The final run of Santa Fe train 191 from La Juant to Palmer Lake Colorado. April 30th, 1971.
Originally uploaded by Eddie from Chicago
Todays Amtrak began operation on May 1st, 1971. Prior to that, the individual railroads ran their own passenger trains, and began to gradually discontinue operating them during the late 1950's and throughout the 1960's.
As more Americans began traveling long distance by commercial jet airliners, Our Nation was begining to face a serious danger of losing long distance inter city passenger trains for good.
During the year of 1970, the now late United States President Richard M. Nixon signed in to law the National Rail Passenger ervice Act, wich soon became known as Amtrak.
This photo shown here, was taken on April 30th, 1971. The actual day before Amtrak operations would begin.
Believe it or not, three North American railroads decided to hold out and actually not join Amtrak. These three were the Southern Railroad, The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and the Denver & Rio Grande Western.
The Rock Island discontinued their passenger trains in December of 1978, the Southern Railroad discontinued theirs in 1979 and turned things over to Amtrak, and the Denver Rio Grande Western discontinued operating their Rio Grande Zephyr passenger train in 1983.
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