Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
Search the Archives
Browse the Archives

Route Name

Follow Amtrak Online
 
Home > Archives > Amtrak Metroliner poster.

Amtrak Metroliner poster.

Multicolor printed paper poster created in 1973 to promote the high-speed Metroliner Service (Washington-New York); measures 25" x 40".

Amtrak Metroliner poster.

According to an advertisement found in early Amtrak timetables, these posters, which included designs for the East, Florida, Southwest, Northwest and Metroliner, could be purchased for $1.50 each or $6 for the set.

The Metroliners were high-speed Budd electric cars designed for use on the Pennsylvania Railroad's busy mainline between New York and Washington. The cars generally operated as married pairs, meaning that trains had an even number of cars. Luxurious interiors and fast running times made the Metroliners a viable competitor to regional airlines, and new stations were built outside of Washington and New York to attract riders who had left center cities for the suburbs. Under Amtrak, Metroliner Service frequencies increased to keep up with demand, and trains often reached speeds of up to 110 mph.

Illustrator David Klein made his name in travel advertising through a fruitful relationship with Trans World Airlines (TWA) during the 1950s and 1960s. For the most part, Klein used bright colors, bold fonts and abstractions of local landmarks to communicate the excitement and discovery associated with travel.

Artist: David Klein (American, 1918-2005) for Amtrak.

From the Ann Owens Collection.