"Please Be Seated On An Amtrak Coach" advertisement, 1971.

This advertisement was one in a series created for Amtrak between 1971 and 1973 by the Ted Bates agency of New York City. According to the text at the bottom of the piece, it was intended for placement in Baltimore newspapers. In a letter to Amtrak, the Ted Bates agency noted that advertising was placed in newspapers, radio, television and magazines, but the first two were preferred "because of their ability to present local information and immediate impact."

Showing a handsome couple relaxing in comfortable seats, this ad promotes local travel from Baltimore to other Northeastern points. "Just as fast as a bus and a lot more comfortable...There's room to get up and move around on an Amtrak coach train." Towards the bottom is one of the company's early slogans: "We're making the trains worth traveling again." In its first years of operation, Amtrak strove to improve the customer experience by upgrading rolling stock and station facilities acquired from predecessor railroads, as well as instituting a comprehensive national reservations system.

From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.