembroke, NC / Apr 2019 / RWH
Click to see the Ashland depot area plotted on a Google Maps page
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Aug 2010 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Dec 2017 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Dec 2017 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Dec 2017 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Dec 2017 / RWH
Ashland, Va / Dec 2017 / RWH
postcard / collection
postcard / collection
Click to see the Lorton Auto Train Terminal plotted on a Google Maps page
Lorton, Va / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Lorton, Va / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Lorton, Va / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Lorton, Va / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
from Extra 2200 South
magazine - Oct 1971 / collection
from Railroading
magazine - Jan 1971 / collection
from Railroading
magazine - Feb 1972 / collection
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / RWH
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Aug 2003 / RWH
Aug 2003 / Will Hankins
Sanford, Fl / Aug 2003