Ken's Blast From The Past
Copyright ©1997-2018 by Ken Rattenne & KPR Media Services
The American Orient Express
by Ken Rattenne

Once upon a time there was a luxury passenger train called the American European Express.

It was lavish. It was expensive. And it ran between Chicago and and the East Coast. In those heady days of private car entrepreneur-ship the AEE (as it was referred to) was not the only such private luxury Cruise Train. On the West Coast the gaudily dressed Transisco 49er Express was launched with great expectations in 1990 to run from San Jose, CA to Reno, NV, and Alaska had at least two such trains that met cruise ship passengers when they docked. But the 1989 launch of the AEE was by far the most ambitious, and for awhile, the most successful of the Cruise Trains in the Continental United States.  The below quote is from the website American Orient Express
History

"Started in November of 1989 by a Florida entrepreneur, William F. Spann, and backed by the operators of the Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express ... It started as four vintage rail coaches rebuilt by hand and coupled to the rear of Amtrak's Capitol Limited train. The operation ceased after one year.

"In 1991 the service began operating again as a passenger train offering a deluxe journey from Chicago to New York. A train derailment on June 21, 1991, which shattered nearly half of its eleven car-fleet, caused the American European Express to cease operations."

Fast Forward to September 10, 1995. New circumstances and a new operator found the old AEE equipment dusted off and placed back in service as the American Orient Express. This train would go almost anywhere and often utilized freight-only lines as an extra bonus to  'rare mileage" collectors. The American Orient Express (or AEE) uses a dedicated "heritage" passenger car fleet  pulled by Amtrak locomotives and crews. 

So it was that on September 10, 1995 the AOE passed through Pinole, California along San Francisco Bay on a move out of Oakland as part of an extensive run. Seen rounding one of the many curves that hug the shore of San Pablo Bay is Amtrak Extra 231 East with F40PH 392 assisting. Bringing up the rear is an example of Pullman-Standard's design of a lightweight observation car, commonly referred to as "boat tail" observations. This former Great Northern "boat tail" once graced the rear of GN's Empire Builder, and was briefly painted in Southern Pacific Daylight colors when used on the New Orleans Daylight special pulled by Daylight-painted steam engine SP 4449 to the Louisiana World's Fair in 1984.

On this day, however, folks aboard this first class train are enjoying a gourmet lunch, enjoying the sights long San Francisco Bay as two rail photographers commit to film this anachronistic train bound for points east.

 -- Ken Rattenne


Photo Information
Shot on Kodachrome 64 film with a Nikon FM2 and Nikkor 70-210 E-series lens. 


Text and photographs copyright ©1997-2018 by Ken Rattenne & KPR Media Services