Amtrak's #3, the Southwest Limited, crosses the Los Angeles River as it approaches its final destination at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal early in the morning in February 1974. A trio of EMD SDP40F diesels (523, 525 and 505), from Amtrak's first order of new power, leads the train on this day. In the early days of Amtrak, Santa Fe would not allow the use of their Super Chief name to be used by Amtrak, hence the train's early moniker Southwest Limited. In October 1984, Santa Fe deemed Amtrak's improvements to this train sufficient and the railroad allowed the use of their trademarked name to be used by Amtrak, and the old Super Chief was reborn as the Southwest Chief. Note that the old Santa Fe advertising on the bridge was still in place, and that the L.A. River’s concrete banks are not covered in graffiti! (And what appears to be graffiti on the retaining wall on the left, behind the cut of cars, is actually an old advertisement.)
What did passenger trains look like before Amtrak in America, and Via Rail in Canada? Find out in this album with 2,700+ Historical Photos from early passenger trains of North America from the 1900's up until the early years of Government passenger trains
