Having completed another safe run, the old crew heads toward the station in Indianapolis, Indiana, on a chilly December 14th, 1973, as a fresh crew climbs aboard Penn Central E8A 4306. The train is Amtrak #31, the westbound National Limited, heading from New York and Washington DC (these two halves combined in Harrisburg, PA) to Kansas City, Missouri. The venerable old E-unit, originally built as Pennsylvania Railroad 5806A, will eventually become Amtrak 312 (and the other engine, PC E8A 4312 - ex-PRR 5712A - would become Amtrak 318). And the National Limited would not last beyond October 1st, 1979.
The three biggest passenger carriers - Pennsylvania, New York Central, and New Haven - merged to create the ill-fated Penn Central, whose passenger losses and poor service led to the formation of Amtrak and state-owned commuter lines.
