Sunset Limited in the New Mexico desert, 1970s.
Black and white photograph showing the Sunset Limited (Los Angeles-New Orleans) traveling through the picturesque New Mexico landscape; image likely dates to the late 1970s.
- Photograph Details
-
- Date Archived:
- July 29, 2014
- Geography:
- West
- Decade:
- 1970s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Route:
- Sunset Limited
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
In this image, the Sunset Limited is led by SDP40F locomotive No. 571, which wears the Amtrak Phase I paint scheme introduced in 1972. The first locomotive built expressly for Amtrak, the SDP40F was a six axle diesel-electric unit that sported a 3,000 horsepower engine. It was manufactured in 1973 - 1974 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Since many passenger rail cars were still heated via steam, the SDP40F included two steam generators and a water tank. Within a decade, most of these locomotives were replaced with F40PH and F40PHR models that could operate more easily with the new and refurbished fleet of all-electric passenger cars.
The locomotives pull Santa Fe Railway Hi-Level cars originally built in the 1950s. They served as the model for the bi-level Superliners. Although the first Superliners went into service in 1979, they would not be added to the consist of the Sunset Limited until 1981.
Photographer: Unknown for Amtrak. From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.
