Amtrak train #36, led by SDP40F 526 and F40PH 221, passes through Mormon Rocks in southern California's Cajon Pass on March 27th, 1981. This is the eastbound Desert Wind, which ran from Los Angeles CA to Salt Lake City UT. The inaugural run of the Desert Wind was on October 28th, 1979, and the train (which connected to Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr, which operated from Chicago IL to Oakland CA - it didn't actually reach San Francisco) fell victim to Amtrak's recurring budget cuts and was discontinued on May 12, 1997.
California-bound rail travelers from the east have three choices to reach the Golden State: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle. A look back through the years including the now-defunct Desert Wind
Depicts Amtrak's "Desert Wind" service, which operated from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, via Las Vegas. Its discontinuance in 1997 left the lower Intermountain region, including Las Vegas, without any passenger rail service since.