Northbound Silver Star at Norlina, N.C., 1977.

This image shows is the northbound Silver Star at Norlina, N.C., just south of the Virginia state line, on a rail line that has been abandoned since 1986. This line is scheduled to become part of the Southeast High Speed Rail route from Richmond to Charlotte via Raleigh and Greensboro; but for now, weeds and trees grow where 100 mph passenger trains used to run.

The Silver Star is led by SDP40F locomotive No. 631, wearing 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 built in 1973 and 1974 by the 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 models that could operate more easily with the new and refurbished fleet of all-electric passenger cars.

Photo by, and courtesy of, Doug Riddell.