Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train

To commemorate Amtrak’s 40th anniversary, we put together a special Exhibit Train with displays of photos, uniforms, fine china, and memorabilia from America’s Railroad℠ while also offering a glimpse into the future.

You may have seen our museum on wheels, the 40th anniversary Exhibit Train, at one of its over 40 stops around the country in communities from San Diego, Calif to Meridian, Miss all the way up to Freeport, Maine. But if you missed the train, you’re in luck! It continues to live on in our archives.

Take a virtual tour through Amtrak’s Exhibit Train by exploring:

• Exhibit Train Photo Gallery
• Exhibit Train Equipment History
• Exhibit Train Models in Action
• 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train Tour Blog
• Amtrak Merchandise Celebrating the 40th Anniversary

To the thousands who joined us on our 2011-2012 journey, thank you for coming out. We enjoyed meeting you and your families and hope you had a great time exploring the train and celebrating America’s Railroad.

Each community we visited had a unique spirit and provided a special memory for us. Some of the highlights:

• We kicked off the Exhibit Train at the 2011 National Train Day at Washington D.C.’s Union Station. It was wonderful to celebrate Amtrak’s annual celebration while dignitaries visited the living exhibit before it hit the road!

• Beech Grove, Ind. is home to one of Amtrak’s maintenance facilities so it was a pleasure visiting this important town that works hard to ensure our trains continue to maintain a high level of performance.

• Heading to the West Coast, the Exhibit Train spent two wonderful weekends stopping in Seattle and Portland. We got the chance to meet with organizations such as All Aboard Washington, the Northwest Railway Museum, and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park.]

• Visiting San Antonio, Texas, we were able to see the gorgeous Sunset Station built by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) and was nicknamed “Building of 1,000 Lights” by the community.

• We traveled to Wilmington, Del. to greet and honor hundreds of employees who call Wilmington home working in the Consolidated National Operations Center (CNOC), High-Speed Rail Training Facility, Bear and Wilmington maintenance and repair shops.

The 40th anniversary Exhibit Train gave us an opportunity to tell our story, and it’s symbolic of the can-do spirit that has kept Amtrak going. We’d be remiss not to thank the dedicated men and women of Amtrak who made this exhibit possible in addition to their regular duties, working tirelessly to share our heritage and outlook with the communities we serve.

As they say, the railroad never stops and neither does the Exhibit Train. Exhibits will be rotated and changed out from time to time as we continue to travel in support of community events and station openings. Be sure to watch out for future trips the Exhibit Train may embark on and explore the online resources to learn about the first leg of the journey of America’s Railroad.