I was reading the article “One Fast GG1 On a Roll” in the Railroad Reading section of the September issue of Trains. The author mentions the “orange-and-purple Amtrak era”. I don’t recall ever having heard this term used before. Of course, I am very familiar with the Rainbow Era. Is this just another name for it or is there some other signifigance behind it?
The “orange-and-purple” refers to the slightly garish interior decor that Amtrak used in the 1970’s. Although some of us may not want to admit it in our middle age, loud colors were quite popular in decor and fashion in the disco era of the 1970’s.
Glad I missed out on THAT trend…
I read the phrase and I wondered about it too. I lived through the era (and blocked a lot of it out, obviously) but would not have thought of it as orange and purple. IN my experience, it was bright, bright red and deep blue.
Larry
Thanks for clearing this up! I suppose my age is the reason for not knowing this. I wasn’t even born in the 70’s and so obviously never had the pleasure (or displeasure!) of riding Amtrak back then. I know they had some way-out funky styles back then, but yet I still somehow have trouble envisioning this. I guess there’s a reason you don’t hear about this too much. I can’t see people being nostalgic about orange and purple or bright red and deep blue passenger car interiors the way so many of us are about those on the great trains of the pre-Amtrak years.
UGGH!! Orange and purple!! Those colors definately don’t go together!! Although, I guess that was “groovy” back in the 70s—lol!!
Richard
I am a 70’s child, well born in 60 but started being aware in the 70’s, I must have blocked out all those psycodelic colors from then. I just remember bell bottom pants, and how they kept you cool in the summer. [8D]
Didn’t Trains mag do a seventies edition? There were some pretty eye catching colors.
Ahh yes… Lime green kitchen appliances… Sculptured orange carpet. Luckily I was young enough that I can’t be blamed. Unfortunately now, it’s all come back as “retro”… Right down to the egg chairs, and globe lamps.
Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the NEW TrainTenna LP Gain RR Scanner Antenna-
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The orange and purple was a lousey scheme even for that era. Especially with the black ceilings. Nothing like the “Silver Vista,” former CB&Q parlor obs from the Twin Zypher, converted to a “Disco Pub” car with tables and cheap swivel chairs replacing the parlor section. Blue carpet, orange walls, purple trim and a black ceiling. Accented by a piano chained to the walls to prevent rolling (shoulda tied down a hand brake on it) and mal-functioning air conditioning. Its triple valve took a bite out of my uniform trousers one morning on number 9. Don’t get me going on this topic.
Mitch
And don’t forget the bright red uniforms the coach attedants wore in that era[xx(]!
Guys,
The orange and purple didn’t last long. I was around then too. During the 70s, Amtrak slowly standardized on the blue.
BTW:
Several lounge cars that Amtrak inherited already had purple in them and remained so until the Beech Grove Rebuilding program of 1980. I rode on one and took interior photos. I don’t remember if these were ex-SP or SCL cars, but during the mid 60s, some railroads experimented with some “way out” funky hippy-wanna-be" interior decor as well. I remember thumbing through books at my LHS and seeing some car interiors with “yellow flower decals”, and lime colored tables.
Some of you that are making fun of this and say that you’re glad that you missed this era, you’re not really thinking are you? Those days for railfans were a lot more fun, there was a greater variety of equipment than today, and railroads generally were more friendly and tolerant towards railfans.
We see kids with needles sticking out of their faces, purple hair, and tatoos from neck-to-ankle. Yet, today, it seems like it’s not a big deal…(permissive parenting)…just as orange or purple seats were not a big deal back then.[swg][;)]
Man, that must have been one “UGLY” Amtrak era!! Phew, at least I wasn’t born then!
Richard
Anything was an improvement over the pastel green, pastel blue and pinks that were inherited. Anyone remember the original Amfleet seats that were covered in a print fabric?
[bow]. From what my father says about his hometown (Sycamore, Illinois) with the CGW going right through the center of town AntonioFP45 is totally correct. Even though there was only one railroad (or at least only one he talks about) he would ride his bike down there when he was around my age, 13-15 or so, and watch the different Funits. I would love to be able to ride my bike for 10 minutes and go train watching, and I’d REALLY love to see the marroon, red, and multicolored CGW F units.
For about a year into Amtrak, the Super Chief really continued to be just that and still lived up to the standards of the AT&SF. Then the decline came. Glad I rode it while it was still great!
I saw a picture of an E-unit that Amtrak painted in BLACK, with the “pointless arrow”, looked a heck of a lot sharper than anything else Amtrak has ever run! They shoulda stuck with that paint scheme.
Also recall the old Auto Train paint scheme? Purple, white, and red! I always thought that was kinda interesting.
I can’t attest to any Amtrak interiors, however, as I’ve never been on a mainline passenger train on this continent.
-Mark
www.fuzzyworld3.com
That black E may have been a “patched” Penn Central locomotive. They were frequently used on the 1970s-era National Limited, though I don’t remember seeing a pointless arrow on one.
Larry
Amtrak wasn’t the only business in the seventies using “loud” color combinations of purple, orange, red, etc. I vaguely recall visiting some banks in California with similar decor.
Auto Train’s and Chessie’s paint schemes helped to make things more interesting for what was a dark time for many of America’s railroads.
Btw- does anyone know when Amtrak ditched the “pointless arrow” logo?
The black E units were ex-Penn Central. Amtrak repainted a number of them in 1971 and 72 in the red, blue and platinum “Pointless Arrow” scheme. Though ironically many E units would be off the roster in just a few years in the mid to late 70s with the arrival of the brutes (SDP40fs) in 73 and F40phs from 1976 onward.
For an E unit to be built in the 1950s to haul fast passenger trains on the New York Central or Pennsylvania RR’s, endure years of little or no maintenance on PC, and yet last long enough to be conveyed to Amtrak says a lot about EMD’s workmanship and the employees who used whatever means to keep them rolling.