Rail - Amtrak's 40th anniversary train comes west

Since early May, a special train has been circulating around the country offering a free public exhibit celebrating Amtrak's 40th anniversary that took place on 1 May.

The passenger cars and locomotives will sport Amtrak liveries from the past four decades.

Between now and mid December the train will make six stops in the Pacific coast states:

Seattle - 22-23 October
Portland - 29-30 October
Sacramento - 5-6 November
Oakland - 12-13 November
Bakersfield - 19-20 November
San Diego - 3-4 December
Los Angeles - 10-11 December

For details click above on a city name.  If you don't live in one of these cities, but nearby along one of Amtrak's routes, why not consider taking a train ride to and from the exhibit?

I will probably try to take in the exhibit either in Sacramento or Oakland.

Amtrak has a website dedicated to the 40th anniversary that includes information about the exhibit train, as well as a great deal more about the company's history.  Whether you are able to see the exhibit train or not, you'll probably find something worthwhile on the anniversary website if you're at all interested in Amtrak.

I dug around a bit in the "Archives" section, and chanced upon a link to The Museum of Railway Timetables.  This is not curated by Amtrak itself, but rather by two gentlemen associated with the Amtrak Unlimited discussion forum I've mentioned before in my ongoing Amtrak Service and Fares blog series.  It's entertaining (well, for me at least) to look at timetables that chronicle Amtrak's history.

Related link:
- my post noting Amtrak's 40th anniversary on 1 May 2011