Amtrak display at Expo '74, 1974.

As part of its display at Expo '74, Amtrak showed off the various accommodations on its trains, including a dining car setting for four, a Roomette made up for the night, a coach section and a lounge car section. Employees such as Billie Wideman (left), sales representative, Los Angeles, and Debi McRill (right), ticket clerk, Los Angeles, were on hand to answer questions about accommodations, destinations and train travel in general. Over the course of six months, more than 1 million people visited the Amtrak display—approximately 20 percent of all fairgoers.

That summer, Amtrak augmented its summer train schedules to accommodate an expected increase in Spokane-bound tourists. The city was already served by the daily Empire Builder (Chicago-Havre-Seattle) and thrice-weekly North Coast Hiawatha (Chicago-Billings-Seattle), but both arrived late in the evening. The latter was run daily for the duration of the fair, and the Expo ’74, a daylight all-coach train, was introduced between Seattle and Spokane.

Photographer: Ed Wojtas. Collection of Kalmbach Publishing Co.