- Desert Wind
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Desert Wind 
The Desert Wind in Las VegasOverview 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 - Dining car
- On-board cafe
Observation facilities Sightseer lounge Technical Rolling stock Superliners Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Route map Legend
0 Chicago 
28 mi (45 km) Naperville 104 mi (167 km) Princeton 162 mi (261 km) Galesburg 
Illinois/Iowa border 
205 mi (330 km) Burlington 233 mi (375 km) Mount Pleasant 280 mi (450 km) Ottumwa 360 mi (580 km) Osceola 393 mi (632 km) Creston Iowa/Nebraska border 501 mi (806 km) Omaha 555 mi (893 km) Lincoln 652 mi (1,049 km) Hastings 706 mi (1,136 km) Holdrege 784 mi (1,262 km) McCook Nebraska/Colorado border 960 mi (1,540 km) Fort Morgan 1,037 mi (1,669 km) Denver Union Station 1,100 mi (1,800 km) Fraser-Winter Park 1,113 mi (1,791 km) Granby 1,222 mi (1,967 km) Glenwood Springs Colorado/Utah border 
1,390 mi (2,240 km) Thompson 1,489 mi (2,396 km) Helper 1,564 mi (2,517 km) Provo 1,609 mi (2,589 km) Salt Lake City 
Pioneer to Seattle California Zephyr to Emeryville 1,815 mi (2,921 km) Milford Utah/Nevada border 1,931 mi (3,108 km) Caliente 
2,057 mi (3,310 km) Las Vegas Nevada/California border 2,241 mi (3,607 km) Barstow 2,279 mi (3,668 km) Victorville 2,325 mi (3,742 km) San Bernardino 2,371 mi (3,816 km) Fullerton 
2,397 mi (3,858 km) Los Angeles For the album, see Desert Wind (album).Desert Wind was a passenger train route operated by Amtrak from 1979 to 1997. When it first entered service, it ran from Los Angeles, California to Ogden, Utah passing through Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. 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, Utah via Idaho) were added to the eastbound California Zephyr at Salt Lake City. The California Zephyr runs between Emeryville, California near San Francisco and Chicago through Salt Lake City.
Contents
History
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 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]
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 in 1997 due to budget cuts and replaced with Los Angeles-Las Vegas Thruway Motorcoach service.
Proposed Restoration
There are several private, competing plans to restore rail service to Las Vegas, including the high-speed Desert Xpress and the more conventional Z-Train.
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.[3]
Appearances in other media
- The Desert Wind is mentioned in the song "Bone Against Steel" on the album of the same name by the rock band .38 Special.
- Michael Palin rides the Desert Wind in his Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days.
- The Desert Wind appears at the end of the film Rain Man.
- Desert Wind is described (though not mentioned by name) in Bob Segar's Long Twin Silver Line from the album Against the Wind.
See also
- Las Vegas Limited
References
- ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (January 18, 1980). "You can still ride the rails for scenery, fun". Anchorage Daily News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X0EdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cKcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1462,3145689&dq=amtrak+desert-wind&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
- ^ Amtrak (October 28, 1979). "National Train Timetables". http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19791028&item=0046. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
- ^ "Amtrak Trains Under the Microscope in 2010", Trains, July 2010, 20.
- Tommy Batts (1997). Last Run of Amtrak's Desert Wind. Trainweb.
External links
Categories:- Former Amtrak routes
- Passenger rail transportation in Nevada
- Night trains of the United States
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