Amtrak history......Do you remember.....?

[wmk]

Anybody else remember the silly uniforms Amtrak employees wore in the mid 1970's? I rode the Lone Star in 1975 ore 1976 and they had just designed a line of uniforms which were very untraditional to say the least.I can imagine what some old conductor or engineer thought about such .When did they change to the uniforms used today,which are very professional looking. Any body remember anything in Amtrak history of interest?

 

[noob]

Anybody else remember the silly uniforms Amtrak employees wore in the mid 1970's? I rode the Lone Star in 1975 ore 1976 and they had just designed a line of uniforms which were very untraditional to say the least.I can imagine what some old conductor or engineer thought about such .When did they change to the uniforms used today,which are very professional looking. Any body remember anything in Amtrak history of interest?

Yes, they all looked so stiff and uncomfortable.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Red ones were even worse!Clothing in the 70s was hideous!

 

[Anderson]

The Red ones were even worse!Clothing in the 70s was hideous!

Speaking of hideous art, if it hasn't changed, check the "What to expect on a train" page at NARP's website.

 

[LDKarr]

Well, now I know where my NARP dues AREN'T being spent.

 

[railiner]

Anybody else remember the silly uniforms Amtrak employees wore in the mid 1970's? I rode the Lone Star in 1975 ore 1976 and they had just designed a line of uniforms which were very untraditional to say the least.I can imagine what some old conductor or engineer thought about such .When did they change to the uniforms used today,which are very professional looking. Any body remember anything in Amtrak history of interest?

Here's Amtrak's own retrospective on the subject...http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/01/amtrak-uniform/

I kind of liked the "hotpants and go-go boot's" look on the ladies....similar to some contemporary airline uniforms.

 

[Bill]

My Amtrak history..an Amshed on River Road in Cincinnati.Don't remember the trains name but rode to Grafton WV and back in the same day in the winter of '78..almost on time both ways.Took the train just for the sake of riding the train..my love affair with passenger travel had begun

 

[FormerOBS]

I still have a couple Burgundy vests from 1987 hanging in my closet, and I may even have one or two of the old neckties!

In terms of practicality, the worst was the gray uniform introduced at the beginning of Acela service. The designer was very pleased with himself and was quoted as saying something like, "I've always wanted to do trains." The problem was that his assignment wasn't to do trains. His assignment was to design practical and attractive uniforms for THE PEOPLE WHO WORK ON the trains. Those uniforms were impossible to keep clean, and they REQUIRED dry cleaning. In the real world, attendants often have to wash some items of clothing enroute in any convenient sink and hope it's dry before it has to be worn again. I understand he was paid quite handsomely for that boondoggle.

Tom

 

[wmk]

i remember seeing pictures of the engineers uniform,circa mid 70s. that was more silly than hot pants and go go boots.Did any engineers actually wear that?I have never seen an engineer wear any thing other ordinary work clothes..

 

[railiner]

I still have a couple Burgundy vests from 1987 hanging in my closet, and I may even have one or two of the old neckties!

I still have some old station uniform items from the seventies and eighties, too.....some ties, cardigan sweater's, hats, belt buckle's, name badge's, overall's (remember those blue ones with the red and white stripes that were identical to the ones Greyhound wore, except for the logo?).....

Why I keep them, I don't know.. nostalgia, I suppose. Just more clutter in my "archives".....

 

[Anderson]

Well, now I know where my NARP dues AREN'T being spent.

To be fair, they have spectacularly updated the website in the last few weeks. If I'm not mistaken, the issue is that over the last year or so they've been fighting to bring the website out of the mid-90s and that page isn't high on their list of things. I spoke with their office about it (alongside some other fun things, such as an interesting letter situation that I was able to confirm wasn't what they thought it was). Getting their house in order is just taking time.

(At least these aren't the Boys State pamphlets the other counselors and I were issued to hand out last year...I think those literally dated from the late 70s/early 80s. Then again, the gentleman who issued them to us is a very fine fellow who fought in WW2 and I think it was also an attempt by their office to dump old stocks of the stuff.)

 

[NE933]

I presume we are talking about the bright scarlet red jackets, pants, and skirts.

This choice of color was obviously designed to attract attention to passenger trains, whose presence on one's radar screen was non-existant, or, was perceived to be an awful choice of a means of transportation. As well, red has always been used as a positive attention getter, so by using it on one's dress ware, it spoke to the public that we (Amtrak) are doing something to improve the broken down trains and railroad track; we are making trains a happy place to be.

Perhaps now is a good time to reissue an updated red uniform (crimson, maybe?) until Amtrak gets its house in order, whenever that will be.

And I can't agree more about the grey Acela: it gave the staff a cold, armed forces kind of feel. Ultimately, go with sharp navy outer wear with deep blue or white shirts and blouses, and use red accents for the ties, scarves or ascots, as well as, maybe, the lapels. Plus, the growing practice of letting conductors reveal tatoos ought to be a no-no.

 

[acelafan]

history.amtrak.com has some real interesting content...the Archives sections has great photos from back in the day. Even the Miami station in 1978 looked new!