1994 Amtrak service video

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Shortline

Shortline

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Came across this video on YouTube, it's a 30 min+ tour of Amtrak service, and accommodations from 1994. Follows a family making a cross country train trip, and explains the various services, rooms, cars, and amenities of the Superliner trains, single level trains (with heritage sleepers) and NE Corridor Metroliner trains.

Does mention the new Viewliners cars "coming soon" and at the end, it touches on the future, with a shot of the Acella shooting by in its original paint scheme, looks like DB ICE maybe? I'm sure this has been posted here before, but I've never seen it, so assumed others may not have either.

Totally 90's, and a little cheesy, but I found it interesting to see the insides of the trains as they were before the blue interior, and the heritage sleeper cars, only rode one, back in 1992, so this was a good reminder. Fun to see what is changed, what is the same, and how things looked back then. To me, 1994 wasn't that long ago, but some here probably weren't even born yet.

LINK
 
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Funny you posted this now. I happened to stumble on it a few weeks ago. Pretty cheesy, but fun and interesting to watch.
 
Looks like it has been up for a while, not sure how I missed it. Really like going "back in time" so to speak. Those red and brown colors....that's the Amtrak I remember. Can see they're in transition, some of the seats are the older red, one of the superliner rooms is green, (I don't remember those) and others are blue. I do remember the tan in the heritage sleepers.
 
I had never seen the inside of a slumber coach room. Also learned the the Florida trains at that time used buffet style food service.
 
The slumber coach looks just about like the roomette, just without meals? I seem to think I rode in a single slumbercoach, I think I had just one seat in my room the one time I rode a heritage sleeper. Can't remember. I do remember it had a sink/toilette in the room, so maybe it was a roomette, just don't remember. Long time ago.
 
:cool: Nice find! Back to the Future for sure! ;) (I've been riding Amtrak since A Day!) People were dressed more Formally,even the Crew! The Mixture of the Colors on the various Trains was during the Transition from Ugly 70s/80s to the Blue of the Now! I don't remember Pink Blankets in the Sleeping Cars! Loved the Slumber Coaches and the Heritage Cars reminded me, IMHO, that Today's Viewliners and Superliners (Coach and Sleepers) are Better Cars!

Other things that were of Note to me were the Buffet Diner and the Buffet/Dome Diner on the Florida Trains and the Auto Train!

Also the change of Trains in Union Station in Washington is curious (Union Station was more Pristine then and the Mall wasn't as Huge!)but of course it was a Movie, and as was said, it got to show the Metro Lounge which Looks pretty much the Same. (Now Club Acela) and the Metroliner from WAS-BAL which takes 30 minutes! I'd forgotten that what is now Business Class was called First Class Coach Service1 (and Boy can that Kid Eat fast, I don't think you even get a Meal Now Days between WAS and BAL on FC Acela?)

And Jim, the Chief of On-Board Services, sure had a Loooooong Route , he must really have racked up the Overtime! ^_^

Thanks for Posting! :hi:
 
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Shortline said:
Does mention the new Viewliners cars "coming soon" and at the end, it touches on the future, with a shot of the Acella shooting by in its original paint scheme, looks like DB ICE maybe? I'm sure this has been posted here before, but I've never seen it, so assumed others may not have either.
Click to expand...
Actually that was a Siemens ICE I train. Amtrak toured one around the country for a while in the early 90s.

peter
 
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I do wonder how practical the "buffet style" dining cars were.
 
SarahZ said:
I was 17 in 1994. :)
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I was roughly 18. We're at the very top of the leading edge of the resurgence in popularity of passenger rail, according to the demographics I've seen; it gets more popular as people get younger than us.
 
The COB actor - Jim Ponds - was in an episode of Dallas,,,,,The actress is Suzanne Savoy who had a few episodes in House of Cards last year and tons of TV in the 90's and Blake Stokes - the Lad was in episode of the X-files. God love IMDb.

All things ancient seem corny, what I love is how they change clothes without luggage.

I think my first LD trip was from CHI to GSC in 1958. We went three or four times a year through the 60's. My first solo LD trip was to Libby in 1972 on the EB. It has been a while since I have returned to the rails (two radical head and neck cancer surgeries do crimp your style) but I did enjoy the trip (sic) down memory lane no matter how camp it might be.

thanks for the ink
 
Nathanael said:
SarahZ said:
I was 17 in 1994. :)
Click to expand...
I was roughly 18. We're at the very top of the leading edge of the resurgence in popularity of passenger rail, according to the demographics I've seen; it gets more popular as people get younger than us.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. Whenever I'm on a train, I notice a distinct lack of people in our age group. Everyone is either college-age (18-25) or 55+.
 
Excuse me for saying this but why is that child calling that Amtrak employee by his first name. Maybe its me but I was expecting something like Mr or sir.
 
lthanlon said:
Nearly all the out-the-window shots were process photography, right?
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I don't know what that is, but it looks super fake.

I wish the Coach seats still had wings. It would make sleeping a lot easier.
 
MrFSS said:
Nathanael said:
SarahZ said:
I was 17 in 1994. :)
Click to expand...
I was roughly 18. We're at the very top of the leading edge of the resurgence in popularity of passenger rail, according to the demographics I've seen; it gets more popular as people get younger than us.
Click to expand...
Ha! I had been married almost 30 years by then! I didn't really start riding Amtrak until 2002.
Click to expand...
You and my parents both. They were married in 1966. :)
 
SarahZ said:
Nathanael said:
SarahZ said:
I was 17 in 1994. :)
Click to expand...
I was roughly 18. We're at the very top of the leading edge of the resurgence in popularity of passenger rail, according to the demographics I've seen; it gets more popular as people get younger than us.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. Whenever I'm on a train, I notice a distinct lack of people in our age group. Everyone is either college-age (18-25) or 55+.
Click to expand...
I usually have seen or met quite a number of people who are 25-35 as well. In that age bracket, they are clearly used to this being a less popular method of travel -- they tend to be boosters and advocates and nearly every one I've spoken to has either asked me how I like Amtrak or said unprompted how much they like it, often with a slightly defensive speech. Which I kind of recognize because I do that too.
The 18-25 year olds seem to take it more for granted. I see far fewer people 40-55, and most of the ones I've talked to were either ex-railway workers or foreigners; others were travelling with their parents or children.
 
Seems a bit off-topic - but here in Illinois the 30-50 crowd is represented very well on Lincoln Service. Yes a lot of passengers are of college age do to many schools being located along the route. But us middle age folks are purchasing tickets and riding in this part of the USA. You also get a good mix of recently released prisoners in coach / station - Amtrak is contracted with State Department of Corrections to get them back to their chosen communities.

Video was interesting - yet cheesy - wasn't riding in that era. My first ride would have been in 1980 or 81 I think - on a route that hasn't existed in decades.

Amtrak finally extended the Illini to Decatur on July 2, 1981.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illini_%28train%29

Poor ridership prompted Illinois to withdraw its support for the Decatur stop, and Amtrak cut the Illini back to Champaign on July 10, 1983
 
SarahZ said:
Nathanael said:
SarahZ said:
I was 17 in 1994. :)
Click to expand...
I was roughly 18. We're at the very top of the leading edge of the resurgence in popularity of passenger rail, according to the demographics I've seen; it gets more popular as people get younger than us.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. Whenever I'm on a train, I notice a distinct lack of people in our age group. Everyone is either college-age (18-25) or 55+.
Click to expand...
True I was 17 in 1994 too and now mainly only travel by rail as well . I started a year and a half ago with trains and last year did 13.5k miles. On March 11 taking my second LD train ride going west.
 
The video was shot in real time as we traveled across the country, and what you see out the windows is not process photography--those are the actual vistas that we saw as we rode along the rails. It was a fantastic shoot, with an amazing crew--I remember in particular the unflappable Bill Williams, who has had a great career as a sound mixer. I traveled with my two-year-old daughter (my mom and mother-in-law joined us for parts of the journey to provide child-care), and Blake's lovely mother and siblings were along as well to support him. Jim Ponds, the "conductor" was a terrific guy. It was an unforgettable journey, and an excellent adventure! (I sure miss all those 1990's clothes; I should have kept the high-waisted pants--looks like they're coming back in style!)
 
iggy said:
Seems a bit off-topic - but here in Illinois the 30-50 crowd is represented very well on Lincoln Service. Yes a lot of passengers are of college age do to many schools being located along the route. But us middle age folks are purchasing tickets and riding in this part of the USA. You also get a good mix of recently released prisoners in coach / station - Amtrak is contracted with State Department of Corrections to get them back to their chosen communities.

Video was interesting - yet cheesy - wasn't riding in that era. My first ride would have been in 1980 or 81 I think - on a route that hasn't existed in decades.

Amtrak finally extended the Illini to Decatur on July 2, 1981.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illini_%28train%29

Poor ridership prompted Illinois to withdraw its support for the Decatur stop, and Amtrak cut the Illini back to Champaign on July 10, 1983
Click to expand...
Why does this train have 3 cafe cars?
 
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