George Andrews Wrote:
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> Yep - Eastbound with 2 F40's it was often routed
> up the South Track between Cajon & Summit, CA. The
> 2nd Amfleet car was the food service car; note the
> blank space in the middle of the carbody. The
> Desert Wind would hit the big time when the
> Superliner or Heritage sleeper & Superliner coach
> were added, running through to & from Chicago.
> Oftentimes a SDP40F was part of the power consist
> too.

When the SPD40Fs were displaced from hauling Steam Heated Trains out of LA beginning entirely in early 1981, it has been said that a local Amtrak High Ranking Manager (this may have been Western Division General Manager Lee W. Bullock) said that they were to be the lead these trains until they were retired, and that they did. I have many pictures I took of Train #35 at Pasadena with SPD40Fs in the lead. They could lead, as they didn't have Head End Power (HEP) Generators, but were still geared for 79 MPH and could still lead trains on Santa Fe and UP.