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Home > Archives > "Take the Tension Out of Your Trip" advertisement, 1972.

"Take the Tension Out of Your Trip" advertisement, 1972.

Printed paper insertion proof of an advertisement created in 1972 to promote train travel on the Abraham Lincoln and Prairie State (St. Louis-Chicago-Milwaukee).

"Take the Tension Out of Your Trip" advertisement, 1972.

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 St. Louis 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 gentleman relaxing in a comfortable seat, this ad promotes local travel between St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee on the Abraham Lincoln and Prairie State. "Who needs tension when you travel? Unwind on an Amtrak coach in the kind of comfort you won't get on a bus or plane." 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.