As built those Post-War cars would have had interiors of mostly earth-tones. Beige or tan walls, maroon or blue-green seat cushions, light pastel tans, greens and blues on restroom bulkheads.
Since you mention the era being mid 1970s you have a whole, wild spectrum of colors to choose from! Amtrak was trying to “reinvigorate” passenger travel. Autotrain had their own palate of wild colors, too.
Take a look at some of these Amtrak photos from the era and you’ll see what I mean:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2016/03/29/amtrak-1970s/82346702/
Specifically photos 2, 6, 7, 9, and 17. Lost of red, purple, orange and paisley prints. Like a Peter Max poster [:|]
I’ll add some photos of a few cars that I shot at the Mad River & NKP Museum here soon.
Amtrak inherited hundreds of tired, road-weary cars and gave most of them a quickie rehab with their limited budget.
This was the era of carpet on the walls, a burled walnut contact vinyl on the window pillars and, again, those wild red-orange and plum colors!
The above are in the former CB&Q 4714 “Silver Dome” a home-made dome coach (the floor under the dome was not depressed like Budd-built domes) it became Amtrak 9401
This coach got a little more “reserved” redo. Amtrak 6045 was one of 20 former Nickel Plate coaches delivered in 1950 (NKP 105). I’m guessing the off-white wall paint was still in pretty good shape so Amtrak left it alone. They were pressed for t