Desert Wind

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Desert Wind
Desert Wind in Las Vegas.jpg
The Desert Wind, in Las Vegas
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
Status Discontinued
Locale Western United States
First service October 28, 1979
Last service May 10, 1997
Current operator(s) N/A
Former operator(s) Amtrak
Route
Start Chicago, Illinois
End Los Angeles, California
Distance travelled 2,397 miles (3,858 km)
Average journey time 48 hours 30 minutes
Service frequency Three days per week
Train number(s) 35/36
On-board services
Class(es)
  • First class (sleepers)
  • Reserved coach
Sleeping arrangements
  • Bedrooms
  • Roomettes
Catering facilities
Observation facilities Sightseer lounge
Technical
Rolling stock Superliners
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
For the album, see Desert Wind (album).

The Desert Wind, from 1979 to 1997, was a passenger train route operated by Amtrak. It initially ran from Los Angeles, California to Ogden, Utah via Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Nevada. It later was truncated to Salt Lake City when Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr was rerouted from the Overland Route to the Denver and Rio Grande Western and renamed California Zephyr in 1983. At that time, cars from the Desert Wind and Pioneer (Portland, Oregon to Salt Lake City via Boise, Idaho) were added to the eastbound California Zephyr at Salt Lake City. The California Zephyr runs between Emeryville, California (near San Francisco) and Chicago, Illinois through Salt Lake City.

Contents

History [edit]

The Desert Wind began on October 28, 1979, amid widespread cutbacks in Amtrak's national network.[1] The original Desert Wind was a day train with Amfleet equipment. The northbound train left Los Angeles mid-day and arrived in Ogden the following morning to connect with the eastbound San Francisco Zephyr. The southbound departed Ogden in the middle of the night after the arrival of the westbound San Francisco Zephyr from Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles in late afternoon. The 811-mile (1,305 km) journey took eighteen hours.[2]

Beginning in 1980 the Desert Wind exchanged a Chicago-Los Angeles through coach with the San Francisco Zephyr; this service expanded in 1982 to include a sleeping car. The Desert Wind's eastern terminus moved to Salt Lake City after the re-named and re-routed California Zephyr began using the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad main line in 1983. Later the Desert Wind and the Pioneer would operate together with the California Zephyr from Chicago to Salt Lake City, where the trains separated.[3]:142-144

The Desert Wind largely duplicated the route of the former City of Los Angeles operated by Chicago and North Western Railway and Union Pacific Railroad until May 1, 1971, when Amtrak took over passenger rail operations in the United States. The Desert Wind was discontinued on May 12, 1997, due to low ridership, conflict with freight trains,[4] and budget cuts and replaced with Los Angeles-Las Vegas Thruway Motorcoach service. At that time the train schedule running time between Los Angeles and Las Vegas was 7 hours and 15 minutes, but many times the trains operated over one hour late.[4]

Proposed Restoration [edit]

There are several private, competing plans to restore rail service to Las Vegas, including the high-speed XpressWest, and the more conventional X Train and Z-Train.

Also, new routes are being considered,[4] and a new route has been planned to run from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via the Metrolink San Bernardino Line.

The route has some merit for Amtrak, as the July 2010 issue of Trains listed the route as one to be restored in conjunction with upgrading the equipment on the California Zephyr.[5]

Appearances in popular culture [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (January 18, 1980). "You can still ride the rails for scenery, fun". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved September 11, 2010. 
  2. ^ Amtrak (October 28, 1979). "National Train Timetables". Retrieved September 11, 2010. 
  3. ^ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X. 
  4. ^ a b c Las Vegas to Los Angeles Rail Corridor Improvement Feasibility Study p1+173 Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, June 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  5. ^ "Amtrak Trains Under the Microscope in 2010", Trains, July 20, 2010.

External links [edit]
California
Midwest
Northeast
Northwest
South
West
Planned
Former
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