Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley kicks off Amtrak Family Days, 1980.
Black and white photograph from the September-October 1980 issue of Amtrak NEWS.
- Photograph Details
-
- Date Archived:
- September 16, 2013
- Geography:
- California
- Decade:
- 1980s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Date Created:
- September 13, 1980
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
Starting with Washington, D.C. in February 1979, Amtrak held a series of “Family Days” celebrations in cities across the country. The events quickly blossomed into opportunities to invite the public to learn about the company and show off new equipment. A celebration that took place at Los Angeles Union Station on the weekend of September 13-14, 1980, attracted more than 45,000 participants.
Kicking off with speeches from Mayor Tom Bradley (at podium) and Amtrak President Alan Boyd (far left), the two-day festival included an equipment display, art show, live musical entertainment, excursion train rides and activities for children. Free souvenirs were especially popular; the accompanying article in Amtrak NEWS noted: “The Amtrak and Trailways balloons and engineers’ caps distributed by the Santa Fe [Railway] led to a friendly rivalry between all three as to which had the best exposure in the crowd."
The spirit of Family Days lived on in a new Amtrak tradition: National Train Day. Inaugurated in 2008 and celebrated each May, National Train Day marked the way that trains—intercity passenger, commuter and freight—drive the nation’s economy and connect us to one another. Attendees enjoyed displays of historic and modern equipment, live entertainment, fun kids’ activities and train rides.
Photo by Susan Dole and Kevin Martin for Amtrak.
