Remembering the Golden Age that Preceded Amtrak

[danasgoodstuff]

I have some memory of pre-Amtrak travel in the States and more of pre-VIA in Canada. And some from Europe circa 30 years ago. But my Golden Age was this past spring when I took Amtrak from PDX to Orlando and back. That's the trip I have memories and photos and a journal of.

 

[Willbridge]

There were several unique features to the Daylight fleet that I think there is still some merit in. These cars had a unique luggage loading situation where the porter could press a button and the shelf would move up or down to load bags from the ground. So you weren't having to lug the bags up and down the steep stairs. I think this was very unique and innovative. And I would love to have seen this in operation. However I think most of these cars were retrofitted in the 60s away from this. And I don't know of any like this that made it to preservation. Not saying one didn't, I don't know it all. But I'm confident in that synopsis.

The other unique item was more on the Cascade and the Shasta Daylight which was the tipple unit diner/lounge/kitchen/dorm car. I know of at least one of these that was preserved in Grapevine, Texas. It allowed for a full lounge, and full diner in a really elegant set up. Hopefully they get it restored. I'm sure parts will be a problem.

I remember the baggage elevators and I think that they started to have maintenance problems. My first trip between Portland and Oakland was in 1960, Cascade south and Shasta Daylight north, and I think they were in service then. I do remember being impressed by the dining cars. I had only had meals in UP dome diners before that.

 

[Seaboard92]

I remember the baggage elevators and I think that they started to have maintenance problems. My first trip between Portland and Oakland was in 1960, Cascade south and Shasta Daylight north, and I think they were in service then. I do remember being impressed by the dining cars. I had only had meals in UP dome diners before that.

That would make sense and by that time the Southern Pacific was slowly becoming more and more anti passenger. Nothing compares to eating in a dome car. The Southern Pacific when they initially streamlined did a lot of really innovative things that really set them apart. Articulated pairs of coaches, the triple unit diner/lounge, and the mentioned baggage elevators. I've also read a book that had a lot of their car plans and they had some unique serving bar concepts I've tried recreating at a tourist railroad. We ultimately went against it because it took too much serving space away but it would have been a unique feature.