Latest Posts

View of the Auto Train station
and Exhibit Train from above. Lorton is a pretty unique station, as it is the northern terminal for the Auto Train, the only train in North America to simultaneously carry passengers and their motor vehicles. The Auto Train runs daily between Lorton, a suburb of Washington, D.C., and Sanford, Florida, located amid that state’s popular theme parks and attractions.

When the clouds broke for a few minutes and the sun briefly shone, we clambered up the hill overlooking the rail yard to get some panoramic shots of the Exhibit Train with the Auto Train and the station in the background. The Exhibit Train’s engines looked pretty stellar from a distance, as their bold retro paint scheme really stands out against the vivid greens of the trees and the soft blue skies. Getting down the slippery hill, that’s another story….

Father and son at Lorton  Passengers on the Auto Train have to arrive a few hours early in order for their motor vehicles to be loaded onto specially built rail cars. While waiting for the day’s departure, many people strolled over to take a look at the Exhibit Train and its three cars that hold 40 years worth of Amtrak memorabilia including colorful advertisements and model trains. The Auto Train has a loyal customer base, and as I watched the passengers wander through the exhibits, I wondered how many of them remembered some of the items that were now behind glass.

One of the first things that passengers encounter when they step on the train is a female mannequin dressed in a uniform that was worn by on-board staff in the early 1970s—in fact, this uniform has been lent to the Exhibit Train by a former employee who kept it safe and sound for many years. The outfit was designed to feature Amtrak’s corporate colors of red, white, and blue—all in very bright hues that are hard to miss. The red top features Amtrak’s original “inverted arrow” logo as a decorative element on the collar and the center placket (the area down the middle with the buttons). Everyone seems to want a picture with our friendly host, and she definitely stays in good humor although everyone jokes about her “stiff” personality!

Chuggington Depot at Lorton Inside the Lorton Terminal, kids had fun playing in the Chuggington Kids’ Depot where they helped color a “traintastic” birthday card for Amtrak, had their photo taken with Koko, Brewster, and Wilson, and received paper conductor hats (and yes, I saw a few Moms and Dads with hats too…). After playing with the toy trains, the kids really got excited to see and walk through the real thing. Some of the little kids were barely taller than the locomotive’s wheels, so I’m sure those machines were impressive.

Although we had fun in Lorton, the railroad never stops. This week, we’re heading north where we’ll cross the Potomac River, pass the Jefferson Memorial, and enter into the cradle of American railroading: Baltimore (or as the locals say, “Bawlmer”). Hope to see you on Saturday or Sunday in Charm City!
–PK

Exhibit train on the platform
at Washington Union Station
At the Monday press conference, Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and National Association of Railroad Passengers Chairman Bob Stewart participated. The dignitaries honored both the occasion and our 40-year employees while standing in front of the Exhibit Train out on the apron at platform 20, just outside Gate G. As we listened to their remarks and clapped for our employees, the business of the station continued on the platforms and the apron beside us. When the speeches were done, the Exhibit Train's horn sounded and we all cheered and clapped even harder.

A few days later, a number of us were helping the Anniversary team to put the finishing touches on the exhibits. (You'd be amazed at what indoor-outdoor mounting tape can do!) The amount of sheer inventiveness, elbow grease and love put into these display cars is staggering, especially when you consider that they all started as baggage cars first made in the 1950s and have been transformed into a fascinating interpretation of Amtrak history.

Big Crowd on National Train Day at
Washington Union Station
On Friday, May 6th, we held the Employee-only preview for the Exhibit Train so that those who worked out of Washington Union Station could swing by and get a sneak peak without having to stand in the long lines we knew we'd have on National Train Day. We had to marvel at how many memories and smiles the exhibits brought. And sometimes, it's great to know that you did it right: Two dining car attendants stood by a modern place setting carefully arranged--by us who were definitely not “in the craft”--and they approved. "This is perfect," the ladies nodded, and moved on, pleased.

And on National Train Day...well, you've seen the Facebook site! There's not a lot to add to that, except that it was exceptionally well-attended. No, that not right, that makes it sound like a sedate symphony concert. Truth is, the vast floors of Union Station were completely jammed with bouncing crowds of people—young, old, and in between—who were having a blast at all the shows and booths, as well as those hurrying to catch their trains or just standing and marveling at the grandeur of this monumental station.

The 40-Year timeline The Exhibit Train got moved to Track 10, up where the commuter trains normally go in and out on weekdays. It had plenty of company on those tracks, with many historic private cars available for the almost endless line of people to enjoy. We stood at our stations throughout the train to welcome a constant stream of visitors and interpret—museum jargon, there—the displays.

The cars are arranged by decade. You start in the 70s and move on up to the 80s in the middle car and then the 90s-2000s in the last car. People really liked the time line and the system maps which greeted them in the beginning of the 1970s car. They’re both a great way to get your arms around forty years of history all at once.

Revisiting the 1970s at breakfast We saw so many smiles at recognizing the contents of the displays and heard so many very knowledgeable buffs reciting our history with great relish—it was both humbling and inspiring. This wasn’t just some bunch of old stuff to look at. For so many, this was part of their own lives they were recognizing. There were some unexpected laughs, too, for us. We had no idea that so many people would want to have their pictures taken with the 1970s couple at their breakfast table! We just can’t wait to see what will happen at the next stops. Hope to see you soon!

—NEF