On May 1, 2011, Amtrak will kick off a year-long celebration honoring 40 years as America’s Railroad. For the past several months, a small dedicated group of employees has been organizing a wide range of activities that will touch every part of the system to mark this seminal event. The kick-off celebration will take place in May with National Train Day and Employee Appreciation Day, and will continue through May 2012. “All our employees — past and present — will be proud that most of the work is being done in-house,” said Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications Joe McHugh. “And why not? In addition to help us keep costs down, who better to tell our story and the promise of our future than the Amtrak family.” The company is currently compiling a commemorative book, Amtrak: An American Story, on the company’s history and its plans for the future. The book will feature photos and employee stories depicting Amtrak’s first 40 years. It will also contain a section dedicated to “A Day in the Life of Amtrak” comprised of many of the more than 2,000 photos submitted by Amtrak employees depicting 24 hours in the life of our company. In addition, an Emmy award-winning producer is working on a documentary illustrating the history of Amtrak and the importance of Amtrak to this country. Both of these items will be available for purchase. Concurrent with this work, Beech Grove is renovating surplus equipment and restoring one F-40, one P-40, three baggage cars, and an Amfleet food service car for a special 40th anniversary “museum train” that will travel across the country to many employee locations. The baggage cars will be turned into museum cars that will display exhibits of historic advertising, uniforms, photographs and other items of interest. The food service car will serve as a combination retail center and rotating exhibit space. Four locomotives are also being repainted in historic colors to mark the event. In recognition of employees past and present, the company is producing a video focused on the people who have helped make Amtrak America’s Railroad. The video will be made available to all employees. After the new year, and leading up to the start of the celebration, look for additional updates and details of anniversary events in various locations. Thanks for 40 great years!
