Auto Train pulled by a pair of P30CH engines, 1980s.
Color slide showing the southbound Auto Train crossing Neabsco Creek in Virginia; probably dates to the 1980s.
- Film Slide Details
-
- Date Archived:
- April 14, 2011
- Geography:
- South
- Decade:
- 1980s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Route:
- Auto Train
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
In 1969, Eugene Garfield founded the Auto-Train Corporation to transport passengers and their motor vehicles by rail between northern Virginia and central Florida. Auto-Train service began on December 6, 1971, with daily trips in both directions. The company would provide this service until it ceased operations in 1981.
Amtrak conducted a feasibility study to investigate a restoration of the popular Auto-Train, and service began in October, 1983, under the name Auto Train (no hyphen). Today, the train consists of locomotives, bi-level Superliner cars and auto-rack rail cars; considered the longest passenger train in the world, it often measures about ¾ of a mile long.
From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.
