In June 1988, Amtrak assigned EMD SW1 #736 to work coach switching duties at the Rio Grande depot in Salt Lake City. This pioneer EMD yard goat nicknamed ‘Lil’ Toot’ was built in January 1942 for the New York Central. It would later toil for both the Ohio Central and the Penn Central before beginning a career with Amtrak. On the morning of July 2, 1988, ‘Lil’ Toot’ is pictured at the Rio Grande depot, having just removed cars from the inbound Pioneer and Desert Wind trains, adding them to the outbound California Zephyr. After Lil’ Toot's stint in Utah, it would be assigned to shuttle coaches in Oakland, California until retirement in 2001.
Depicts Amtrak's "Pioneer" service, which operated from Denver to Seattle, via Salt Lake City and Boise. The route was discontinued in 1997, thus leaving most of the upper Intermountain region without passenger rail service since.
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.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
