Inaugural Pioneer at Ontario, Ore., 1977.
Black and white photograph from the June 15, 1977, issue of Amtrak NEWS. People in the crowd wear paper Amtrak engineer's hats.
- Photograph Details
-
- Date Archived:
- October 18, 2013
- Geography:
- West
- Decade:
- 1970s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Route:
- Pioneer
- Date Created:
- June 1977
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
The inaugural special of the Pioneer (Seattle-Salt Lake City) ran from June 4-6, 1977. Members of the press and state and local political and transportation officials rode aboard the train, and at each stop, the general public was invited to tour the new Amfleet equipment. According to an article in Amtrak NEWS, the busiest stops were at Boise, Idaho and Pendleton, Ore.—each had more than 3,000 visitors. In La Grande, Ore., members of the high school wrestling team washed the train with brushes and buckets, and the money earned was spent on a summer camp. The special consisted of two F40PH locomotives, two Amdinettes and four Amcoaches; regular revenue service began on June 7th.
The Ontario depot in the background was built in 1907 by the Oregon Short Line.
Photographer: Unknown for Amtrak.
