St. Albans, Vt. station staff, 1976.

In this image, staff of the St. Albans, Vt. station pose for a picture; from left to right are Tom Walsh, George Surprise and Norm Jette. St. Albans was a close runner-up for the title of "Station of the Year" in 1976 (losing to Milwaukee). Each district superintendent chose one station from his or her area to compete in a friendly competition recognizing "appearance and attitude of employees, neatness of the facilities, sales increases and accuracy of information distributed to the traveling public." During 1976, Amtrak upgraded 110 stations, with major capital improvements totaling more than $2.8 million.

In early 1972, Amtrak unveiled new uniforms by designer Bill Atkinson that were made of Dacron polyester blended with wool or cotton. Standing in the center of the group, Mr. Surprise shows off the outfit Atkinson designed for male ticket clerks. It included a gingham shirt, red double-breasted vest and tie. Female ticket clerks wore a blue shirtwaist dress with brass buttons and red, white and blue Amtrak scarf. 

Photographer: James Murphy for Amtrak.