50 Years To The Day. Some 50 years ago on this very day, Amtrak was born - saving the American passenger train from being found only in the pages of history. Now, 50 years later, routes that were once plied by trains like the famous Santa Fe Super Chief are still seeing service, just under different names and with different equipment. Just seven miles into its eastbound journey in this scene, this evening's westbound Amtrak Train No. 4, the Southwest Chief, carries on the original Chief's legacy as it prepares to turn due east on the Redodno Flyover as it passes the newly restored turntable here at Amtrak's Redondo Junction locomotive maintenance facility. In the background, one of the Santa Fe's "Supreme Steam" members that once called this very location home during its days of active service, Santa Fe 3751, looks on...a constant reminder that while we continue moving forward, the past is not that far from us still.
